All the heavy lifting is done at this €695,000 trade up family home
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Aherla, Co Cork |
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€695,000 |
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Size |
298 sq m (3208 sq ft) |
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Bedrooms |
5 |
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Bathrooms |
5 |
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BER |
B2 |
AT the mercy of the weather, materials and labour availability, house building isn’t always plain sailing, so it was a nice start to married life for Nicky and Lisa Chambers when they were handed the keys to their new home upon returning from honeymoon.
“They said it would take a year and that’s what it took, almost to the day,” says Nicky, who had the good fortune of being gifted the site on the family farm at Rearour in Aherla.
He and Lisa came up with their own design ideas and were guided by Dunmanway-based engineer Declan O’ Shea. The result is a very generous (3,208 sq ft) house, built by Murphy New Homes in 2008, with some very specific design features.
“We wanted a nice open hallway with the stairs in the middle and we got that. We wanted a landing area with plenty of light. And Lisa came up with the idea of (round) arched windows at the front of the house,” says Nicky. The same windows ensure both landing and hall are light-filled. It helps too that almost every room is double aspect.
The home they built was done very much with family in mind. Double-opening entrances link the lounge to the dining room and the dining room to the sunroom and kitchen diner.
“We initially had double doors where the openings are now, but we took them down, with the exception of the sunroom doors, which are on special hinges and fold back. We close the sunroom off in the winter time to keep things cosy and open it up during the summer,” Nicky says.
A deck, accessed via French doors off the sunroom, is put to good use during summer months, as is the paved patio area, under a pergola, in the centre of the back garden.
Lisa describes the garden as “wraparound”, with lawn on all sides and some “Covid flowerbeds” planted during lockdowns.
“It served us well during lockdown,” she says, “the back garden faces south west, so we get sunshine all day during the summer,". The kids had an acre to play on and the bonus of a sunken trampoline, which new owners will now get the benefit of, as the Chambers are leaving it behind.
They leave behind too a high spec home, which includes concrete floors at both ground and first floor level; solid block internal walls (good soundproofing) and under floor heating on the ground floor. Two solar panels help with heating the water, as do the stove and back boiler. The the attic is fully floored. Unsurprisingly, the house has a solid B2 energy rating.
Lisa says they’ve loved the house and the space that comes with it “including a nice big kitchen for having family and friends over”.
“We made sure we had a good chunk of space from first day so that we wouldn’t ever need to extend. That was always the plan,” she says. With that in mind, they also included a playroom/den, a pantry and a guest WC downstairs, as well as a family bathroom and five bedrooms overhead, with two ensuites.
Outside, a substantial garage has overhead storage.
Selling the Chambers home is David Busteed of Sherry FitzGerald Brennan Busteed and he says given the size and quality “it’s like a small hotel”.
“I wouldn’t like to have to buy a house and garage on a site like that in the morning, given current construction costs. But here you have the finished product, with all the heavy lifting done,” Mr Busteed says.
The guide price is €695,000 and Mr Busteed says Aherla village is a five minute drive away, Bandon is about 15 minutes and Cork City is about 25 minutes by car. A school bus taking kids to school in Bandon stops down the road. Kilbonane National School is within cycling distance.
Ideal family home, finished to a very high spec.
