‘We didn't think it needed that much work': What it's really like to rework one of the oldest cottages in Dublin 18

Irish Independent

27-06-2025

Asking price: €450,000
Agent: Sherry FitzGerald [phone]
Mechanical engineer David Coleman possesses skills he isn't afraid to apply apply at home, tackling DIY jobs most of us would only fantasise about doing, before looking up the number of a real tradesman to carry them out.
Coleman has applied the solutions-based approach of his profession to get the most out of any space.
But he came right up against it when he and his wife Rachel acquired one of the oldest houses in Dublin's Shankill.
Hillview Cottage on Lower Road seems to date from the mid-19th century although it may have even older origins. 'The papers are confusing and it appears to have been part of another house next door at one point.
"The cottage pre-dates the main street of the village which only arrived with the railway. It is one of the oldest houses in Shankill.'
When the Colemans moved in to Hillview Cottageback in 2019, David decided to take a little bit of time out from his career and get stuck in.
'I took three months to get the house sorted out. We moved in for a month, but then we had to move out again after I started gutting the place,' he says.
'We didn't think it needed that much work, but we ended up doing a ton once we lifted the floorboards in the front room.'
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His challenge was to make the very most of just over 624sq ft. 'I kind of enjoy doing this stuff and I used to work on building sites when I was younger,' he says. 'So I was never afraid to kind of get my hands dirty. We had to damp-proof the place and put in double glazing.'
Coleman also stripped the plaster off the gable wall on the outside, and when he saw what was underneath – Dalkey quarry granite – he decided to leave it as a feature.
In the bedroom is traditional wall-panelling behind the bed that he did himself. The bathroom, meanwhile, already had 'old stuff', a bath with solid brass taps and shower rail from the 1940s or 50s that was already in situ.
'The house was lived in by an architect in the 1990s and he salvaged the bathroom fittings and put them in, but it wasn't incredibly well done. It was leaking and the floor was rotten, so we had to take everything out and re-seal it. But it all works very well.'
In the living room, the stand for the TV was originally a trunk that came from a Cunard liner. Meanwhile there's a hanging sliding door into the kitchen which is a rescue piece.
He says: ' We were in Mac's Warehouse salvage yard over in Kilmainham buying cast iron radiators and I spotted the door and thought it was interesting. There is a step up to the kitchen, so I hung it on a rail there.'
Coleman added downlighters to the timber-panelled ceiling in the main living room and built the bar in the kitchen, as well as expanding the kitchen storage itself. The kitchen, which was added in the 1990s, has a rustic tiled floor.
Though the Colemans arrived as a couple, they soon had two new arrivals – son Kai (6) and two-year-old Chiara. He took advantage of the high ceilings in the second bedroom, building a loft bed for Kai, with storage underneath the stair – so he has his own space, while his sister would sleep in her cot below.
There are 50mm of warm board in the walls, double glazing, gas-fired central heating and a wood-burning stove inset into the living room fireplace. 'It's a small house,' Coleman says,' 'But the rooms are well-proportioned so you can have quite a few people over but they are not squished in.'
When the extension was added the 1990s, an old back window was retained and now allows dappled light into the kids' bedroom thanks to stained glass.
Set back from the village, Hillview Cottage is hidden away at the end of Lower Road ten minutes' walk from the Dart station and close to Brady's Bar and a number of supermarkets.
Outside is a courtyard with paving, a raised deck and flower beds, plus a storage unit, build by David.
The front door leads straight into the living room with its lofted, timber ceiling and recess lights. The main bedroom is off to the right and also has a high ceiling, timber floors and a sash window.
An inner hall on the other side of the living room leads to the bathroom, which has a tiled floor and a freestanding claw foot bath. The kids bedroom is beside this, next to the kitchen dining room, which has a granite worktop, a custom-built bar and integrated fridge-freezer, dishwasher, and washing machine.
David is from Bray originally and Rachel is from Dalkey, so Shankill was a convenient compromise. Next level accommodation may be a challenge in the south Dublin area if they are to get the space they require for their growing family.
'I have loved living here,' says Rachel. 'This house has been so special, located literally between the hills and the sea. Once we close the front gate it is so peaceful and lovely, yet we have absolutely everything we need within walking distance.'
'If it had another bedroom and a garden we would stay put. It is going to be hard to find somewhere,' adds David.
Meantime SherryFitzGerald is seeking offers in the region of €445,000.