Patios & Driveways that suits Cornwood

What's actually different about Cornwood

There's a reason patios & driveways sits near the top of every Cornwood homeowner's list once spring arrives. Granite and exposed render take a hammering from horizontal Dartmoor rain six months of the year. South Hams District Council covers Cornwood, and building stock here is dominated by granite cottages and moorland farmhouses.

Southern Dartmoor gateway village north of Ivybridge, which shapes how patios & driveways on Dartmoor granite and lime render and natural slate actually plays out around PL21. Working out of PL21 we're rarely more than 8.7 miles from a Cornwood job.

If we spot something on the visit that's cheaper for you to sort a different way, we'll say so. Winter bookings are quieter, so lead times drop from two weeks to a few days between November and February. K-Rend, Weber and silicone-render manufacturers all specify softwash as the correct maintenance method. We keep two vans on the road, which is why illness or weather rarely pushes a booking more than a day or two. If a finish is not right, tell us and we will come back and look at it rather than argue about it. Small jobs get done in the gap between larger jobs, which is why one-off cleans aren't more expensive here. We keep a small stock of common ridge and hip tiles so minor replacements don't hold a job up. For the odd fourth-storey house we bring a taller pole in from a neighbour's yard, still no scaffold needed. Sub-zero mornings we wait until 10am to start softwash — the biocide simply doesn't work well below freezing. Wall softwash finishes with a plinth rinse in every case, which is where the streaks would otherwise settle. Fresh brush heads go on the pole for every glazing job over five years old. For historic properties we send a method statement covering exactly what will and won't be used. The van livery is deliberately low-key because half the neighbours have booked us the following month. Small drone footage is available on request for high-level roof inspections without ladder time. Conservatory glass roofs get a two-pass rinse because the profile holds pooled water otherwise.

Materials & methods we'd use here

Most Cornwood properties we treat have Dartmoor granite and lime render walls and a natural slate roof. That changes a few of the choices we'd make.

• Method

  Selective biocide pre-treat to kill moss at the root - extra important on very-exposed moorland village sites - noted across natural slate - the sort of clean that pays for itself in kerb appeal.

• Method

  Rotary surface cleaner for stripe-free finish on block paving common across granite cottages and moorland farmhouses - noted on granite cottages stock - the reason our reviews mention 'no surprises' more than anything.

• Method

  Fan-tip cold rinse on Indian sandstone with the pressure dialled for Cornwood - noted at very exposed exposure - the sort of visit that ends with a photo pack, not just an invoice.

• Method

  Pattern-imprinted concrete re-sealed in the same visit - useful on moorland village layouts - noted in the South Hams District Council patch - and it's exactly the sort of job the fleet was set up for.

Questions worth asking before you book

Where else in the PL21 area we book patios & driveways