Paircmor is a curious, but charming family home high up in Co Wicklow, about five miles from Roundwood, and not far from Moneystown. Built seven years ago by the present owners, it was one of the very first of the "flat-pack" Scandinavian pine houses to be imported into this country from Finland. "It came like a big Meccano kit," says the owner. The house, which has been cleverly extended into the stone-built shell of an erstwhile cow house, has four bedrooms and two reception areas. It stands on over an acre of sloping ground and has a number of outbuildings.
Scheduled for auction through Sherry FitzGerald on September 29th, it is expected to fetch in excess of £315,000.
The last half-mile or so of road leading to the house is a highly picturesque, rough lane (in fact, the old coach road to Rathdrum) running between banks topped with ash, holly, sycamore and spruce. The house has been built on the site of an old cottage - which now serves as a stable and loft - and its farm buildings. It is bordered by non-intensive farmland and forestry and has a truly rural ambience. Facing south and with a rather jolly mountain chalet appearance, the house has two broad balconies stretching across each storey at the front. Raised above the ground on blocks, this is a building that will never suffer from rising damp. As with most country homes, the main entrance is via the back door - and into a spacious hallway floored in multi-coloured quarry tiles salvaged from old houses. This makes a convenient area to leave wet gear, muddy boots and the other paraphernalia of an active country family. This sensible room leads into a substantial, but cosy, open-plan space. The kitchen section has a Stanley range which oozes a warm glow while powering the radiators that heat this half of the house. Beyond, a comfortable living and dining area has a door opening on to the front deck. All the walls are made of honey-coloured pine, creating a snug, woody, nurturing atmosphere.
Upstairs, which is reached by an opentread staircase, there are two timber-clad bedrooms. One, a children's room, has two windows and a range of built-in presses. The other has a roof light and a glazed door on to the long front balcony overlooking a row of Scots pines and a windswept hillside. The bathroom is downstairs, off the living area.
The other half of the house is constructed within the old granite cow barn, and has a lovely sittingroom with immensely thick, peach-washed walls and a panelled ceiling. A big white ingle-nook, topped with a rough granite mantel, houses a wood-burning stove. Above this inviting room there are two more bedrooms. Outside there are various buildings, now used as stables, car-port, utility room and storage, but any of these could easily be adapted to house a studio or guest facilities. Overall, the property has a simple, rustic feeling with no extraneous frills: the kind of place that will appeal to buyers seeking to escape the pressures of the city.
