I wanted to create a more realistic textured feel to the walls of the house. I searched on Ebay in the Dolls House section and was fortunate to find someone selling self-adhesive brick coloured floor tiles accurately cut into "brick" sized pieces. I painted the front and chimney stacks in cement colour emulsion and laid the bricks leaving gaps to show the mortar. Although time-consuming I felt the extra effort was worthwhile. However I painted the sides of the house in brick-red emulsion paint which saved money but also, I felt, made the front more effective by the contrast in finishes.

I painted the roof matt black and grey self-adhesive floor tiles again cut accurately to the appropriate size were bought from the same supplier as roof slates. This time I overlapped the slates starting at the bottom edge and moving up to the roof ridge. Again I was very pleased with the effect but when I came to the dormer windows I did not overlap the slates as I felt on a smaller area they make look too heavy.