Sacre bleu! Lough Derg views and acres of space for €795k

Sacre Bleu is a country home with great views and a substantial 465sq m (5,000sq ft) living area to fit most, if not all, of life’s needs. From its early millennium beginnings as a modest, dormer bungalow, Sacre Bleu grew with its original owners to become, by the time the vendors bought in 2006, a home with “a flowing, Z-shaped open plan”.

The house and surrounding Lough Derg vistas have accomodated 13 agreeable years of family life since, "but families grow and move on" so vendors Trish Taylor-Thompson and husband Gary are selling their Co Tipperary home.

They bought for €1.1 millon in 2006 and, with Savills looking after the sale, are now seeking €795,000 for the house and land.

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Games room with bar.

Taylor-Thompson says the family needed only to “move in and hang up our clothes” when they bought Sacre Bleu. A new owner will enjoy the same advantages; it is in walk-in condition.

The colour scheme has been upgraded and work was done on the roof garden and terraced gardens. Some spaces have accommodated their lifestyle more than others and they’ll especially miss “the huge kitchen; we did so much living there”, the rooftop terrace for its star-gazing advantages and the “round room” Taylor Thompson uses as a studio.

Panoramic views

Sacre Coeur, set back from Lough Derg into the Arra hillside, allows panoramic views of the lake, 380 degree landscape vistas from the front of the house and views of the sun setting behind the Clare hills. It has five reception rooms, five bedrooms (four en suite), a roof garden/ barbecue area and detached garage. Gardens, laid out in two upper terraces and a couple of lower lawns, lead to a Beech glade. A roof garden and deck lead to a front facing, viewing veranda. The town of Killaloe is 8km and Shannon Airport 62km away.

Stone and hardwoods dominate the structure and fittings in Sacre Bleu: floors are marble, doors and roof beams are of solid oak. French windows, picture and bay windows make the most of views – the sitting room alone has five windows including a rectangular bay – and the kitchen has a glass atrium.

Marble flooring, double oak doors and an oak staircase make a solidly stylish statement at the entrance. The marble floor continues into a sittingroom where there is a white marble fireplace, dark oak beams and lake views. It goes on from there to floor a diningroom where there are French windows onto a viewing deck.

The large kitchen, with its atrium and height, is an impressively interesting space. The floor here is porcelain slate, with Cherrywood units and polished granite worktops. That circular room, with its domed ceiling and lake views, is currently in use as a studio but could be put to any number of interesting uses. A games room with bar has its own shower room and stairs to the roof garden.

On the first floor, the main en suite bedroom has lake views and a walk-in wardrobe. There is a leisure/TV room on this floor too.