A turnkey two-bed across the road from Herbert Park shows that in Dublin 4, good things can come in small packages
D4 does most things big.
It’s a postcode of embassies, sweeping granite steps and red-brick houses with reception rooms that have more space than most people know what to do with.
But tucked into the heart of the village are a handful of streets where the proportions are altogether more modest, and where the appeal lies in the charm rather than square footage. Herbert Cottages is one of them.
No 11 is an extended stone dwelling dating from the early 1900s, and it’s for sale for €695,000.
Address: 11 Herbert Cottages, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, D04 XT04
Asking price: €695,000
Agent: Allen & Jacobs
At about 68sq m, what this house lacks in floor space in size it makes up for in cleverness. Comprehensively refurbished in 2015, there’s little for the next owner to do but move in, assuming they’ve been ruthless about what goes in the boxes.
The entrance hall leads into a living room and a kitchen/dining room, which is where the extension is worth its salt.
Large flat rooflights flood both rooms with the sun’s gifts and wide concertina doors fold back from the living area onto the rear garden terrace, so on a fine day inside and out can become one.
On colder evenings there’s a wood-burning stove to gather around, backed up by electric skirting-board radiators.
There are two bedrooms.
The main one is a neat 3m square, while the second would suit a child, a guest or use as a home office.
There’s a bathroom of course and, unusually for a house of this size, a separate utility, which means the washing machine doesn’t have to share the kitchen.
Attic storage takes care of the overspill.
The garden is private and have on-street residents’ permit parking.
The location is very handy, with boutiques, fine groceries, cafés, bars and restaurants on the doorstep and Herbert Park close by.
Sandymount Strand, Donnybrook and the Aviva Stadium are all within easy reach; there’s plenty of good bus connectivity as well as the Dodder Greenway.
The house has a D energy rating, despite its PVC double-glazed windows, so the next owner may want to look at some upgrades.
Still, with a stove and rooms this bright, it’s hard to imagine it ever feeling gloomy.
As with everything Dublin 4, you’re paying for the address as much as the accommodation. But for better-heeled first-time buyers looking for a foothold there, or downsizers trading space for equity and convenience, or indeed investors after a turnkey rentable in an in-demand postcode, this may be a way in.
These little stone houses change hands at the rate of roughly one per year.
Next door went for €695,000 back in March 2025, well over a hundred grand more than the price at which it was listed. No 1, and end of terrace neighbour, fetched €805,000 a year before that.
Allen & Jacobs is selling No 11, with an open viewing on Saturday, October 3rd, from 11am to 11.30am.
