Rock solid location and unmatched vista at €460k Cobh four-bed

A five-level family haven with panoramic views of Cobh seaport

Sat, 05 Sep, 2026 - 17:00

Caroline Delaney

Cobh, Co Cork
€460,000
Size	193sq m (2,077sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
BER	E1

Hitting ‘rock bottom’ isn’t always a problem — when you’re actually carving out extra living space below your home with views over Cobh seaport.

No 3 Harbour Terrace was already an elevated end-of-terrace home set out over four storeys when the most recent owners opted to check out the foundations with a view to another level.

Owners Don and Dona Sexton were in a better position than most to take on this challenge as Don is an engineer who has worked in Holland, Iraq, Kuwait, Canada, Holland, and Russia, as well as on the Cork Main Drainage project.

“We wanted to excavate downwards to make the basement of the house a functional space. I started with a jackhammer and could only manage to get down an inch or two as it’s solid rock,” he explains.

He then got a rock breaker and managed to develop what was once a storage space into a ground floor unit accessed from both the rear and front, featuring guest accommodation, a den, bathroom, and small kitchen.

This quickly became a go-to spot for hanging out and watching movies for the family’s six children. Extra details such as dimmable lighting and LED lights under the edge of the seating only added to its cachet.

They also installed efficient drainage running from the cliff face behind the house out to the front gutters and a reinforced concrete ring beam (concealed beneath a bench). The original stone walls have been sandblasted and a radon barrier put in place when the underfloor insulation was placed.

Lowering the floor level means that old fireplaces and vents are now characterful waist-high alcoves on the lower level.

Dona gives credit to Don too for plenty of other innovative touches around the rest of the house, from the rear decking concealing the oil tank and composter bins to the lighting inside wardrobes.

The main front door is accessed via steps and a terrace overlooking the water out towards Spike Island. This terrace is one of the owners’ favourite spots: “We just love having breakfast outside here, and have enjoyed that even in February. You’re nicely sheltered by the harbour wall so it’s great.

“And it’s seven minutes walk on the flat from here into the centre of Cobh and a 12-minute walk to the train station.”

They have seen cruise liners, whales, and dolphins in the water right outside their windows — well, the house was built in 1840 for harbour pilots.

Irish Examiner June 11, 2002: whales in Cork Harbour at Cobh - No 3 Harbour Terrace is visible in the background

On the original ground floor, there’s a dual-aspect open-plan kitchen/dining room.

Moving up a level, there’s an airy and bright living room to the front of the house and a double bedroom at the rear.

Then you’ve got the main bedroom and another bedroom on the next level — and a ‘Jack-and-Jill’ bathroom’ there too.

The attic level is simultaneously cosy and bright thanks to three velux windows (belying that E1 energy rating). And it also retains valuable crawl-space storage.

There's room for a family to spread out and there's also plenty space for guests — one daughter brought 14 guests to stay "we had people everywhere in sleeping bags". "We've had 21 people for Christmas dinner, and when my (Dona's) brother in Norway came home for Christmas, he brought his four children and all his family."

And that self-contained basement unit which has a separate electricity supply, with an independent MPRN, and is on a separate heating zone, has also been used to host numerous guests at Alpha Christian faith exploration workshops.

The household's children attended the mixed Coláiste Mhuire school nearby.

The Sextons, who met while at college, have 12 grandchildren and are now downsizing while aiming to stay in the Cobh area.

The very versatile accommodation comes in for praise from agent Johanna Murphy, of Johanna Murphy & Sons: “This is one of Cobh’s most desirable settings... you’ve got beautiful harbour views and flexible accommodation in a home with many original features.”