Latest news with #Velux
Irish Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Irish Daily Mirror
Sublime Irish 'waterfront sanctuary' goes on sale for €950,000
The winning €250m EuroMillions ticket was purchased in Cork and if the this waterfront property is anything to go by the lucky punter will have no shortage of plush new homes to select from. Nestled in one of east Cork's most coveted locations, the remarkable c 4,800 sq. ft. Serenity Bay residence offers tranquillity, its own swimming pool, stunning views, and an exceptional standard of living. Perched above the picturesque East Ferry inlet, Serenity Bay enjoys panoramic views. Lush meadows stretch below, while the distant lights of Cork city shimmer on the horizon. The westerly aspect ensures stunning sunsets, making every moment here feel special. A real highlight of Serenity Bay is its state-of-the-art indoor swimming pool, designed with the highest standards in mind. The pool which is c. 12.5 metres, is finished in a sleek stone/resin mix. It features a counter-current system for swimmers, ensuring an optimal workout. The room is equipped with air control units for perfect temperature regulation, automatic Velux roof windows that open and close based on weather conditions, and a private wet bar area for relaxation. This wonderful leisure complex includes a sauna, steam room, outdoor jacuzzi, changing area, and two showers, making it feel like your very own private wellness retreat. Serenity Bay is a home designed with both functionality and luxury in mind. The expansive living spaces, including a modern kitchen and breakfast room, create a sense of openness and flow to the home. The carefully chosen hardwood staircase and Amtico flooring throughout enhance the sophisticated atmosphere. The large formal dining room and garden room provide ample space for hosting. Each of the four bedrooms comes with an en-suite bathroom, high-quality built-in wardrobes, and private access to outdoor spaces. The two ground-floor rooms open onto the beautifully landscaped garden, while the upper suites share access to a spacious ship-deck-style balcony, offering a perfect retreat with breathtaking views. Key Features: - c. 4,800 sq. ft. luxury home (including a swimming pool) on circa 0.5 acres - 4 spacious bedrooms, all en-suite - Indoor swimming pool with leisure facilities - Outside jacuzzi - Multiple terraces and private wraparound balcony - Open-plan living spaces with stunning views - High-end finishes and superior craftsmanship - Exclusive setting with no future developments nearby - Located only 30 minutes from Cork airport For more information or to arrange a viewing visit Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The driveway leading up to the property. (Image: Liberty Blue Estate Agents) 1 of 22 Serenity Bay, Jamesbrook, East Ferry, Co. Cork. (Image: Liberty Blue Estate Agents) 2 of 22 The front of the property. (Image: Liberty Blue Estate Agents) 3 of 22 A side view of Serenity Bay. (Image: Liberty Blue Estate Agents) 4 of 22 (Image: Liberty Blue Estate Agents) 5 of 22 The stunning kitchen area. (Image: Liberty Blue Estate Agents) 6 of 22
South Wales Argus
5 days ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Bungalow in Caldicot with garden home office on sale
The four-bedroom property is on the market at £569,950 and has accommodation arranged over two floors. According to the listing, the ground floor features underfloor heating and a 'spacious well appointed' entrance hall with a glass balustrade staircase. Two guest bedrooms are found on this level, along with a principal bathroom, utility room, and a drawing room with a wood burning stove. Bi-fold doors from both the drawing room and kitchen open onto the rear garden. The living room (Image: Moon & Co Estate Agents) The kitchen and dining area include fitted appliances such as an electric oven, microwave, fridge/freezer, wine fridge, dishwasher, and a six-ring gas hob. The kitchen also features a high-level ceiling with Velux roof lights and tiled flooring. On the first floor, the principal bedroom has its own dressing room and en-suite shower room. The bathroom (Image: Moon & Co Estate Agents) Another guest bedroom on this floor also has an en-suite. Parking is provided by a brick-paved area at the front, with space for up to six vehicles. The rear garden includes a sun terrace, lawn, and a 'substantial home office' with power and light, described as suitable for work or as a family day room.
