The property: A high-end renovation of a “shell of a house” with stellar seaside views in Howth, perfect for large family gatherings.
Biggest mistake: The only issue we had was the water supply. We should have established where the water supply was earlier than we did. It became an issue getting water to the site. The best advice I can give is deal with the utility companies early on in the build. They have certain timelines on connection and it is set in stone; leaving it too late in the build will delay completion.
Biggest win: Apart from the kitchen, the positioning of the master bedroom. Waking up in the morning and opening the blinds to the view — it never gets old.
When the owners of this stellar seaside property first visited the site of their home in Howth, they found the shell of an old house, with three standing walls and no roof. The views, however, were a different story, and the couple instantly fell in love with the vista that stretches across Dublin Bay and as far south as the Wicklow Mountains.
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The couple had been travelling almost non-stop for years but upon retirement, decided to put down roots. “We were constantly on planes,” one of them says. Her husband wanted to move somewhere sunny, but her main desire was to set up home in a location that was accessible to all of their five children, who have long flown the nest, but often come to visit with their partners.
Nothing of the original house could be salvaged but the Howth site came with planning permission for a house laid out on one floor so that it would blend in with the hill. The couple decided to go for it and bought the site at the end of 2020. They called in Greg Tisdall, from Studio D Architects, who took on the project and put them in touch with Howth builders WCB Construction.
Although the house was built during the Covid pandemic, at a time of construction materials shortages and rising costs, the couple had two strokes of good luck: firstly, their house was built from concrete, which was fortunate because the price of wood was “going through the roof”. Also, they had managed to get a fixed-price contract for the build. “I don’t think builders are able to do that any more,” she says.
In June this year they moved into what they hope will be their forever home. The completed house is contemporary, bright and designed to take maximum advantage of the spectacular views. The piece de resistance is the kitchen/living area‚ with a 17m run of sliding glass doors giving on to a glass-balustraded terrace. The kitchen, designed and installed by David Sexton & Sons, is definitely Anna’s favourite part of the house. “The whole reason I got this kitchen is I really love to cook. If could have had that as my career, I would have done.”
I feel like Nigella when I walk into the pantry. It’s beautiful
She opted for a dark tone (Lamp Black from Little Greene paint) for the cabinetry, and ran warm wooden floors throughout, as she didn’t want the interiors to be “too white”, and for the house to feel like a glass box. And the one thing she knew she really wanted in the kitchen was an Aga. “We got an electric Aga. It’s fabulous. It’s controllable. When it got really hot over the summer you could turn it off, then in 25 minutes warm it up again.”
The kitchen also boasts a concealed pantry, hidden behind tall cabinet doors. “I pinch myself every time I walk in,” she says. “It’s superb. It’s really nice to be able to see all the food. I feel like Nigella when I walk into the pantry. It’s beautiful.” It’s also practical. “If we’re having people over, we can put all the dirty dishes in the pantry [after dinner] and shut the door. There’s no point having people over if I spend the entire time washing up and cleaning in the kitchen. I want to be able to talk to everyone.”
Have they made the most of the gorgeous kitchen with non-stop entertaining? “Since we’ve moved in we’ve probably had 20 people a weekend in the house, because the kids have all been up. And we have a big family, they’ve all been here,” she says. “That was the whole point of the house, of the kitchen, that we could have big family gatherings ... we were not able to do that for a long time.”
After the kitchen, her other favourite spot in the house is the master bedroom, which is also oriented to face out to sea. “You never get tired of the view. The view is what makes the house,” she says. “In the summertime it’s stunning. In the wintertime we’ll be able to be cosy and watch the storms outside.” Underfloor heating throughout will help with that plan to stay cosy. They also decided to install solar panels which she says were worth the initial expense: at the moment they are generating more electricity than they use, thanks to the panels.
So what does the house mean to them? “It’s completely changed our lives. I feel like we’ve never lived anywhere else now apart from here,” she says. “The kids are here all the time — our sense of family, it’s just quadrupled ... I wanted my children and grandchildren to be in a home they’ll remember forever.”
