Mi casa es tu casa? Hacienda-style living at €795k renovated Rochestown home 

Upgrades at Nestor, in Rochestown Rise, have created an attractive, contemporary family home, with great space for outdoor entertaining

Hacienda-style living at renovated Nestor, Rochestown Rise.

Rochestown, Cork
€795,000
Size	209 sq m (2250 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2
BER	C2

A FULL €795,000 guide-price bid came in faster than the fall of an auctioneer’s gavel on first-day viewings of Nestor, a hacienda-style bungalow in Rochestown Rise, that’s exciting eager buyers.

Fans of sun holidays will appreciate the well-organised outdoor space — not unlike what overseas villas regularly deliver — with one paved courtyard area fitted with a built-in barbecue and built-in seating.

Built-in outdoor kitchen

 As it’s south-facing, it catches the sun and the quirky house design — almost a ‘H’ shape — guarantees complete privacy.

The Spanish-style vibe is noticeable from the roadside: Curved, teak double doors are set into a whitewashed wall, capped with red clay tiles. Through those double doors is a second courtyard, leading to the front entrance.

Inside the whitewashed wall, is a 50(ish)-year-old bungalow that has shed any vestiges of its 1970s heritage internally.

 That’s down to the current owners — although you could say past owner too, as one of them grew up there — one of whom inherited the house from his parents. They took the sledgehammer to it, blowing out walls, lifting a ceiling, pumping cavities, installing internal slabbing, replacing the heating system, adding solar panels and two stoves, fitting patio doors and new windows, and installing a fully insulated, separate home office towards the rear of the house.

Home office in the background

A great deal of labour went into improving Nestor’s energy efficiency and summer bills average at just €20-€30, although the arbitrary nature of how BERs are determined doesn’t do it justice, the owner feels (it’s a C2) . They had plans to do even more to the bungalow, such as installing a glass-walled sunroom off the south-facing courtyard and turning a rear roof terrace into a safe, useable space, but the Galway half of the couple finally convinced the chap that grew up at Nestor (the family name) that a move West, closer to her family, was really not such a bad idea. 

Possible roof terrace above  veranda?

It’s a wrench, but he’s ready, hence their home is on the market.

That home is now a fully modernised, light-filled bungalow, with a terrific open-plan living area, including a Costello kitchen with walk-in pantry (high on the list of buyer must-haves), a dining area with patio doors to the south-facing courtyard, and glazed bi-fold doors that lead to the sitting room, where a great, big picture window overlooks the west-facing back garden.

 There’s a second reception room too, off the kitchen, which should appeal to families who’d like a playroom or teen den, or, it could be sub-divided. 

Off it is the utility and off that again is the garage, now a gym, as the site was easily able to accommodate a large steeltech shed/new garage, which the male half of the couple describes as “the best part of the house”. It can be used to park a car, although there is also room to do so inside another set of double gates to the front of the house.

Sleeping quarters at Nestor

Nursery

All told, there’s quite a bit to this site, just under the walls of The Orchard, an exclusive development in the grounds of Maryborough House Hotel. There’s quite a bit to the 209 sq m four-bed bungalow too, which is why it’s attracting a “broad mix of buyers”.

“On day one, last Wednesday, we had first time buyers, traders up, even a downsizer looking for a bungalow,” says selling agent Trevor O’Sullivan of Lisney SIR.

Apart from the house itself, people love the location – close to Douglas village, the South Link road network, public transport, schools, sports facilities, a greenway etc etc

VERDICT: With bidding at the guide price on day one, Nestor looks set to be wildly popular. Ideal family home.