Architect Michael McShane received the keys to Gorsefield, a four-bedroom family home on the Glenalua Road in Killiney, in October 2012. McShane, who lives on the same road, bought the house, for €750,000, with the intention of remodelling and refurbishing it for his parents – but circumstances changed, and the house is now for sale through Savills for €1.35 million.
McShane remodelled the interiors to his own taste – outside was kept as-is, avoiding lengthy construction work and planning difficulties. There are plenty of sockets, for example, and the kitchen, which once stood to the rear of the house, is now to the front, facing southwest with windows that wrap around two sides of the house.
The old kitchen now serves as a fully tiled utility room with sink, washing machine and ample storage. The new kitchen boasts marble countertops and a free-standing central island along with more sleek storage and fully tiled floors.
0 of 7
Outside is what is termed the “kitchen garden” – a decked area with grass beyond and shrubbery planted into the rock at the rear. McShane also made use of the space and fine views to build a free-standing deck to the front, with panoramic views from Bray to Sandyford, with Three Rock Mountain in the distance.
Inside, the living and dining areas have engineered oak- board flooring.
There is a functioning fire in the living room – although McShane does say that, as the roof of the house is flat (in keeping with the style of the 1950, when the house was built), it would be no great difficulty to install a stove chimney.
The four bedrooms are double, with three are en suite with shower rooms. The fourth, with a window facing over the front of the house, could easily serve as an office, playroom or study. The guest bathroom has a sink and WC, along with large cupboard.
The master bedroom has the largest of the en suites, with a large shower and his ’n’ hers wardrobes. Again, it looks out to the front of the house, over to the sea, the mountains and Sandyford and Dundrum.
It is the views that will sell this house, aided of course by high-spec interiors, 2,500 sq ft of interior space and private side garden (perfect for keeping an eye on children at play).
Directly below is where the house got its name; in the rock, above Killiney Golf Course is a dense field of aromatic gorse.
