High-spec and high-tech, this ultra- contemporary Nohoval home has nonetheless one very simple low tech feature that delivers outsized practical impact: ‘His’ and ‘Her’ kitchen sinks, geared to end rows over who does the washing-up.

With a background in security and a long involvement in the property industry, owner Michael McPadden knew what he wanted when building his own home. A key focus was energy efficiency and their system can produce “up to 70kw of energy, on a good day, enough to run two electric cars and two homes”, Michael says.

Feeding into its super A1 BER is an expansive ‘solar system’ of 48 solar PV panels, triple-glazed windows, and 6 x 10 kw batteries, storing enough energy to make them fairly self-sufficient.

Michael can’t claim all the credit for innovation in this passive home, where structure and insulation are built together in one system “like lego bricks”. His wife, Imelda, came up with the eye-catching design of a central, low core flanked by two taller wings.

Roof angles create high ceilings and feature windows that rise into a pointed apex. Much of the accommodation and some of the fittings are substantially bigger than you might find in a standard home: The living room is 800sq ft, the kitchen table is 6ft, and there’s a 10ft walk-in closet off one of three large double bedrooms. The all-in-one kitchen/dining/living area is particularly impressive, from its quartz worktop, to vaulted double-height ceiling with roof lights, to the island with pop-up sockets with USB outlets (bedroom sockets, all nickel, also have USB charge points), to the expansive media unit.

The couple only built it in 2023, during which time they lived in a separate, self-contained unit to the rear, comprised of open-plan kitchen/dining/living and two en-suite bedrooms. An insulated, metal-clad shed was used as a gym.

Unfortunately, they need to relocate for health reasons, and so their two-year-old home is on the market with auctioneer Michael Pigott, who is guiding the 170 sq m property at €795,000.

He says the finish is incredible “and evident from the minute you walk in” and he expects interest from families trading up who want to live near the sea. Nohoval Cove and Oysterhaven are both close by, while Kinsale and Carrigaline are a 15-minute drive away.