New Row, a tiny cul de sac secreted between the River Liffey and Chapelizod’s village centre, has been a hive of sales activity with three properties on its south side coming to the market in as many months. All are sale agreed and number 4 is the latest.
It has a primary school at the end of the street, something parents of younger children will be sure to pay attention to but one of the new reasons to love the location is its recently appointed secret garden.
Hidden behind its north terrace is a sizeable space of about 65sq m that had been unloved and unused. It couldn’t be developed as it had only gated pedestrian access.
During Covid the neighbours spent their time discussing what they could do with it. Naturally enclosed and framed by houses it included a mature tree and old outhouses that would have been communal.
They held cake sales, draws, even duck derbys on the Liffey to raise the money together to reimagine it, explains the owner of number 4.
Now the space is painted pristinely, has pathways and a large lawn. It also boasts a fire pit, a barbecue and a large trampoline big enough for a gang of kids to play on. The old outhouses have been picked back to their brick skeletons and strings of carnival lights now hang from them. It looks like something you might see on the continent where respect for the old sits cheek by jowl with the new.
Now anyone can book time on the grill and every one of the 34 homes on the cul de sac has the right to use it. The New Row kids run in and out of it freely.
It’s a fantastic amenity on a street of relatively small homes; it gives all the occupants additional outside space and shows the power of community spirit.
The owner of number 4 bought his property in 2013 when he paid €125,000 for it, according to the Property Price Register. He then set about upgrading and enlarging it, adding a double-floor extension to give a second bedroom upstairs and opening up the ground floor to create a long living/dining room/kitchen that opens out to a small, south-facing yard.
It was a deep retrofit that included lining the interior in thermal insulation board so that the property now has a BER of B3.
It now extends to 73sq m (786sq ft) and is seeking €375,000 through SherryFitzGerald.
