Exterior cleaning in Ivybridge
Ivybridge is a commuter town spilling south from the A38 below Dartmoor, about ten miles from our base. Most homes are 1980s to 2000s estates in render and brick under concrete tile, with older cottages in the centre.
Render on estate housing is the single most common job we price here, followed closely by block-paved drives that have gone dark and weedy.
Estate render and the shaded-cul-de-sac effect
Estate layouts put houses close together at angles that leave some elevations in permanent shade. On a cul-de-sac you can see it clearly: three houses clean, one green, same render, same age.
That is orientation, not neglect, and it means the interval for your house may be different to your neighbour's even on an identical build.
Moorland run-off and the Erme
Ivybridge sits where the moor drains into the Erme. Ground-level damp is higher than the rainfall alone suggests, and low walls, garden steps and driveways green up faster than the house does.
Block paving on estate drives
Block paving holds dirt and weed seed in its joints. We clean the surface with a rotary cleaner so it comes up evenly, rinse out the old joint material and re-sand once it is dry, which is what stops the weeds coming straight back.
Concrete tile roofs on the same estates tend to collect moss along the lower courses, and that moss ends up in the gutters, so it is often sensible to look at both together.
Questions from Ivybridge
- Why is my house green when next door's is not?
- Almost always orientation and shade. Two identical houses at different angles weather completely differently.
- Do you clean driveways as well as walls?
- Yes, and on these estates the drive is often the surface that has gone worst.