Aspiring to live in The Spires in Innishannon? There's a home for sale 

No 4 is a fine family home in a leafy, residential area

4 The Spires Innishannon Savills

Innishannon, Cork
€550,000
Size	190 sq m (2045 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4 / 5
Bathrooms	3
BER	B3

THERE was a third child on the way when the first and only occupants of No 4 The Spires shipped themselves in back in 1997, along with the family dogs, Milly and Sammy, and their other two kids.

The youngest never knew any other home because the move to The Spires was always going to be long term. It’s that kind of an estate.

Roomy, detached homes on good sites, local man Fachtna Crowley knew what he was doing when he built three dozen or so mainly dormer-style houses back in the mid-’90s. They were popular with families then and they have never lost their gloss. Any re-sales tend to be swift. It helps that the estate has matured well and that homeowners spent generously on landscaping. 

Lawrence Sweeney of Savills is selling No 4, with a guide price of €550,000, and he says clients looking to buy in Innishannon regularly ask “Do you have anything in The Spires? Everyone wants to live there. "It’s just a few minutes from Main Street and it’s kind of an idyllic setting, with lots of mature trees and lots of green areas," he adds.

The couple selling No 4 have wrung a good 25 years out of it, rearing a growing family, while also growing their home, adding a very large lounge/dining area to the rear in 2012.

They already had five downstairs rooms - not counting the utility or guest WC - so the extension created lots of options - in addition to a sitting room, living room and kitchen, there are two downstairs bedrooms, with one operating as a study/home office currently.

The lounge/dining addition is open plan to the kitchen and it’s a big, bright space, with double patio doors to a rear deck - a good set up for outdoor dining.

On the first floor, the main bedroom is ensuite and there are two other bedrooms and the main bathroom.

Outdoors, a gravel driveway can take four or five cars and there’s a double-length garage too (lots of options for parking up camper van/boat) and to the rear is a generous lawn - plenty space for a trampoline. Mr Sweeney says it’s worth mentioning the stone wall at the bottom of the garden.

“There are walls and there are walls - this one is really good quality, about 6’ or more in height. As well as being a lovely feature, it gives a great sense of privacy,” he says.

No 4 has fulfilled its billing as a quality family home for the owners - who are now reassessing their options, having reared their children, along with Milly and Sammy.

A lifestyle change beckons and a move towards Cork city is in the pipeline.

Mr Sweeney predicts excellent interest in No 4.

“We will probably see interest from further afield than Cork eg people looking to return closer to home from Dublin, as well as those looking for a lifestyle change in a nice village, en route to good beaches, and still just half an hour’s drive from the city. Innishannon is in that triangle between Cork/Bandon/Kinsale,” he says.

First time buyers are also expected, even with the €550,000 guide price.

“The first time buyers I am seeing are not what they used to be. Back then, they were in their early 20s. Now they could be anything from mid to late 30s, early 40s. Some have been living abroad or in Dublin and saving. Or living at home with parents and saving.

“And then you have the well-heeled first timers, working in pharma or tech in the broader Cork area and they qualify for good mortgages,” he says.

For families buying in Innishannon, Mr Sweeney says there is a top class primary school within walking distance of No 4, and the village is well served in terms of retail and amenities. Innishannon is just 15 minutes from Cork Airport and 15 in the other direction to Kinsale. Buses are frequent in either direction.

VERDICT: A spacious home on a decent site in a nice neighbourhood. Designed for family-friendly living.