Although tiny on the outside, don’t be fooled by the front of this East Wall cottage – there’s a whole lot of house inside. The property also demonstrates the rise and rise of a D3 neighbourhood and of the residential property market.
Created by the construction of the wall of the River Liffey, East Wall is a neighbourhood that has metamorphosed.
Once a tight-knit community on reclaimed lands, living in workers' cottages and two-up, two-downs, these small-scale homes now sit cheek by jowl with steel and glass skyscrapers.
Address: 107 Church Road, East Wall, Dublin 3, D03 CX39
Asking price: €800,000
Agent: Owen Reilly
Number 107 Church Road has doubled in size and quadrupled in price since 2015 and last sold for €615K - €90,000 above its 2017 asking price is back on the market. This time it is seeking €800,000.
Tiny on the outside, it opens into a sizeable three-bedroom home that was virtually rebuilt by builder Adrian Richards of Claremont Construction before it last came for sale.
On closing that sale on December 22nd 2017, selling agent Owen Reilly tweeted, “This is a record price for East Wall and reflects a neighbourhood on the rise!"
He is hoping to reprise such a performance as he returns the property to the market.
The price tag makes it one of the most expensive single-occupancy homes in this part of Dublin 3. It was built in 1910, three years before the Dublin Lockout, an event that greatly impacted the lives and livelihoods of those in the area.
Charming and single-storey at the front, it has a two-storey extension at the back, and is listed as a three-bed, all doubles, one downstairs, two upstairs, 192 square metre property that has a C2 BER rating.
While the price may seem high, when you do the maths, its price per square metre (ppsm) is €4,167, which is the price you might pay for a doer-upper of a smaller size before factoring in building costs and the time it takes for the works to be done.
The most recent comparable sales in the area, according to the property price register, range from €750,000 down to €636,000. Take number 25 West Road, which sold for €750,000 in September 25.
A three-bedroom, three-bathroom, B BER-rated end-terrace house of 144 square metres, it had a ppsm of €5,208, which is higher than the Church Road property.
Four years ago, number 9 Hawthorn Avenue, a redeveloped four-bedroom red-brick, also by Richards, came to market with a B2 BER rating and extended to 198 square metres. It sold in December 2022 for €680,000, delivering a ppsm of €3,434.
With a smartly appointed exterior that includes off-street parking, at first glance, number 107 Church Road is very unassuming.
Number 17 Crescent Gardens, a four-bedroom house of 126 square metres, sold for €642,000 in October 2024 at a ppsm of €5.095. Number 3 Strangford Road, a three-bed of 100 square metres and a D1 BER rating, sold for €636,000 in July 2024, a ppsm of €6,360, the most expensive of all these sales listed when using this ppsm metric.
Of the 19 houses listed for sale on property portal MyHome yesterday, the ppsm ranged from €3,879 ppsm to €7,024 ppsm. For context, 18 of the 19 houses listed had a ppsm that was higher than that of 107 Church Road.
It opens into a double-height, tiled hall where a set of steps takes you down to the ground floor.
At the front is a flexible room that is set up as a separate living room but could also be a downstairs bedroom. A shadow of the original hearth remains a focal point. Its height has been raised and currently accommodates a houseplant.
The real scene stealer here is the open-plan space at the back that extends to almost 64 square metres, equal to the footprint of a medium-sized two-bedroom apartment.
With a lightwell courtyard inserted into the middle of the room, it is flooded with daylight and opens out to an east-facing terrace with the rest of the garden laid out in lawn.
While the courtyard could do with some planting and strong colour, there are lovely views from the living area back through the zoned kitchen and dining areas.
Upstairs there are two large double bedrooms, one of which is ensuite.
The third room has rooflights only and is listed as a home office. There are acres of space here.
Agent Owen Reilly is seeking €800,000.
