‘War and peace’: Brisbane woman ordered to repaint red roof after neighbour feud

A bright red roof has sparked an all-out neighbour war in suburban Brisbane, ending with a tribunal ordering a woman to repaint her home after residents fumed the colour was “offensive”, “discordant” and a threat to their investments. Maria Gourley’s seemingly innocent paint choice turned her townhouse in The Gap into the centre of a bitter body corporate feud, with angry neighbours launching complaints, tribunal action and a years-long campaign to force her to change it. The drama began in March 2023 when Ms Gourley painted her roof “heritage red”, a decision that quickly triggered backlash inside the Fernbrook townhouse complex. MORE NEWS ‘Minor’: Judge dismisses costs claim in 3cm boundary feud ‘Financially ruined’: Landlords face $2m clean-up ‘Torture’: Neighbour caught hurling dirty nappies across fence According to court documents cited by the ABC, one neighbour blasted the colour as “offensive” and claimed it showed the committee was failing to enforce the rules. Another accused Ms Gourley of what they described as a “blatant act of defiance”, claiming the red roof signalled a disregard for the complex and posed “a threat to others’ investment”. A Brisbane woman has been ord...