“It’s more akin to what you’d find in the hills of Los Angeles than in Killiney,” says Michael Grehan of Sherry FitzGerald, who is handling the sale of Paddock Wood in the south Dublin seaside suburb.
The trophy house that stands on just less than an acre and a half perched on Killiney Hill, with superb sea views, has had quite a dramatic turn of fortune since it was constructed in 2007.
The dream home of the Nagle family in a no-expense-spared design by architects Conroy Crowe Kelly, sits on a remarkable site that was purchased by the Nagles for €4.85 million in 2004. The property that originally stood on the site was demolished to make way for the large modernist mansion with frameless glazed walls.
In subsequent years, the name Paddock Wood was uttered in court proceedings regarding John Nagle, the former chief executive of Payzone and his wife, Joan, who had put a series of repayment proposals to Bank of Ireland Mortgage Bank. In the end, the couple lost their home and it was auctioned by Lisney in 2013 when it was listed with an AMV of €2 million.
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This proved to be a rather low estimate as the 1,000sq m (10,691sq ft) house sold for €4 million in an auction that created quite a stir, when Mrs Nagle attended the sale and pointed out flaws in her former home. Among the snags cited were a faulty ventilation system (purported to have cost a cool €1 million) and eight doors in the property that flew off their hinges in high winds.
The family who purchased the house at that auction had already been in contact with original architects Conroy Crowe Kelly prior to the sale and had a good idea of what needed to be done. “It really gave us reassurance about buying Paddock Wood and they worked right through the entire project,” say the owners, who undertook more than a year of renovations post-purchase.
They altered the interiors to “change the flow of the house by removing a few walls and a staircase” (the original had four). They also wanted the property to “have more of a connection to outside” so they enlarged the upper outside deck space, which now has room for a dining table adjacent to a spacious lounge area warmed by a fireplace.
In addition, all windows and doors were replaced and now open via sliding doors to the three terraces, all of which have super sea views. “We wanted to be able to control the temperature and the cross-draughts. All the windows now have electronically controlled vents at the top that can be left open – even with the alarm on.”
To control the light, awnings have been installed on the decks to prevent too much sunshine coming into the main living areas.
The house is set over three floors, and main reception rooms are located on the upper floor to maximise the sea views. Here lies an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area, with what is now an additional room outside on the wide expanse of terrace. “To be honest, we have used that space as another room, as if there is no rain you can sit outside all winter if you just light the fire”.
At garden level are two en-suite bedrooms with a family room and office acting as bookends, while the principal suite, which has two dressingrooms, lies on the central floor with a large family room and two further bedrooms opening out to another large terrace. In fact, the terraces at Paddock Wood now extend to a remarkable 186sq m (2,000sq ft).
Externally, the house – on a 0.5-hectare (1.3-acre) south-facing site – is meticulous, with all the original landscaping now pristine and not a blade of grass is out of place. The current owners planted tall trees on the driveway – so the wow factor only hits when you are inside – essentially like a well-wrapped gift.
Facilities include a fully stocked gym with showers that sits in a distinctive structure adjacent to a 13m infinity swimming pool. There is also a self-contained studio apartment that would suit an au pair, as a granny flat or indeed a very lucky teenager, along with a four-car garage.
For those with a penchant for golf, what was a tennis court has now been replaced with a practice area with a bunker and putting green to a bespoke design by Huxley consisting of a six-hole putting course. For rainy-day golf practice, an office and library on the ground floor of the main house has a Trackman Golf Studio for simulation. As the system is a large projector, this room could work as a home cinema as it has a 12ft by 30ft screen with surround sound.
You might be thirsty after all the activity on site, and for evening sips on the terrace, the property has a bespoke Peter Carroll-designed wine cellar with fridges, which has the capacity to store 800 bottles. As the front of the cave is glazed, it adds interest along the hallway on to which it opens.
As the property has so many facilities – and with Killiney Beach a 10-minute stroll for saltwater swims – the family say it was an absolute pleasure to have spent lockdowns there. They are now downsizing locally and have placed their slice of Killiney luxury, which has an impressive Ber of B2, on the market seeking €9.75 million.
