116 Isaac St, Spring Hill

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From slum house to state treasure, the city’s smallest heritage-listed cottage is under contract for $825,000 – about $1m below Spring Hill’s median house price – just days after hitting the market.

Known as Mrs Long’s Cottage, the one-bedroom timber shack on a tiny 101 sqm lot in Spring Hill attracted a top offer from local parents buying a first home for their adult son.

The Isaac St property, which received heritage citation from Brisbane City Council in 2018, last sold in 2012 for $450,000.

It is a tiny slice of real estate history

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Marketing agent Jonzun Lee said it had attracted strong interest, not only for its “entry-level” pricing, but also from curious residents eager to set foot inside “Brisbane’s smallest house”.

“It is a unique one-bedroom home which would ideally suit a single person or a couple,” Mr Lee said.

“You can’t generally get a house in the city priced under $1m so obviously this is an entry-level property.

“But it was also appealing as an investment for someone who could rent it out long-term for between $650-700 a week, or more as an Airbnb.”

The home has been beautifully maintained

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Character features and timber floors

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Built in 1884 by Thomas Long for his mother Elizabeth, who was deserted by her husband John, the home became one of the last constructed on such a small block before the Queensland Government introduced the Undue Subdivision of Land Prevention Act 1885, which banned land subdivisions smaller than 405 sqm.

The cottage is listed on Brisbane City Council’s Local Heritage Register for its significance in reflecting the intense land subdivisions that characterised Spring Hill, which had become the city’s most crowded suburb by the 1890s.

It was built in the late 1800s for Mrs Elizabeth Long by her son Thomas after she was deserted by her husband and left destitute

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According to the council’s website, “The construction of small tenements and tiny cottages on very small parcels of land increased the risk of disease and fire throughout the inner-city suburbs.”

“It remains a curiosity because it’s one of the last built on a lot this small, and council didn’t want Spring Hill to become a slum,” Mr Lee said.

While the sale represented strong capital growth for the vendors, who sold to upsize, the price also reflected restrictions imposed by its heritage listing. Any major renovations would require special approval and could prove costly.

Heritage listing means special approval is needed to renovate

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It has one bedroom and one bathroom and could suit a young professional or investor

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“It has been kept in really good condition. When you think about how long ago it was built, that is testament to the workmanship,” Mr Lee said.

Compact yet functional, the home features bright air-conditioned interiors with timber floors, an open-plan living area flowing onto an undercover deck, a cosy bedroom with built-ins, and a practical kitchen with a breakfast bar. Outside, the paved rear courtyard offers privacy, while multipurpose under-house storage areas provide further potential.

A large covered deck extends living space

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Brisbane city at your doorstep

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As for Mrs Long, her former husband John appeared before the police magistrate in April 1883 charged with desertion and was ordered to pay 10 shillings a week for her maintenance for 12 months. Her son built the cottage the same year, and she lived there until her death in 1920.

PropTrack data shows house prices in Spring Hill have risen 28 per cent over the past year, with the suburb’s median now at $1.807m.