Exterior cleaning in Roborough
Roborough is strung along the A386 between Plymouth and Dartmoor, about five miles from our base. The mix is older cottages, ribbon-development semis and modern detached homes, in painted render and stone under slate or concrete tile.
Newer render around the PL6 estates is where we see the quickest greening, often within a few years of the house being built.
Why modern render greens so fast
Through-coloured silicone and acrylic renders are thin, slightly textured and applied over insulation or board rather than over solid masonry. The face stays cool because there is no thermal mass behind it, so overnight condensation sits on it longer than it would on brick.
Add a bit of shade and you get algae within three or four years of the house being handed over. It is not a defect and it is not neglect - it is how the material behaves.
K-Rend is not a pressure-washing surface
The most common damage we are called to look at in PL6 is lance marks in K-Rend: pale stripes where the colour has been cut through. It cannot be washed back in, and patching never matches.
The correct method is a biocide at low pressure, left to work, then a gentle rinse. Slower, but it leaves the surface exactly as it was.
New-build gutters and construction debris
On estates under ten years old the commonest gutter blockage is not leaves - it is mortar snots, offcuts and roofing grit left from the build. It is worth one clear-out to get it gone.
Questions from Roborough
- Is my render under warranty - will cleaning affect it?
- A softwash is the method most render manufacturers themselves recommend. Pressure washing is what tends to void a warranty.
- My house is only five years old and already green. Is something wrong?
- No. Thin modern render on a shaded elevation greens quickly. It cleans easily too.
- Can you get lance marks out of K-Rend?
- Honestly, no. Once the colour is cut through, cleaning will not restore it.