The owners of New Erris at Reamanagh East near Dungarvan asked their architect for a New York penthouse apartment style bungalow ….. and she delivered.
But rather than giving them a traditional bungalow , Sabine Whitman of E Project Architects designed a stylish Scandinavian version of one with a steep roof and huge gable fronted apex window with an overhang.
As requested, the property provided ultra-modern accommodation with high levels of glass with high ceiling and tall windows and, very significantly for the owners, gave them sufficient space to hold large parties.
“For a landmark birthday in 2016 Hank Wedel and his band played on the veranda while a hundred guests sat on straw bales in the garden and listened. This was what the house was built for – It was fabulous,” says the owner.
E Project Architects , which focus on designing sustainable buildings, also ensured that the house was equipped with the highest level of energy efficiency technologies available in 2009.
“It has a massive south facing window which makes use of passive solar gain and is fitted with solar panels, mechanical ventilation and a Heatmiser controller for the underfloor heating which is oil fired,’’ reveals the owner noting that the BER is a C2.
“And the overhang outside the massive gable window isn’t just for decoration, it’s a design feature which shelters the house from summer sun and acts as a funnel for winter sun “ he adds.
As per the owners’ request the 225 sq metre property is , like a New York penthouse apartment, made up of thee identifiable sections, including one which houses a spacious kitchen/dining/living as well as one with the master bedroom and one with the guest bedrooms.
And while the design is suitable for a New York apartment – the views from the multi-windowed property are of scenic west Waterford countryside.
“Our site of 1.1 acres is next to a Coillte forest and looks out onto countryside, woodland and on hills in the distance,” the owner reveals.
When it was complete the couple called it New Erris – because, when they met, she was living in an apartment at Erris development in Wilton.
“It seemed fitting and a little romantic that we called this one New Erris.’’ New Erris’s most striking feature is, without question, its huge gable window and its overhang. At the other end of 12.5 metres long kitchen/ living room, there’s a second gable wall which instead of one large window ahd with three narrow full height ones.
“The massive gable window measures 4.7 m by 4.6 m and is one of 13 windows containing 31 panes of glass in this room ,’’ reveals the owner explaining that the double glazed windows were sourced in Northern Ireland because it was difficult to get a company anywhere else to make the very large one.
The vaulted ceiling on this section of the house was the most tricky part of the house design. “We didn’t want roof joists so we couldn’t use traditional methods. Instead we used an RSJ steel frame which was made by a steel fabricating company in Dungarvan and assembled on site. This sits on top of the structure like the hull of a upside down boat.’’
The décor in the interior matches the exterior in being ultra-stylish and modern.
“We fitted the same porcelain floor tiles in every room , “ reveals the owner, adding that they found a local company to design a high end kitchen which has black gloss units framed by oak as well as a large horseshoe shaped island with Corian worktops.
“This was designed especially for the room – we wanted it to be a kitchen by day and a bar by night,’’.
Suspended from the seven metre high ceiling above the kitchen island is a sleek and stylish rather futuristic looking steel and aluminium extractor fan which also functions as a light.
The living area is situated by the large apex window while the kitchen, which is at a slightly lower level, occupies the other part of the room and the dining area is off to the side. Painted mostly in a neutral shade of pale grey, the room has colour in art work and on the gable walls where the windows are framed in turquoise.
The master bedroom is designed so that owners can lie in bed and look out through wide patio doors onto fields, forestry and countryside. The room is partially divided by a wall which separates the sleeping area from the wardrobes and dressing area which provides access to a spacious en suite with an egg shaped bath.
The third section of the house has two additional bedrooms which share an en suite as well as a utility room and a study – which since covid has become a two desk home office.
When the house was built all the bedrooms were similar so in recent years the owners decided to make the master bedroom more distinctive by putting in green timber paneling on the walls.
Looking out onto forestry and fields at all sides, New Erris is accessed by a stone pillared entrance with automated gates. Surrounded by lawns it has a tarmac driveway, a detached garage , a slabbed veranda and a small gravel garden planted with shrubs.
Located ten km from Dungarvan and 16 km from Ardmore, it is a little less than an hour’s drive to Waterford city and slightly more than an hour’s drive from Cork city.
Initially seeking offers of €525,000 Brian Gleeson of Gleeson says it offers space and luxury and is appealing to returning emigrants as well as locals and has also attracted international buyers and current bids in excess of €600,000.
VERDICT: Spacious, stylish and great for parties.