Irish Examiner
13-06-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Let more light into your home without adding extra windows
We all have rooms that, because of their aspect, window sizes, low ceilings or the overshadowing of obstacles outside the window, are regarded as our darker rooms. Before you even consider artificial solutions, finesse what natural light is reaching these areas, both from outdoors and from adjoining spaces. Space is space — that's real metres and centimetres rather than acres of aesthetically realised 'spaciousness'. However, with darker rooms, that feeling that the walls are closing in around us feels very real. Adding the wrong window dressings, colour schemes, and furniture can intensify the gloom and shadow. Here are just a few ideas to perk up your creative bravado, and to make those challenging, cramped areas potentially your favourites. Outside work inside Go outside and prune shrubs and overhanging branches away from windows. A tree surgeon can select branches from the sail of an established tree, fashioning chinks of sunlight. Trimming back trees and shrubs could transform the quality and quantity of light coming through your windows. File picture Pale paving stones bounce light off the patio and back into your rooms, useful for a generous French door. If you have control of any wall facing into your rooms, paint it a light colour too and put a pale coat on the exterior reveal and windowsill. Exterior grade mirrors on facing walls are worth consideration if they don't create glare or a supernatural reflection that makes you jump-scare every time you drift by the window. Keep the windows clean, and if you have a chance to change the unit, don't introduce glazing bars crossing the window that you don't need. Where all this effort is falling flat, try everything you can to play with the light you do have, and then work on the switching solutions and layering your artificial lighting. Punching out the roof Obviously, opening to the big blue with fixed skylights or opening roof windows is the ideal, but they are not always economically or practically possible. Even suitably pitched roofs at 15-90 degrees (or flat) may require bracing, and with the addition of flashing, collars and labour, expect to pay from €2000 per window for a skilled, straightforward retrofit including the window unit. Piercing the roof for a retrofitted roof light or opening window is a serious and potentially expensive business. Engage a specialist, certified installer. Top-hung safe 3-GPL roof window by Velux from €798, That said, superbly detailed roof windows introduce not simply light and kerb-appeal, but valuable ventilation possibilities, with sensor/remote operation as standard. Retrofits to the rear of the property are more likely to be exempt from planning if they don't 'dominate the roof-slope' and the house is not a protected structure or in an area of sensitive architecture. If you want roof windows to the front or side of the house or are putting in a 'balcony-system' or dormer, check with the local authority. For a full, proper loft conversion, there are PP stipulations. These should be signed off by an engineer. Glazed and amazed Glazed doors effectively open walls, even when closed, and with a variety in the degree of opacity and the ratio of glass, they are overlooked for teasing light in a challenging space. We recently used one corner of a master bedroom for a retrofitted ensuite. As an existing window was being ingested by the bathroom, I didn't want to lose the two aspects. Using a glass panelled door with softly frosted glass delivered a high volume of westerly light (serene in the mornings), rather than closing it down with a solid door. 60% of the light flows through the glass while maintaining a high degree of modesty and physical separation. In this retrofitted ensuite, we used an original window from a twin aspect bedroom, a glass-panelled door and the vanity mirror to create a glow rather than a blank lifeless corner. Picture: Kya deLongchamps The frame design, pattern, opacity and degree of glazing is up to you, and with the latest, folding, pocket and roller door styles, you can create a large window between rooms in safe, toughened glass or introduce a discreet high, horizontal transom to punch a little illumination into a dimmer area. Industrial ladder styles are a good match for perfectly plain, contemporary windows, but additional detail, including bevelled edges, diamond-cut grooves, and etching, can be added. Start with the style of your windows and existing second fixes. If opening walls with fixed glazing or open niches, consult an architect or chartered engineer for guidance. Mirror, mirror Use the abilities of mirrors to reflect, scatter and multiply illumination. This could be a conventional mirror propped on the floor, a mirrored splash-back in the kitchen, or mirrored furniture where tops, sides, and legs can not only sparkle but ping artificial and natural light out of corners and dull areas. Place these pieces opposite a window or beneath a skylight to polish up their shine. A massive mirror magnifies natural light in this cool pale grey colour scheme, opening up an otherwise blank corner; Chrisley Arch Mirror, €239.40, Light-reflective, glossy surfaces come in many guises. Transparent dining sets in glass and acrylic are still retro-chic and will allow light to flow further through the room, where a solid oak six-seater would eclipse the flooring. Obviously, gloomy coloured upholstery will swallow natural and artificial light, whereas a lightly coloured linen will send it back to the room, offering a more lightweight presence and line. Where you don't want to use wall mirrors, glazed artwork can also work well, just don't sit your art prints or watercolours in direct light, as over time the UV playing on its surface could do damage. Colour code We all know the old cant about light paint colours that maximise perceived space. You can dial up the impact here by sticking to a single colour for the largest surfaces in light-starved rooms and gloomy conduit areas like halls. That's one colour for the walls, skirting and a paler shade of flooring throughout with a pure white ceiling. Without the aesthetic gymnastics of jumping from a commanding