A house designed to track the sun has the sheen of a family favourite

Light and views were the touchstones for the design of this €750,000 Dripsey home

Crann Darach, Faha, Dripsey

Inniscarra, Cork
€750,000
Size	325 sq m (3498 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
BER	B1

CONTEMPORARY, energy-efficient, turnkey — when the current owners bought Crann Darach in Faha, Dripsey, half a dozen-ish years ago, it was exactly the type of home many buyers are hunting for today.

It was their good fortune that the couple that built it decided their life was elsewhere. Having commissioned Eugene O’Hea of Platform Architecture in Bandon to design the 3,500 sq ft property, which was built in 2011, they enjoyed it for a while, before the pull of home got too much. One half of the couple was from Down Under, and to there they returned. The current owners bought it around 2017 and were delighted to inherit a home where everything was done internally. 

They loved the functional layout and terrific living space. The house was designed to follow the sun and to maximise the views over the Lee Valley and it achieves both. Reception rooms have large picture windows and the main L-shaped kitchen/dining/family room has two sets of sliding patio doors and corner windows.

Kitchen with sliding doors to the patio

Open plan kitchen

 A separate living room to the front of the house has no less than six windows.

High window count in living room 

“One of the things we loved about the house was how bright it is,” says the current owner. That’s down to a high window-count, a southerly aspect, and high ceilings. “Wherever you look, there’s a view and a feeling of airiness and openness.” 

Open plan dining area

With three young boys at the time of moving — the eldest then aged seven and twins aged five — space was a big motivation. At Crann Darach, they had an acre to play on and they made great use of it during the pandemic.

“The kids were at an age where they needed space. We had lived in an estate for 17 years, so we had great freedom when we moved here. I’m from the countryside originally and this has a rural feel, although it’s still just five minutes from Ballincollig,” the owner says.

With so much space, family pets were easily accommodated too.

Whoever was doing the cooking enjoyed a chef’s kitchen with lots of different storage options and two electric ovens. It’s ideal for those who enjoy entertaining as it’s open to the dining area, family room, and rear patio.

Family room open plan to kitchen

Dining room open plan to family room

Rear patio 

The layout of the house is such that the bulk of the bedrooms (three of four) are in a separate wing, at right angles to the daytime living quarters. The main bedroom has an ensuite and walk-in wardrobe.

Main bedroom with walk-in wardrobe

So what else? There’s a walk-in pantry off the kitchen; the utility is big enough to be a kitchen; there’s a boot room for mucky entries/storing sports equipment, and two more walk-in wardrobes.

The attic is insulated and floored, a garage can be accessed from either side and the landscaped garden includes three patio areas.

One of three patio areas

Insulated attic

Double-sided garage

It shouldn’t be a hard sell because, as Norma Healy of Sherry FitzGerald points out, “it’s the kind of home that’s on everyone’s list at the moment” ie modern, good energy rating (B1), generous size, not too far from Cork City.

“It’s just five minutes from Ballincollig and a 10-15 minute drive from UCC, MTU, and hospitals,” Ms Healy says.

Another patio area

The guide price is €750,000, which means it won’t suit everyone’s budget, but it will attract families trading up. The current owners are relocating to be closer to elderly parents.

VERDICT: As Ms Healy says “It’s there for the taking”.