“I wanted a house that was different, full of light with the latest in insulation. I wanted floor-to-ceiling windows and the type of house that you wouldn’t normally see in Dublin,” says Gerry McNulty of his home on one of Blackrock’s most desirable roads.
Set back off Avoca Road, which is within walking distance of the villages of Blackrock and Stillorgan, the location is served by some of south Dublin’s most popular schools and amenities.
McNulty, a pilot of 39 years, first arrived to the former plot which was to become his home on a windy day, which goes to explain the name of the property, Windshear, an aviation term for a meteorological phenomenon.
“I bought the site, which had planning permission for its former architect owner, but we changed the interiors around,” he says of the property constructed in 1995.
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McNulty says he was influenced by Geragh, architect Michael Scott’s Sandycove house, since his youth and wanted lots of glazing for his home. With the help of architect Neil Burke-Kennedy and his team, a contemporary design was established whereby the 176sq m (1,892sq ft) house has floor-to-ceiling windows that bathe the rooms in natural light.
“The original design had no provision for downpipes on the windows so we installed kusari-toi drains, which are a bit like waterfalls due to their capillary action,” says McNulty, describing the chain-like drains that channel water from the large protruding windows upstairs.
It’s all a very bright affair, further enhanced by six Velux windows which were installed in 2015: “It should be called the ‘House of Light’ as the Velux, three of which are on the south face and three facing west, bring in so much light as well as lots of passive heat.”
As a balance to the all-white interiors – which bounce light about the place – are the 150-year-old overhead beams, which originally came from the old military barracks in Beggar’s Bush.
“When we were building we were running out of time, so we didn’t have a chance to strip them of the grey paint that had been applied in the barracks. Later we engaged a guy who arrived with a young lad looking like Jules Verne with all the equipment, who stripped them right back, but six years later we were still finding bits of sand and grit around the place.”
To the right of a full-height entrance hall lies an impressive open-plan kitchen and breakfast space. Six years ago a new dining area was added to the rear, and with overhead Velux, this space, which opens to the back yard, is also bathed in light.
The property, which has a Ber of C1, is somewhat inverted whereby two of the three bedrooms lie on the ground floor allowing a generous principal bedroom upstairs alongside an open study on the landing. This sits adjacent to a fine livingroom with an enclosed gas fire and bay-style windows.
McNulty is moving to be closer to family from his bright home, which is now on the market through Vincent Finnegan, seeking €1.35 million.
