Panorama to rival the Bahamas at Kinsale's €2.8m Over Yonder
Over Yonder, Kinsale
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Kinsale, Cork |
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€2.8m |
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Size |
252 sq m (2713 sq ft) |
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Bedrooms |
4 |
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Bathrooms |
4 |
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A3 |
'S so much cash sloshing around Kinsale these days, that you’d be inclined to think it hasn’t fallen on hard times since Lord Mountjoy smote the Irish and their Spanish compadres.
The most obvious sign – apart from its well-kept streets, gourmet restaurants and teeming marina – is its billionaire pulling power. Individuals of considerable means have been noticeably dropping anchor in ’s magnificent harbour in recent times and some have been snapping up homes locally for a cool few million.
Among the wealthy individuals to sail in was Walmart heiress who dropped anchor in midsummer - or at least tried to.
As her $300m superyacht, Kaos, is more cruise ship than sail boat, the marina in Kinsale could not accommodate it. There are no reports of her buying property locally, maybe because she couldn’t get in close enough to take a good look. There are reports though of US billionaire James Berwind investing in Kinsale, and the marina did have the wherewithal to cater for his smaller, less expensive ($85m, everything is relative) superyacht, called Scout.
Mr Berwind, a philanthropist committed to environmentalism and animal welfare, whose forefathers made their fortune mining fossil fuels in America, is reported (see Irish Examiner) to have swooped in on Sprayfield House in Sandycover, former home to former UCC president Gerry Wrixon and his US-born wife Marcia.
The Georgian waterfront property he’s believed to have bought was on the market for €4.75m, which is close to the top price paid for a home in , going by the Property Price Register. That record still belongs to on Compass Hill (which came with 27 acres), bought by a Munster businessman for €5.08m in 2022.
Close challengers include Ocean Breeze above Kinsale’s stunning Scilly walk, bought earlier this year by Nike heir Travis Knight and his Irish wife Maryse, for a figure north of €4.5m, and waterside Raffeen House, former home to Colum O’Sullivan, the “Sully” of Cully and Sully soup/food brand, which sold for €4.75m to an international buyer, also in 2022.
The Constantia Farm record, may soon be broken if Ballinacurra House, a 25-acre private estate near Kinsale, famous as having hosted the late, disgraced, Michael Jackson in 2007, is sold for its current asking price of €5.5m, down from an initial asking of €6.35m.
The bottom line when it comes to property in is that the top line keeps on rising. High-net-worth individuals continue to drop in and some decide to buy. Topping their wishlists are a desire for privacy, a prize location and a Grand Design-type home.
This bodes well for the vendors of Over Yonder, a sleek, modern, minimalist home designed by architect and built in lofty Ardbrack, an area of Kinsale overlooking both town and harbour, with a track record of high-value property sales, even where houses have had to be knocked and replaced, because the location is such a prime one and the motivation for buyers is simply to get their hands on a site.
Actually, that’s exactly what happened at Over Yonder, the house featured here. It replaced a 1970s bungalow, after its Irish owners acquired the Ardbrack house on a 0.3 acre site in 2011.
The original house was “in a dilapidated state, with an overgrown garden” the owners say, when they bought it from a company with German connections. It was sourced for them by a local agent and was not on the open market.
They approached about replacing the run-down bungalow with a crisp, contemporary build and putting heads together, they came up with the grand design.
“He was excellent to work with,” they say, adding that the planning process was “very straightforward, with nothing required to be altered from the original design”.
Mr Rainey, who features Over Yonder on his website, says the brief was “to exploit sea views to a maximum and to provide a contemporary, energy efficient, easy-to-run home for a semi-retired couple”.
The house certainly measures up to that brief. Panoramic harbour views can be enjoyed, uninterrupted from each of the seaward-facing rooms, thanks to large amounts of glazing fronting the main living area, the main bedroom and the kitchen.
Each of these three areas is stepped back from the other, with the main bedroom, with ensuite and dressing room, in the most prominent position, cantilevered out over the top of the lawn.
Stepped back from it is a huge living room, where two sets of king size glass doors open onto a limestone sun terrace.
Stepped back from that again is the Schuller German kitchen with large island, where more double doors open to the terrace, which is enclosed by a glass balustrade.
There are substantial overhangs around the flat-roofed house, which Mr Rainey says are “calculated to shade the large areas of glass from overheating when the sun is high in summer”. This is important given the house is south-facing. The overhangs also provide a certain level of shelter, as does the glass balustrade.
An external glass partition on the kitchen end of the terrace also acts as a windshield (it’s electric) while making sure the views are not obscured for those dining out behind it.
Those entering the house via the front door – which, conversely, is to the rear - are sheltered too by a large overhang. Cars enter off the High Road below, that runs above Ardbrack Heights apartments, and motorists can drive around to the front/back of the house, where parking is generous.
Mr Rainey points out that although the roof is flat, there are “three different ceiling heights to suit the individual rooms”. He highlights too the clerestory windows between the wide, double height entrance hall and main open plan living/dining/kitchen area, which allow light into the centre of the house.
Built by Brian K Building, it was completed in just over a year and was “a fairly straightforward build” the owners say. It’s insulated to the nth degree, achieving an A3 energy rating.
Both architect and owners reference the use of external insulation which Mr Rainey says was “a major feature”. The house also comes with thermostatically controlled underfloor heating and solar panels to heat water. Windows are triple-glazed and the doors are top-of-the range by Danish company Vrogum Svarre, supplied by Glanmire-based Tony O’Shea.
Mr Rainey says the windows and doors “are unusual in that they have glass frames offering zero maintenance”.
The exacting standards applied to house design were applied in the garden too. The grounds have been beautifully landscaped, with low-maintenance, attractive planting below the sun terrace at the top of the lawn.
Raised beds to the rear display a good mastery of topiary techniques and a sweet little glasshouse by Vrogum, the same Danish manufacturer that produced the windows, is used to grow tomatoes, peppers and herbs. There’s a sitting out area here too and more limestone paving.
The owners say the woman of the house “has a passion for gardening and knew what she wanted”. They maintain the gardens themselves and it gives them “immense pleasure”.
The house, a detached four-bed, with four bathrooms (two ensuite) also has a cloakroom and utility room, with an attached double garage, should a new owner need more than the 252 sq m of living space currently available to them.
What they will definitely need is at least €2.8m, as that’s the guide price, as per selling agent Sinéad Sinnott of Sheehy Brothers Auctioneers.
Ms Sinnott describes Over Yonder as a “high quality build with panoramic views” and a location that is “equally appealing”.
It’s a short stroll from Summercove village, home to the popular Bulman Pub, and close too to historical Charles Fort. Coastal walks like Scilly walk are minutes away and Kinsale town is easily walkable too.
Over Yonder has been a permanent home for the retired couple for more than a decade but they are relocating now to move closer to family.
As for the name of their home – well, it’s named after an island called Over Yonder Cay, a spot favoured by the owners during their days cruising the Bahamas on a boat of their own, where they would regularly drop anchor. Who’s to say theirs wasn’t a superyacht?....And who’s to say that the next owner of Over Yonder won’t own a superyacht too? It’s how they roll in these days.
Wealthy individuals looking for an exquisitely-located, low-maintenance, high-impact holiday home in a town that radiates prosperity are likely to feature among the potential buyers. A retired couple with an interest in yachting (see current owners) and a good few bob saved might also be tempted.
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