feature colour to a neutral or leaping across an archipelago of rugs adrift on hard flooring, harmony creates unity and flow, cranking open proportions. Pure, unadulterated white is a classic, not a trend, but if the call to pattern is just too strong, go large rather than snagging the eye on busy designs. Fight shy of dark demanding tones that will swallow the area whole, and make the ground colour white, pale or slightly reflective. Brilliant white can read cold and clinical in a north-facing room, and most decorators play with off-whites with a green, grey, blue or yellow undertone. The collective finish will depend on other surfacing, so test the paint or wallpaper over a good metre square in various areas of the room at different times of day. Paint up a panel you can move around, and don't choose anything from a computer rendition — they are never true. Going deeper doesn't have to be depressing in a less sunny spot. Here Dulux Colour of the Year True Joy enriches the walls aided by pale trending furniture in light, teased open lines; from €65 for 5l. A rebel? Embrace the dark character of the room, leaning into artificial lighting, and making it deliberately shrouded in a dark, intimate colour drench of dramatic intensity. Browns and deeper yellows can really hold their own. Gloss paint is not necessarily better than matt, which can softly return light instead of roughly diffusing it as any shinier paint will do. Test, test, test. Curtain-raisers When the days shorten in September, some rooms will become seriously oppressive with the lights off. Most of your natural light is delivered by the top one-third of windows and glazed doors. Unblock windows by entirely removing or altering window dressings to invite more light inside, helping those crowding walls recede. Curtains, where present, should sweep completely back from a window on the darker sides of any home. Think about a longer pole to take them right back beyond the reveal, and lose any dated, intrusive pelmet slicing across open sky. The sizing will depend on the weight of the curtains. Alternatively, ditch the curtains and suspend a sheer panel from the bottom of the window to halfway up its length on a slim café rod, snatching intense light from above. Perfect fit blinds suited to most PVC windows can be pulled up from the bottom and come in semi-opaque lighter materials to preserve your privacy when you need to. When choosing any blinds, cassette models or Roman blinds set on the wall rather than inside the reveal, will pull up completely out of the way. White paint and internal windowsills will bounce, diffuse and multiply the light reaching the room. In these situations, don't treat your windowsills as shelves — clear them off.
South Wales Argus
10-06-2025
- General
- South Wales Argus
Monmouthshire Council planning decisions this week
Silver birch approved for removal A dangerously leaning silver birch tree was approved for removal by a delegated officer in Monmouthshire. The tree was threatening a house, power line, and heating oil supply pipe. Usk store to undergo redevelopment The Co-op store on Bridge Street, Usk, will see a range of upgrades to its building and infrastructure. Approved plans include the installation of a new gas cooler, DA pack, and air conditioning units in the rear yard, replacing existing equipment. The timber shop fronts will be repaired and redecorated to match the current appearance. The main entrance canopy will receive new boxing at its base to address damage to the timber columns. Additional improvements include new ventilation systems, external LED lighting, and internal refurbishments such as upgraded flooring, ceilings, and fire boarding. The application was granted listed building consent on June 3. Glamping site approved in Tintern A sustainable glamping site in Tintern has been approved by planners. The seasonal development includes six bell tents, two compost toilets, and a shower block at Cross Farm, Ravensnest Wood Road. Cottage set for energy efficiency upgrades A cottage near Tintern is set for energy efficiency upgrades. Monmouthshire County Council has approved plans to retrofit The Retreat, located on Barbadoes Hill, with external wall insulation and three new Velux roof windows. The insulation will be applied to all four sides of the property and finished with a white render. The application was approved by delegated decision on June 2. Roof light given green light in Caerwent A homeowner has been granted permission to add an extra roof light to their home. Caerwent Community Council granted the applicant's request for a property on Merton Green, Caerwent, on May 29. Garden to become driveway in Chepstow A front garden is set to be converted into a driveway. Monmouthshire County Council has approved a request to replace the lawn at 23 Western Avenue in Chepstow with a hard-surfaced parking area. The proposed driveway will measure six metres by 6.5 metres. The application was approved on June 2. Forestry access track plans withdrawn Elsewhere, plans to build a forestry access track in Devauden have been withdrawn. The track was planned to support tree felling operations in Little Tredean Wood, where mature larch trees have been infected with Phytophthora ramorum. The proposal was withdrawn on June 3. Garden extension in Devauden approved Meanwhile, a bungalow's garden will be extended after planning permission was granted. The land will be incorporated into the residential garden at Pen Y Bryn Bungalow, Cobblers Hill, Devauden. Gym and home office approved in Newchurch A new gym and home office outbuilding at Pyotts Cottage, Coed Llifos Road, Newchurch, has been approved. The construction was greenlit by a delegated officer. Yew tree to be pruned to protect St Tysois Church Finally, a historic yew tree will be pruned to protect a village church. Located in the churchyard of St Tysois Church in Llansoy, near Usk, the tree will be trimmed to prevent overhanging branches from damaging the building or impeding access. Monmouthshire County Council approved the plans on June 2. The work will raise the tree's crown to two metres and clear branches within three metres of the church on its western side. The application also includes the removal of epicormic shoots from the trunk.
