House of the Week: Renovated and extended €695k Montenotte home 

Originally built in 1971, this home now has a premium finish including underfloor heating and an air-to-water heat pump

Scarisbrick, 24 The Orchards, Montenotte, Cork

Montenotte, Cork City
€695,000
Size	190sq m (2,045sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	4
BER	A0

ONE of the current owners of Scarisbrick liked what he saw when he worked with a building group so he enlisted them to work on a major overhaul of his own Montenotte home in The Orchards.

And in a neat turn of the circle it emerged that the first generation owners of this company — Sheehans of Farran — actually built the development 55 years ago.

Declan and Roisin, and their young son, bought 24 The Orchards in 2016. They added to their family in 2018 and opted to look at modernising and expanding this four-bed detached in a mature Middle Glanmire Rd estate of mostly semi-detached properties.

“It was a lovely house but very much ‘of its time’. It was built by Sheehans of Farran. I’m in the building trade too and worked with the younger members of the family and wanted them on this project,” says Declan.

One of the original builders, then in his 80s, even came out to inspect the proceedings during the two-year, two-storey renovation project which saw the house brought back to “just four walls and a roof”.

“When we first moved in we were one of the younger families as there were a lot of original owners there still so the only children on the road were visiting grandchildren really.”

Dermot Harrington of Cook Architects in Cork city designed the light and bright new look. The family moved to the countryside near relatives for the duration of the build but ended up opting to stay rurally and are taking on a full new build now instead, so this A-rated home is on the market for €695,000.

Called Scarisbrick, it’s named in honour of the West Lancashire area of Britain where the previous owners honeymooned.

“While we were here, both our kids attended the Gaelscoil at the Tank Field, it’s a three-minute drive away. And the local GAA club is Brian Dillons, around 1.6km away,” the owners say.

The main bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe and four-piece Sonas suite in its bathroom — the window looks out across the river to the skyline on the south of the city. There’s one other double bedroom and a single upstairs. The fourth bedroom is downstairs where there’s fully zoned underfloor heating.

A lot of the work is of a ‘behind the scenes’ nature so you have a new electrical installation, a fully pressurised plumbing system and a Daikin Altherma 3 air-to-water heat pump and Vent-Axia whole-house mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery (MVHR). New floor insulation and a radon barrier were also installed beneath the floors. There are new high-performance windows and a mix of solid and frosted-glass doors throughout too.

To the front there’s off-street parking for two cars. The rear of the house had a somewhat more challenging aspect as it is a “south-facing but wedge-shaped back garden”.

“We went for a limestone patio here and have astro turf in the middle section with a pergola at the end — the kids love playing under that. The patio gets loads of light and when there are concerts on at Páirc Uí Chaoimh... Ed Sheeran, Elton John, or Westlife... you can hear everything.”

Agent Jeremy Murphy of Jeremy Murphy Auctioneers applauds the upgrade works as well as the location: “It’s a cracking job, a fabulous home now, ideally suited for families looking for city living in a great place. It’s a quiet residential area but you can walk to St Lukes which is great and it’s really convenient for schools or going to the city centre.”

Proximity to Kent Railway Station and Jack Lynch Tunnel/South Link Road network was also hailed.

Interest in this 190sq m home is already strong as Mr Murphy had a full afternoon of viewings booked at the time of speaking.

VERDICT: High-spec understated luxury means a top-tier energy rating at this elevated home.