IF YOUR idea of luxury is a bay-facing orangery or a bathroom with underfloor heating or a bespoke garden room, Gearhies House could be the home for you.
If your idea of luxury is more natural than man-made, like waking up to views of sparkling Bantry Bay or the shifting colour tones of the Caha Mountain range, then Gearhies House could also be the home for you.
In essence, it offers the best of both worlds: Comfort within, thanks to quality finishes, and outdoor enrichment from the natural landscape. It’s win win.
The majestic setting Gearhies House finds itself in is the luck of the draw, but the condition of the house itself is down to a great deal of effort and investment.
When Ian and Alice, the current owners, bought it in 2016, the shape it was in wasn’t what they’d anticipated. For starters, it needed a new roof. They took it from there.
“We basically re-did the house from the roof down. We stripped it back to a shell,” Ian says.
He was drawn to the area by a family connection. His late mum was originally from the Mizen Head Peninsula, and although much of her adult life was spent in the UK, she returned to West Cork in her later years.
“I had an opportunity to be close to her in her last days and I was looking out for a place.
“Although I grew up in the UK, my mum came home here quite a lot, so I’ve been coming to southwest Cork since I was very small,” Ian says.
The views across Bantry Bay sealed the deal at Gearhies House in 2016. The couple spent two years renovating, re-shaping, re-wiring, re-plumbing and dry-lining. New hardwood floors were laid, a new kitchen was fitted, new bathrooms were installed, a new heating system was fitted, windows were replaced and upgraded.
Along with the more practical stuff, the couple introduced some striking features, including a bay-facing orangery with a fabulous atrium-style roof lantern; a new sunroom to the south-facing rear and and very fancy windowsills, of solid riverwhite granite indoors and blue limestone outside.
“We put a lot into the house financially and emotionally,” Ian says, adding that it cost them “probably as much as we paid for it”. The price register shows it sold in 2016 for €375,000.
These days, Gearhies House is as fine, bright and airy a dwelling as you could wish for. The orangery, with its glass roof, replaced a much more basic structure capped with corrugated plastic. To the rear, a coal house and some lean-to add-ons were replaced with a utility and a new, south-facing sunroom.
Ian fitted the kitchen, which connects with the dining area through modern barn-style bi-folding glazed doors and a convenient serving hatch.
The substantial dining/sitting room has a feature open fireplace of granite and stone. It’s open to the orangery and the free-flowing floor plan has been great for entertaining.
“You can easily fit a big crowd,” the couple says.
The dining set is exquisite – hand-carved walnut, all the way from Kashmir, where Alice’s father was posted in his role with the UN. It’s been in the family for decades and is not part of the house sale.
Some of the bedroom furniture came from Kashmir too.
The main bedroom has those beautiful views over Bantry Bay and across to the Beara Peninsula and Caha mountains.
Outdoors to the rear, a bespoke home office, on a concrete base, has the prettiest of settings.
“It means you can physically and psychologically remove yourself from the main house and at the end of the day, have a very short commute home,” says Ian.
The grounds are expansive. At 2.55 acres, there are many different parts: Close to the house is managed, further out, the couple has embraced re-wilding, planting some new trees, and attracting lots of wildlife. Honey bees are present too – a hive had been sitting empty until, one summer, a swarm arrived, settled in, and has made a home of it since.
Ian and Alice have loved living on this elevated site above Gearhies Pier but it’s time to move on. Olivia Hanafin of Sherry FitzGerald O’Neill says it’s “an outstanding property” with great privacy and superb views. “It’s sure to appeal to both domestic and international buyers,” Ms Hanafin says.
She adds that it’s within a short walk of Gearhies Pier and 10km from Bantry town, as well as close to the road that leads to the Goat Path drive and onwards to Ahakista and Durrus on the Sheep’s Head peninsula.
The 205 sq m house, which comes with a carport and has a C1 energy rating, has a guide price of €595,000.
VERDICT: Quality home in a super setting with a magnificent outlook.
