Rustic charm prevails at transformed Lissarda home for sale at €575,000
Coolduff, Lissarda, where Kitty's Cottage is now more Kitty's country home
|
Lisssarda, Co Cork |
|
|---|---|
|
€575,000 |
|
|
Size |
375 sq m (4037 sq ft) |
|
Bedrooms |
5 |
|
Bathrooms |
3 |
|
BER |
B3 |
INSTEAD of driving a coach and four through the old stone walls of Kitty’s Cottage when they bought it in a perilous state 28 years ago, Ellen O’Sullivan and Peter McSweeney set about making it habitable in the first instance.
“When we bought it in 1996, it was a two-up, two-down cottage, in need of savage renovation,” says Ellen.
They did enough to turn it into a cosy home which they lived in for five years, while contemplating where they might take it.
A fond respect for the original homestead meant knocking it was never an option, so instead they built out and around it. Gable walls were knocked and extended outwards, the roof was raised a few levels and the rear of the house was pushed back, deeper into the site.
Come 2004, Kitty’s Cottage in Lissarda was more Kitty’s Country Home, having all but quadrupled in size, albeit the four small rooms at its historical core were carefully preserved.
The professional backgrounds of its owners are in line with what a potential buyer might feel reassured to hear: Ellen is an auctioneer with a good understanding of the qualities that make a sound property and Peter, who works with Cygnum, market leaders in timber frame housing, is from a family with a background in construction — which he drew on when building the extension.
“We did it using direct labour. Peter’s family did the timber frame extension and we upcycled a lot of materials that might otherwise have gone to waste.
“For instance the feature stone wall in the main open plan living/dining area is built from stones from the original cottage, salvaged after we knocked the gable walls to build the extension,” Ellen says.
That inspired decision gives an almost medieval feel to the main open plan living area, amplified by the high ceiling (12ft), wooden support beams, raised Viking woodburning stove, large rugs and dark, heavy furniture in the dining area.
A key difference between it and lofty homes of the Middle Ages is window size. Where once windows were designed to keep the heat in (the smaller, the better), now it’s all about channeling light through (the bigger, the better). A generous bay window and large sliding timber doors to a rear patio are instrumental in creating a bright and airy space at the heart of the transformed cottage.
The combination of towering ceiling height and a wealth of light is the perfect platform for bold use of colour. An energising golden yellow adds depth and drama in the main living area and is the perfect foil to showcase the warm simplicity of the natural stone wall.
A navy wall behind the reconditioned original Rayburn solid fuel stove in the kitchen works well with the handpainted Morrocan tile floor, each tile ordered individually by Ellen.
“I spent months ordering the tiles individually online. Then when I went to pick them up from a tile shop in Waterford, the lady working there said ‘most people go for a random mix’. I didn’t realise I had that option,” she laughs.
The kitchen, down a step from the dining area, has underfloor heating and black granite countertops.
It’s part of the extension, as is a downstairs double bedroom, an adjoining bathroom and a utility room.
Around to the front of the house are the original rooms, the most lived-in part of the house prior to it being extended, and now a blank canvas, prepped for new owners, freshly painted, with solid oak flooring. A fireplace is ready for the installation of a wood-burning stove. One room has feature timber panelling.
A secret door disguised as an inbuilt bookcase connects the rooms.
A stairs leads to the first floor of the old cottage, where the remaining two original rooms have also been prepped for use. The nature of the layout could facilitate the creation of separate living accommodation, using the original cottage.
Or these snug rooms could be adapted for home office use/ teen den/ playroom/ additional bedroom.
Bedrooms are in good supply at Kitty’s Cottage: ground floor double; three doubles on the first floor; main bedroom on the lower attic floor where four conjoined velux windows and a high ceiling (14ft in places) ensure lots of light.
A large dressing room area could potentially be converted into an en suite. A stairs leads from the bedroom area (which is raised) to a mezzanine, which could become a gym or a chill-out area.
Across the landing, well-lit by a trio of skylights, a door leads to a big attic, which is well-insulated, floored, and ready to have a bathroom plumbed.
Back on the landing, you can look right down through the different levels of the house to the open-plan living space.
“There were times when we had an 18ft Christmas tree that stretched up through the levels and you could use the stairs to decorate it. It was just fantastic,” Ellen says.
Given the house size (375 sq m) and layout, you’d have to think it’s been terrific for entertaining, with plenty of room for overspill on the printed concrete patio off the dining area and across the half acre of garden.
Barbecuing must have been a joy, off the deck of a stunning garden room, to the rear of the site.
Fitted with a red high gloss kitchen and with more bold colour on display in the textured open plan living space, Ellen says it’s “a serene retreat with terrific panoramic views” of the Lee Valley — “ideal for a quiet morning coffee or evening sunset”.
It’s a sophisticated garden room with an office/utility area; a mezzanine for storage, a gym area, and French doors to a composite deck that overlooks the tiered rear garden, planted with apple trees, cherry blossom, a monkey puzzle tree, and rose bushes.
A robot lawnmower performs the time-consuming task of keeping the lawns manicured.
The finishes outside Kitty’s Cottage are as considered as the interiors, from the Donegal Quartz gravel of the bright driveway, to the solar panels for heating water, to the stepping stones up a rear wall that allow the cat to climb in the main bathroom window, where the bath is set in granite, under a feature window and vaulted ceiling; to the enclosed dog area to the rear of the workshop.
The garage/ car port/ workshop are quality too, made of insulated timber frame with larch timber cladding and two large skylights to let light through to the workshop.
The roof has been greened with succulents, a living ecosystem on top of the building that absorbs pollutants, provides a natural layer of insulation, and supports biodiversity.
“It’s been years in the making and is finally starting to look like it should,” Ellen says.
When Ellen and Peter first moved into the house, “it felt a bit like going on holidays”, says Ellen, a city-slicker, originally from Model Farm Road. She settled in well to Coolduff, just outside Kilmurry village, where there’s a national school, a shop, and the well-got Independence Museum. Just a five minute drive from where Michael Collins got shot at Béal na Bláth in 1922, the museum focuses on the role of Cork in the War of Independence and the Civil War.
Kilmurry Woods is just minutes from Kitty’s Cottage.
“It’s a lovely amenity right on the doorstep,” says Ellen.
The house is about a half hour drive from Cork city and just 20 minutes to Ballincollig, while access to the N20 Cork-Macroom/Kerry road is close by. It’s a location that will make it attractive to house hunters keen on countryside living but in need of easy access to the city’s western suburbs, as well as those whose employment is in Macroom or Killarney, with the new bypass shaving time off for the latter.
Selling Kitty’s Cottage, where Kitty’s beech trees have been minded with as much zeal as the original house, is Ellen’s colleague, John O’Mahony of OM2 auctioneers.
“It’s a rare find,” he says, “a combination of historic charm, modern amenities and beautiful natural surroundings, all just a short drive from Ballincollig.” He adds that it’s “ideal for a growing family”, with the nearest national school just 640m away.
As an added bonus, the property’s excellent B3 energy rating means buyers are eligible for more favourable green mortgage rates.
The guide price for this Lissarda home is €575,000.
: There’s an old-world charm to this property that extends beyond the original cottage into the newer wing. A unique home with great living space, in lovely grounds. Ideal for a family of dog and cat lovers. Garden room is a great bonus.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