Agriland
30-05-2025
- Agriland
Court: Woman fined €15,000 and banned from owning animals for life
A circuit court judge has banned a woman from owning animals for life and ordered her to pay €15,000 in costs as a result of 'one of the most appalling cases brought before him'. Karen Sanderson (68) with an address in England, and formerly of The Stables, Templelusk, Avoca, Co. Wicklow, was given a four-and-a-half year suspended prison sentence, banned from owning animals for life, and ordered to pay €15,000 in costs at Bray Circuit Court yesterday (Thursday May, 29). Sanderson had previously pleaded guilty to ten charges, under sections 11, 12 and 13 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 (AHWA). It marked the final chapter in the case which originated from a complaint to the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) helpline in 2016. Court As a result of the call a total of 43 animals were removed from Karen Sanderson's rented property on November 18, 2016. ISPCA chief inspector, Conor Dowling, told Bray Circuit Court that when he called to the property Sanderson had rented near Avoca he saw five underweight horses in a dirty yard and mucky arena. In stables off the same yard, he also found a wild boar in a 'filthy stable and a pig that was unable to stand in another'. The court was told that neither of the animals had access to water or a clean lying area. In three other stables twelve dogs were discovered living in squalid conditions, with no bedding or water. Inspector Dowling also told the court that there was a 'horrendous smell' from the stables and how he saw ripped up remains of dog food bags scattered around. He also detailed that a german shepherd housed in a group of five dogs was only days away from whelping and that she later produced nine puppies, some of which were deformed and none of which survived. The inspector outlined how another dog was an aged Mastiff with chronic osteoarthritis and an old injury, rendering one of his legs useless. Euthanised Bray Circuit Court was told that this dog was euthanised approximately a week later, on veterinary advice. ISPCA chief inspector also described to the court that when he visited Karen Sanderson's rented property on November 18, 2016 he had proceeded up a metal stair to the door of a loft dwelling. He said that the stair and the roof of the building were covered in dog faeces and that he formed the opinion that excrement was being thrown out of Velux windows in the roof. When he knocked on the door of the dwelling, he heard more barking and shouting noises from inside, and decided to request assistance garda assistance. The court was told that gardaí arrived at the scene and made contact with the accused, Karen Sanderson. The ISPCA chief inspector then described how, when the door of the dwelling was opened, dogs came 'spilling' down the stairs. A further 31 dogs, including some giant breeds, were found living in on the property in what the Inspector described a, 'a stressful and chaotic environment'. Inspector Dowling said that there was faecal matter on every surface in the dwelling, and the stench of ammonia was so strong that according to the ISPCA it hurt his eyes and made it difficult for him to breathe. He described how there was a pool of urine in the hallway and a video was played for the court in which the accused tried to claim that the dogs had just urinated when the investigators had called at the door. The court was also shown photographs of a selection of animals including a Cocker Spaniel that could not use its hind legs and was dragging itself through the soiled environment, and a Mastiff which had an injury to its toe so severe that some of the bone was protruding, and the dog was gnawing at the exposed bone. The Mastiff required surgery to amputate its toe. It was agreed that most of the animals needed to be removed from the premises immediately, and chief inspector Dowling enlisted the help of Wicklow SPCA, Wicklow Dog Pound, the Irish Horse Welfare and Trust and Dogs Trust, in removing the animals. A veterinary practitioner attended the scene and recommended that a pig that could not stand, be euthanised to prevent further suffering. The court was also told that subsequent veterinary examinations of the animals removed from the premises revealed a catalogue of health issues including injuries, flea infestation, ear mites, worms, skin irritation, matted and soiled coats, ear infections, chronic arthritis, cherry eye, mud fever and rain scald. Inspector Dowling said that, while the pig and the two geriatric Mastiffs were euthanised, the majority of the animals had made full recoveries. On sentencing, Judge Patrick Quinn described the case as, 'one of the most appalling cases brought before him', and said that all the offending was at the upper end in terms of gravity. He also questioned how it got this far, and how no one could notice what was going on, not just for the animals but for the defendant too. Judge Quinn said that the accumulation of more and more animals in the space of three or four years would have contributed to the defendant being overwhelmed to the point that she could not cope and became a welfare concern for the animals as well as a mental health issue for herself. Judge Quinn handed down a suspended sentence of four and a half years for each count, to run concurrently, and banned the woman from owning animals for life; she was also ordered to pay €15,000 in costs, to be paid within twelve months as a condition of the bond. ISPCA Commenting on the outcome of the case, Conor Dowling, ISPCA chief inspector said he was relieved that it had reached a successful conclusion with the animal owner held accountable before the courts. 'We are always mindful of working with vulnerable people, but our priority is for the welfare of the animals involved. 'This situation should never have been allowed to develop as it did, where animals were left to suffer. 'Anyone who chooses to keep animals has both a legal and moral responsibility to adequately care for them, and if you are unable to do so, you should seek help,' he added. The ISPCA wants anyone who has suspicions of animal cruelty, neglect or abuse to report this on its confidential National Animal Cruelty Helpline by calling 0818 515 515, emailing helpline@ or via its website.
