Underhill Cottage is nothing of the sort - it's a €690,000 whopper 

The Lissarda home is set on 13 acres

Underhill Cottage, Teereeven, Lissarda,

Lissarda, Co Cork
€690,000
Size	465 sq m (5005 sq ft)
Bedrooms	5
Bathrooms	6
BER	D1

UNDERHILL Cottage might sound like the kind of quaint and cosy home found in JRR Tolkien's Hobbiton, but in fact it’s quite the opposite. A cottage in name only, it’s a sprawling 5000 sq ft residence, thanks to previous owners who transformed it from a modest property that had seen better days - for a time it was used to store hay - to the whopper that it now is.

The current owners bought the house at Teereeven, Lissarda, when the work had been done, after seeing it featured in Property in 1999. What was impressive then remains so still: the magnificent hand-carved red oak staircase by Southwood Joinery that took six weeks to fit on site; unique fireplaces fashioned by Macroom craftsman Luc Racine; the ORM kitchen in Scandinavian pine with its black granite countertops and island and redbrick feature walls, open plan to the dining area, from where doors open to the garden; the external look of the house itself, thanks to salvaging efforts of the previous owners, who scavenged brick from all over Munster to ensure that the extended property matched the stonework of the original 200-year-old home. They even salvaged an old Limerick industrial chimney stack which was remodelled into a domestic fireplace during the three year renovation project. 

Southwood Joinery staircase

Kitchen with granite worktops

Luc Racine fireplace

There are reception rooms aplenty at this hulking home: drawing room, living room and a large conservatory off the sizable entrance hall.

Entrance hall

Conservatory

 There’s a glut of bedrooms too, five in all, of which two, including one on the ground floor, are ensuite. The main bedroom also has a walk-in wardrobe. For good measure, the attic space was converted in more recent times  into two rooms, one of which is a shower room, the other a study. There’s a 721 sq ft basement too (with garage opening) that runs the depth of the property. Multiple uses beckon eg gym/work room/stores/games room.

Outdoors is substantial too, a whole 13 acres south west of the house, including woodland, grasslands and a stream adjacent to much of the land.

 Arriving at the entrance to the property, a rustic bridge brings you across the stream and up a long drive. There’s a large barn too at a remove from the house, and several stables. 

Parking around the house is extensive and to the rear, a large patio offers outdoor dining options.

Down from the patio, a rear access point has gated access from a quiet service road and provides convenient rear entry with additional space for parking and storage.

Karl O’Reilly of Savills who is handling the sale of Underhill Cottage, says the site is private and tranquil.

He adds that the detached house has been empty "for a couple of years" as the family that lived there returned to the city and it was “surplus to requirements”. It has been maintained in the interim, Mr O’Reilly says, with the ground floor underfloor heating regularly checked.

So far, the bulk of the interest is domestic/local with some overseas enquiries. With so much land for sale with the house, potential buyers might include families with an interest in keeping horses (there are seven lose boxes); or with an interest in growing their own fruit and veg or maybe someone looking at further site potential. Mr O’Reilly reckons that subject to planning permission, there could be an opportunity to put one or two more homes on the land.

Mr O'Reilly says Cork City is "very accessible" from Lissarda and that Underhill Cottage is just a 12 minute drive from Macroom. He adds that the newly-completed N22 Macroom bypass is "a great addition to the area, with commutes to Cork and Kerry significantly reduced as a result". 

VERDICT: One of the more affordable trade-up options for families who want extensive indoor and outdoor space.