THE glossary of cottageology would struggle to accommodate the house featured here, which is a cottage in name only. While a dash of geometric drama has transformed what was a traditional-looking dwelling, the homeowners have retained its original name in a nod to its heritage. “We kept the name of The Cottage in keeping with the tradition of what the house was known as in the neighbourhood,” says the man of the house, Richard O’Dwyer. Moreover, it made life easier for the postman, he says, as eircodes had not yet been fully rolled out. Richard, who bought The Cottage with his Hungarian wife Henriett in 2016, knows a little of its history. He says it was built in 1937 and had a long association with a family by the name of Crowley, who bred greyhounds. When himself and Henriett bought it, it was a modest, two-storey home with pitched roof, measuring about 800 sq ft. Today, it’s more than double that size, at 1,980 sq ft. “When we bought it, there was a small little extension to the back, which we knocked,” Richard says. They hired Eugene O’Hea of Platform Architecture in Bandon to come up with a design to extend it and they hired Ballincollig-based builder Danny Dwyer to deliver the project. “We looked around the neighbourhood and there were a lot of dormer bungalows around and that’s what we were originally going to go with. But by choosing a flat roof, we could maximise the room heights in the bedrooms and bathrooms. “The design is unusual but it’s worked well for us. And would you believe it’s not as tall as some of the neighbourhood bungalows,” Richard says. It’s a striking looking home for sure, with lots of architectural features including three sets of corner windows, which enhance both the look of the building as well as its functionality, by boosting the interior light and improving the view. A double-height window above the return of the stairs has a similar effect. “Light was a big thing for us. My wife was very keen to make sure that all of the rooms were good and bright,” Richard says. They more or less gutted the original house, stripping away plaster and installing new ceilings and new floors. It’s now a ground-floor living room, with two bedrooms and a bathroom overhead. Everything else was added, including the hall, stairs and landing. A fine kitchen/dining room was added to the rear, overlooking the back garden. An island unit has underneath storage. Large glass sliding doors frame the dining area. A utility was added off the kitchen. There’s a cloakroom and a guest loo either side of the hallway. The cottage has gone from being two-bed to a four-bed home, of which the two newer additions are bigger bedrooms. One has a feature corner window. A second corner window on the landing lights the light flood through. The family bathroom is off the landing. Richard says key attractions when they bought The Cottage was the site that came with it and the countryside views. At more than quarter of an acre (0.27a) it can easily accommodate a patio (off the kitchen/dining room), a kiddie playzone, a garden shed, a glass house. A large trampoline and a soccer net barely make a dint in the generous lawn. While Grange Hill’s environs feel rural, it’s a straight run into Ballincollig once you reach the N22 and Richard says it’s literally a couple of minutes by car. Anyone at Dell Technologies in the market for a home will find this one is particularly convenient to the tech company’s Ovens location. It’s also near Kilumney industrial estate. Richard says there’s a real sense of community in their neighbourhood and plenty for kids to do. Their youngest attended Ovens national school and enrolled in local drama and gymnastics’ groups. There’s a strong GAA club in the form of Éire Óg. The couple are selling up because Richard has always had a yen to return to his native Limerick, having first come to Cork in 2010, renting initially in Kilnaglory and Classes Lake. Handling the sale of their home is Norma FitzGerald of Sherry FitzGerald and she says The Cottage is a “beautifully maintained family home, within minutes of the Ballincollig bypass network”. “It’s a turnkey property on a lovely site, with the advantage of a B1 energy rating, which means buyers are eligible for green mortgage rates,” Ms Healy says. Underfloor heating on the ground floor is one a series of improvements that boosted The Cottage’s energy efficiency. It’s for sale with a guide price of €690,000. VERDICT: Eye-catching, contemporary, well-looked-after family home with lots of nice features. Spacious site within easy reach of Ballincollig.