County Derry bricklayer's unusual house front goes viral in the USA

A County Derry bricklayer has had his work viewed by millions of people after an unusual design was picked up by a number of local media outlets in America and, eventually, the New York Times.

Ciaran McNally, originally from Lavey, has lived in Philadelphia since moving out there in 2008, and was asked to complete the work on the back of a previous similar project he carried out.

“I did something similar on Walnut Street about six years ago and that's how I ended up doing this one,” he told the County Derry Post.

The construction on Walnut Street, Philadelphia.

“The builder used a guy who knew me, so I worked through him. I am pricing another one at the minute as well.

“I build brick houses and fronts. It's not the same as at home, I do brick fronts all over the city and have done for the last ten years.

“I work all over the city; from the richest to the poorest neighbourhoods. You could do a small house in a week over here, it's only the front of it, but this house was different.”

So different in fact, that the New York Times ran a piece on the house they said was 'too good to sell' after the developer liked the finish so much he decided to stay.

Set in the Graduate Hospital area of the city, the property appealed to Stephen Rodriguez and his family and two-thirds of the way through the construction process, they opted to keep it.

The finish gives a modern twist to the traditional red brick house, with four overlapping layers of brick running throughout the facade.

Ciaran said the plans represented a challenge, but once he and his labourer – Charlie from Honduras – set about the task, they were meticulous.

“I did a plan like this before for the same architects. You have to study the plan for nearly a day to figure out any mistakes and talk it over with the architect; stuff that works and what doesn't work,” he said.

“The way the houses are in Philly, it's only recently they've started these designs, but you're seeing them more and more. People are stepping out from the norm and trying to stamp a mark on houses.

“On a normal day you'd be throwing 600-700 bricks, but that you could imagine is maybe less than a hundred.

“There is a double brick screen on it. You can see the glass behind it, it's one massive big window. When you're inside the house, you can see the brickwork.

“You had to choose a brick knowing all sides of it could be seen. Usually only one can be seen, but this time you see everything at the same time.

“I was in finishing it up with a mirror, because I couldn't get my head in; it was only eight or nine inches of space, so that was new.”

The 41-year-old, who plans to move home within the next five to six years, said he was buoyed by the publicity the project had received.

“The owner of the house texted me and said it had been in all the magazines round Philadelphia,” he said.

“He told me the brick company from Tennessee had a professional photographer take a picture and that it had hit 100 million views online. I think that's why the New York Times got involved.

“They definitely did a good job on the design,” he added.

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