Ivy house given 'haircut' after 20 years

An "ivy house" which struggled to sell because it was completely covered with leaves has been given a haircut by its new owner - who says it took a week to cut back. The detached three-bedroom property in Chelmsford, Essex was put up for sale in 2011 and would normally fetch £350,000 but the amount of greenery meant agents were asking for offers over just £120,000.

The home's previous owner had left the ivy untouched for 20 years, allowing it cover the property including all the windows so all the passers by could see was a mass of leaves and the shape of a house. The unusual sight even caused drivers pullover and take pictures but neighbours fumed that it was dragging house prices down.



The house has now sold and new owner Neil Utley, 49, revealed that it took a team of green-fingered workmen more than a week to strip all the ivy from the house and another seven days to shred it all. He is now spending tens of thousands of pounds renovating "Ivy House" to make it into a home for a member of his family.

He said: "I think the neighbours are pleased now that the ivy is all gone. There was so much of the stuff that we were using it in all our Christmas decorations this year. Thankfully the ivy was mainly cosmetic but whoever bought the house was taking a risk because it was not clear how much damage it had done to the walls."