Smart thinking will get more than just another brick in the wall

COLOURED renders and painted finishes can splash a bit of life and variety on a house, but there’s still a lot to be said for dependable brick: it just gets better with age.

This wet winter has taken the gloss off even the best-kept homes, though, with green growth settling in on external walls. Even buildings finished in the past year or so — many with supposedly maintenance-free, sprayed, coloured plaster finishes — are turning 40 shades of green.

Will a dry summer banish these forlorn winter ‘blues?’

11 Ryecroft has no such problems, thanks to its varied brick and tile facade and only its front door will ever need occasional attention.

It is a true walk-in job from this front door inwards too, where even the spring-cleaning has been sprung.

The four-bedroom, 1,500 sq ft semi-detached house was only built in the early 2000s but has been given a painting and thorough spring-cleaning before going on the market.

Generally, the location in the O’Brien and O’Flynn-built Maryborough Woods on the edge of Douglas village in Cork sells houses in rapid order and this home’s smartening up, smartening up.

Jeremy Murphy, of Jeremy Murphy & Associates, seeks offers around €465,000 for the Douglas home, which has access to both Maryborough Hill and to Carr’s Hill.

One of the bedrooms is en suite and all four bedrooms have built-in wardrobes.

The ground floor rooms include a decent 19’ by 13’ living room, a smaller lounge which has garden access, a galley-style kitchen with dining area, utility are and guest WC.

Overall, the decor levels are high, wood floors predominate and there is gas-fired heating.