From Oz and Kenya to Cork with €675k Grand Design called Kivulini

Avid fans of Grand Designs, engineer couple did their own home called Kivulini after a home place in Kenya

Sat, 15 Apr, 2023 - 12:00

Property Editor Tommy Barker reports Pictures John Roche

Grenagh, Cork
€675,000
Size	230 sq m (2,476 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4/5
Bathrooms	3
BER	A3

SHARING its name with a location in Kenya, this recently-built, A3-rated, one-off family home called Kivulini is set just a few kilometres north of Cork City, in the centre of Grenagh ... rather than the ‘other’ Kivulini, north of Nairobi, and east of Lake Victoria.

Rear view of Kivulini with its astroturf pitch alongside

Cork’s Kivulini was built by Liam and Beatrice Magner, engineers who came to Ireland from years working in Australia. Liam grew up in north Cork, while Beatrice hails from Kenya, but studied in the UK, as did Liam for their careers, which have taken them from one hemisphere to the other, and to several countries and continents in between.

They are both avid fans of Grand Designs on Channel Four. “We have probably watched every episode that was ever made,” says Beatrice, and that “building a house was a dream we had nurtured for years as two civil/ structural engineers, and coming to Ireland provided a perfect opportunity to realise this dream.”

They put their passion and their professional expertise into their family home seen here, A3-rated, highly energy-efficient and
finished just about two years ago but now for sale: they are to return to Australia where they ‘left’ a son.

The family’s oldest son Christian, now aged 25, has recently qualified as a doctor and has returned to a practice in Adelaide, not having moved to Ireland with his folks and siblings back in 2019.

A reunification with Christian for Liam, Beatrice, as well as second-year student sister Kate (14,) brother William, aged nine and currently in second class, along with seven-year-old Malaika (first class) beckons as “we’re moving back to Adelaide where we lived before”, says Beatrice.

As a result, Cork’s grandly designed Kivulini is fresh to market, listed with a €675,000 AMV with estate agent Megan Forde of Sherry FitzGerald. She says it is situated right in Grenagh, on half an acre, and has five bedrooms, almost 2,500 sq ft within, with an adjacent, lofted garage designed to be able to be easily upgraded to residential standard and uses.

Viewings have already started, and apart from the location appeal just a few minutes off the N20 Cork/Limerick road and 15minutes from Blackpool or 20 from the city (the road is due an upgrade to motorway status) and village amenities on the doorstep, it’s a walk-in job of a home for life for any family which doesn’t feel the call to travel to Australia.

“Liam and I came to Ireland in 2019 so our three younger kids could get to know their Irish side of the family and spend some time with grandparents,” says Beatrice, and adds that“my home country, Kenya, is also a shorter distance from Ireland which was an additional benefit” (Kenya is still 7,000km from Ireland!).

“Returning to Australia was always a possibility, as we left our older son Christian there in college. After four years here we had to make the decision to go, or to stay. It was a gut-wrenching decision as we had truly integrated into the community and had loads of supportive family around and a beautiful house to live in an ideal location close to Cork City yet with a country feel.”

They had a productive time here, though, with jobs in the pharmaceutical sector and a house to design, build and finish, while Liam took some time off the day job to work as project manager.

Beatrice says that building their very own home as a dream come true, one they relished delivering as fans of contempoary and energy efficient house design.

Apart from a crisp, modern design the couple describe their home as “a truly engineered solid block house, very fitting for the 21st century.”

Clearly cosy, this home has Aluclad glazing and external insulation, 250mm thick wrapping solid blocks walls, and the hall and open plan area have polished concrete floors.

There is air-to-water supplied underfloor heating throughout the house and insulated concrete slab floors and stairs are, they note, just a few of the features for their super-solid, thermally efficient home, with solid timber doors (with 30 minute fire a rating for safety). There is also a heat recovery and air circulation system “which keeps the house fresh and is great for people with allergies.”

Opposite the GAA pitch (and Grenagh’s cemetery), the Magner family home “was very much designed with kids in mind with a large area of artificial grass for all-year-round soccer, or GAA practice and a tree house. There is a large, paved area for kids to whizz around in their bikes or scooters, as well as a kids’ chill out space upstairs. This was perfect for our sports-mad son William to watch all the soccer games, GAA and pretty much every sport….. without driving his sisters to distraction”, explains Beatrice, a design which pretty much found approval with each and every family member in a busy and bustling household.

Schools and Grenagh’s amenities are but a short stroll, so even though there is a rural living appeal simple day-to-day tasks of school runs, shops, sports training and the like do not need cars to access.

Kivulini’s garden has already found a pace, with raised beds ready for spring and summer crops, from strawberries to fruit, with scope for next owners toenhance it further.

Spacious lofted garage is set up for conversion to upstairs two-bed unit

Also with clear scope is the insulated double garage, 7m by 6m on each level (say, 450 sq ft in ‘the old money’, with main roller door, French doors and side door, with water and power supply for workshop use and/or an electric car charger.

It was designed so that it could be converted upstairs to two-bedroomed accommodation when the couple’s older daughter was of college age and perhaps even while entering the workforce “keeping in mind the current rental crisis and affordability for young adults”, says Beatrice and that the adaptable garage “could also work as a conversion for elderly parents.

“The house would work with families at all different seasons of their lives: it’s very well thought-out house, on every level and offers real value for money in comparison to a similar house in the city suburbs,” she reckons.

However, for the family that delivered Kivulini to Cork, “ultimately our son in Australia and a warmer climate were the main draws back to Adelaide. We will, for sure, keep connected to Ireland and we may as yet return at a different stage in our lives,” says Beatrice.

Kitchen with island with power supply and USB charger

In accommodation terms, rooms in this double-gable fronted/ H-shaped two-storey home include an open-plan kitchen/ living/dining, utility, plant room, glass balustraded staircase, first-floor lounge area, five bedrooms, one at ground level next to a guest bathroom with large roll-in shower
as ’future planning’ for any mobility issues, and two first floor bathrooms, one with a bath in the main bedroom’s en suite.

The polished concrete floored double aspect kitchen has a number of full height built-ins, mixed with spot-lit shelving, the island is stone topped and has USB charge points, and the wall units are colour-matched to the shelving in the living area, which has an inset TV in a wall above a feature, wide electric fire, while a 4m wide sliding door gives rear garden/patio access and a clear run to the side’s 130 sq metre, mud-free astroturf play area.

VERDICT: There’ll be no ‘adelaide’ reaction to Kivulini from families looking for quality space to disport at here.