Kinsale's €1.1m No 7 Harbour Heights grows and grows on you

Appearances deceive: there's more than first meet the eye at this twice-extended bungalow above the town, with views

Sat, 04 Mar, 2023 - 00:00

Property Editor Tommy Barker reports Pictures Jakub Walutek

Kinsale, Cork
€1.1 million
Size	275 sq m (2,950 sq ft0
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	4
BER	C2

HOSPITALITY comes naturally at 7 Harbour Heights, a Kinsale property listing that’s almost a house and a half (if not two houses) it’s so accommodating.

Hitting the 3,000 sq ft size mark after a crafty and lofty open area was added out of sight, to the back, the super-comfortable house high above Kinsale has been home to widely travelled Anne and Kieran Greenway since 1999.

7 Harbour Heights has a almost 3,000 sq ft within

The couple for many years owned and ran their own high-end restaurant Bacchus at the Coastguard — not in gourmet destination Kinsale, but in Bettystown, Co Louth, right on the beach.

Bacchus at the Coastguard was quite the big deal, with Kinsale-born trained chef Kieran running his own kitchen with eight chefs, while Anne, who had trained and worked as a nurse specialising in orthopedics was the genial front-of-house and greeting presence.

It’s since been added onto, twice, with much thought and masses of storage and dedicated work areas integrated, thanks to experience gained in hospitality and prior years training and working in hospitality in the Trust House Forte group (the Old Ground in Ennis was a favourite posting, says Kieran).

Looking out over Kinsale town and harbour now, Kieran and Anne remark on how much development has progressed in the impressive view, including the Kinsale Community School and playing pitches; Kinsale Sports and Community Centre; all the housing by Commogue Marsh, and the crown of Compass Hill.

Oh, and there’s lots of waterborne and harbour activity too.

The couple, with seven adult children between them plus grandchildren, are looking to trade down a bit, and are on the home hunt themselves in the wider catchment. They’ve given the sale of the gleaming No 7, also known as Overwater, to agent Brendan Bowe, who guides it at €1.1m and who says: “It has been thoughtfully and stylishly extended on two occasions, transforming it into a home of substance, style and great design.”

At the €1m+ price level, even in Kinsale, a property has to have something a bit more special, especially one in a settled development where that price point hasn’t previously been approached.

In No 7’s case, it’s the quality of what’s been done, style, and the space acquired, its utter delivery for functional day-to-day living, and able to swell for big gatherings with ease, thanks to the almost-hidden rear square extension, with lofted ceilings, exposed beams, and mezzanine office/den, called the Captain’s Study.

Light and airy: plants love it and thrive

Up carpeted steps and with glass balusters above the kitchen island, this on-high eyrie has views to the harbour out of Velux windows, extensive library shelving, a work desk, and two ship-like beds, much loved by visiting grandchildren.

This spacious, airy room, opens to a private patio overlooking immaculate landscaped gardens, and Anne clearly has green fingers both inside and outside: Bright No 7 is home to the healthiest possible collection of indoor plants, many of them a decade or more old. One, a thriving begonia, has been reinvented, rejuvenated, and reborn from a plant her own mother had cherished, while an indoor ficus is now tree-sized: Thankfully the kitchen’s double-height space keeps it in some sort of perspective.

Outside in the neat grounds, an oak is a favourite, grown from an acorn brought back from South Africa, while two robotic lawnmowers silently go about their business, one in the front garden, the other behind, each with their own charging station; their paths never cross.

There’s top-quality living and dining rooms in the front, original section, interlinked with a wide arch, with a plant-filled sunroom across the hallway, with its exterior wall now faced in limestone.

The patio door by the dual-aspect living room has a roll-out awning for al-fresco dining with views, and elegant, large, white marble fireplace.

Two of the house’s four bedrooms are en suite, good storage/Sliderobes are in place and bathrooms are all well up to date, well tiled, with jetted, massage showers and the like. Kieran gives credit to his brother, Senan, who has a building background for much of the work.

Kieran’s no slouch either. No 7 has an immaculate work shed which is home to more power tools than you’d see in the centre aisles of Lidl or Aldi and, by night it’s also the sleeping quarters for the couple’s four Spitz or Pomeranian dogs.

Call this a pantry? No 7 has acres of storage

That spotless workspace is in addition to a converted/upgraded garage with roller up and over door access, now in effect a utility room and pantry and which holds a host of provisions, dry and liquid, as well as banks of cooking appliances, mixers, blenders, fryers, the lot, plus catering-size pots and pans.

Back in the huge domestic kitchen, there’s underfloor heating, a large island,a big range cooker (there’s Flogas for cooking and heating), and corner casual seating section, with patio access.

To the side is bedroom four, with its own private patio in front, ensuite behind and a walk-in wardrobe has a wall section which can readily be made into a doorway to give independent access for an au pair, visitor, family member, older parent, or fortunate offspring.

No 7 Harbour Heights hits the early spring market looking 100% in shipshape inside and outside, and the fact not a thing needs to be done to it will have huge appeal for relocators (especially those new to Kinsale) who can just move in without having to engage with trades, within a walk of the town, in a very well-kept development where, like No 7, house-proud owners have made their own mark on the range of detached properties.

VERDICT: Don’t judge this book by its bungalow cover: There’s a lot more going on — and on offer — inside thanks to near-3,000 sq ft of living space, masses of storage, ‘back-up’ rooms, all consistent, gleaming, and high quality.