Spring refresh: getting the outside straight after winter

Walk round and write it down

Before booking anything, do a slow circuit of the property with your phone. Photograph each elevation, the roof pitches, the gutter line, the paving and anything that has changed since autumn. Note where staining follows a water path, which tells you there is a defect rather than just growth. This list is what turns a vague sense that the house looks tired into a costed plan.

This guide sits under our Wall Cleaning & Softwash work, covering 20-mile radius of Plymouth.

Fix defects before cosmetics

Cracked render, slipped tiles, a dropped gutter joint, failed pointing and a blocked gully all need dealing with before or alongside cleaning. Cleaning a wall with an open crack drives water into it. Cleaning a roof that needs tiles replaced means doing the access twice. Repairs first is the cheaper order even when it delays the satisfying part.

Gutters and roofline next

Clear the gutters, prove the downpipes, and clean the fascias and soffits while the access is set up. Doing this before the walls matters, because washing a fascia after the wall means dirty water runs back down clean render. It also removes the winter debris that would otherwise wash down during the wall clean.

Then the roof, if it needs it

Not every year, but if the roof is due, spring is a good time because treatments have the whole summer to work and the die-back is visible before autumn. Roof work comes before wall cleaning for the obvious reason that debris comes down. If the roof is fine, a photograph and a note to check again next year is enough.

Walls and windows

With the roofline and roof done, the walls can be softwashed knowing nothing will be dirtied afterwards. Windows come after the walls for the same reason. This is also the point at which the difference is most visible from the street, and where a house that looked neglected in February starts looking maintained.

Hard landscaping last

Drives, paths and patios go last because everything above them sheds dirt onto them. Clean, then re-sand or re-joint, then seal if you are sealing, allowing proper drying between each. Doing the drive first and the roof afterwards is the classic sequencing mistake and it means paying for the drive twice.

Plan the rest of the year while you are at it

Set the window round frequency, diarise the autumn gutter clear, decide whether the shaded patio needs a treatment before next winter, and note when the render is likely to be due again. Booking the recurring items now is usually easier than trying to squeeze them in when the season is busy.

Garden and access preparation

Before work starts, cut back growth against the walls, move pots and furniture away from the elevations, clear the drive if vehicles need to shift, and mention anything delicate. The job runs faster, the protection is better, and the quote does not need revising on the morning because a border has grown across the working area.