Two sensitively restored beauties on 7 acres in West Cork

A fine traditional farmhouse and snug stone cottage near Ballydehob are on the market for €550,000 writes Catherine Shanahan

Lissaclarig West, Ballydehob, West Cork, a four-bed house and two-bed cottage on the market for €550,000.

Lissaclarig
€550,000
Size	1700 sq ft + 1300 sq ft
Bedrooms	4 + 2
Bathrooms	2 + 1
BER	G

DRIVING a coach and four through an old farmhouse in an attempt to modernise it was never on the agenda at Lissaclarig West, where the main motivation was a commitment to tradition.

In the family for almost a century, its current owners were determined to stay true to its original form when they inherited it roughly 40 years ago.

It was built by the grandfather of the man of the house in 1932 and that grandson and his wife undertook years of hard work to keep it as authentic as possible.

“There’s kind of a unique tradition to this house and we wanted to maintain it. We were very, very careful to retain old features when renovating and to retain that pared-back look,” the owner’s wife says.

Their restoration work was painstaking and included stripping all of the doors by having them dipped in a vat of acid — a common practice at one stage — removing layers and layers of paint.

They sourced old slate roof tiles to cover the original kitchen floor — now the dining room and current kitchen floor — with great success while exposing the original timber floors in the other rooms.

They even polished up a beautiful old range which the owner’s wife believes may have been second-hand when the house was built in 1932. It’s a centrepiece in the dining room now, although probably more ornamental.

Much painting ensued - “white, white, white” - the owner’s wife says and much varnishing of those pitch pine floorboards.

Later on, they set about making it a more comfortable and energy-efficient house to live in, adding south-facing solar panels which they say provide 99% of all water heating, as well as insulating the attic, dry lining walls, and, the pièce de resistance, adding a sunroom.

“It’s south-facing, it’s sensational, it’s what I am going to miss the most,” the wife says.

Still and all, their work wasn’t done and they went about restoring a derelict cottage on their seven acres.

“It served originally as a dwelling house — although not in living memory or in any record — and subsequently as a milking parlour/animal house for the farm,” the wife says.

Their architect pointed to the quality of the stonework as proof that it had been built as a dwelling. It’s a dwelling once again now, after they rebuilt and restored, making some changes to the upstairs with planning permission, to create a gorgeous studio and successful rental, with a tenant currently in situ.

The upshot of their work at Lissaclarig West, is a fine traditional 1,700 sq ft main house and a gorgeously snug 1,300 sq ft stone cottage, just four miles from Ballydehob and six miles from Skibbereen, on seven acres, with tree-lined gardens and patio and a paddock and a mixed hardwood plantation, and a striking orange-red traditional “crinkly roof” (celebrity architect Dermot Bannon’s description) barn/shed with 150 sq m of storage. The whole package — including the old stone remains of some outbuildings — is in a setting with commanding countryside views and was once part of a large farm that was sold off.

The owners are selling now with heavy heart, as it's simply too big for their needs now, and the plan is to downsize, although where to is still up in the air.

“It’s the first time that the house will be out of the family. It's a very big wrench for us to leave it because we absolutely love it,” says the owner’s wife. They did however get great use out of it, especially over the past two decades, when it was their main residence, in between winters overseas, with summers spent in glorious West Cork. They even re-planted two acres of trees, to create that mixed hardwood woodland, which is now maturing.

Selling agent Pat Maguire of Pat Maguire Properties is guiding the four-bed house and two-bed cottage at €550,000. 

He’s seeing good interest, he says, in line with a trend over the past pandemic year, with strong enquiries from the city from people considering a move to West Cork.

“We’ve had solid interest, all families, all potential Irish buyers. What’s come through in the past year is that West Cork is seen as a safe haven. People are getting away from the uncertainties of living in the city.

“They are looking for extra space in particular and anything with rental income is a bonus.

 “This property would provide that — both a home and a separate property to rent — midway between Skibbereen and Ballydehob,” Mr Maguire says. 

The main house comes with that lovely sunroom, a sitting room, dining room, kitchen, utility, and four bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs while the cottage has open plan living — kitchen/dining/living room and a wetroom downstairs, with two bedrooms overhead.

VERDICT: If you're looking for authentic West Cork, this is where it's at. The package is doubly attractive because it includes not just a charming, traditional home, but also excellent income potential thanks to the sensitive renovation of a derelict cottage.