‘We fell in love with the views,” say the vendors of Clear View, a house that could not be more aptly named, with its magnificent panorama that takes in everything from the Baltimore Beacon to the east all the way across to Goat Island Beacon to the west, with Cape Clear island and the Fastnet Rock Lighthouse in between.
That was back in 2013 when the family was on the hunt for a holiday home in an area where they had friends and family. The ’70s bungalow was in ‘original’ condition with a small, poky kitchen hidden away from the rest of the house and an electrical system that fused if the kettle and toaster were plugged in at the same time.
The family enlisted the services of architect Ted Daly, of Daly Barry in Bantry, to help them reimagine the bungalow as a modern, comfortable home.
“Our brief to Ted was to make the house very welcoming,” say the vendors, “and we are delighted with the way in which the house draws you in on the sea side, and that the kitchen/ dining room is very much a reception room that’s geared towards entertaining. Ted had a very imaginative approach and his attention to detail was superb.”
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As part of the work that the family undertook, they extended the house to the west and upgraded the bathrooms, electrics and plumbing. Alternative Heating and Cooling in Skibbereen installed a heat pump and there is underfloor heating in the extension and one of the bathrooms.
In the new extension, a bright hallway leads to a bespoke kitchen in vivid blue with a central island and AGA; doors from the dining area open out on to the patio and gardens. A cosy television room is fitted with a solid fuel stove and there is a handy utility room.
In the older part of the house, three of the four bedrooms have sea views and one of the four is en suite. There is also a family bathroom and a guest loo with shower, as well as a second sitting room. Several rooms are double aspect, and large windows ensure that the views are maximised at every opportunity. The house sits on gardens of 1.3 acres with a large pond and detached garage.
Colla pier is half a kilometre away from the house, so new owners will be able to keep a boat within walking distance. Now and Zen serves coffee, wine and snacks in a converted horsebox at the pier and is a lovely place to sit on a summer’s day. It is just one of many local cafes and restaurants that the vendors have enjoyed during their time at Clear View.
Other favourites are L’Escale by the pier in Schull, 3km away, where the seafood is spectacular, and Robbie Krawcyzk’s Michelin-starred The Chestnut in Ballydehob, where free tables are as rare as hen’s teeth.
Levis’ in Ballydehob is the place to head for live music. Budds and Antonio’s both also in Ballydehob are two other popular spots.
Schull itself, say the vendors, is ‘charming and low key’, with some interesting shops – Anna B’s bookshop is a gem – and good pubs, including Hackett’s, which serves a mean crab sandwich.
Now that their children are grown, the vendors say the long, lazy summers they enjoyed at Clear View have come to an end and it is time to put the house on the market. It’s a decision that they have taken with some regret, but they would prefer that another family get to enjoy the summers that they have had rather than leave the house empty and use it only occasionally.
They say that they will miss taking a boat over to the islands for picnics and the lovely walks around Three Castle Head and Sheep’s Head. “It is quite a magical place,” they say, “and the best thing about it is that no one will ever be able to take the views away, or place anything in the way of them. That makes it very special.”
Era: 1970s, remodelled 2013
Size: 208sqm
Agent: James Lyons O’Keeffe (028) 28122
Viewing: By appointment
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