PL1: limestone, salt air and city-centre access
PL1 is the oldest and densest part of the city. Limestone frontages, painted render over stone, flat felt on rear extensions and a constant load of salt-laden air off the Sound - it is a very particular set of problems packed into about a mile and a half.
PL1 covers 5 places we work in, 1.2 to 1.8 miles from our base at 58 Reddington Road, Plymouth (Devon, Plymouth City Council) - all inside our 20-mile radius of Plymouth.
Access decides the price before the surface does
Half the work in PL1 is getting to the wall. Frontages sit straight onto pavement, rear elevations are reached through shared yards, and parking is metered or restricted for most of the working day.
We plan those pages of the job first: pole-fed reach from the pavement wherever it will do, early starts on the tighter streets, and no ladders leaned on rendered or historic faces.
Salt is not dirt and does not rinse the same way
Elevations facing the Sound carry a film of salt as well as the usual soiling. Salt attracts moisture, which keeps the surface damp and feeds algae between rain events, so glass and render both grey over faster here than a mile inland.
Pure water on the glass handles the salt properly because there is nothing left behind to hold it. On render we rinse more thoroughly than we would inland for the same reason.
Limestone and painted stone
Plymouth limestone is hard but the joints are not. Aggressive washing opens up pointing and pushes water into a solid wall that has no cavity to protect the inside face. Treatment and a soft rinse keeps the stone and the mortar intact.
Reached via A374, A386 spur, Union Street. Recorded wall finishes: painted render, limestone, stone. Roof coverings: natural slate, slate, flat felt.
Questions we get asked in PL1
- Can you work on a street with no parking?
- Usually yes. We carry enough hose and pole to work some distance from the van, and we start early on the tightest streets.
- Why do my windows go dull again so quickly near the Hoe?
- Salt film. It is hygroscopic, so it holds damp against the glass. Pure-water cleaning removes it rather than smearing it around.
- Do you clean flat felt roofs on rear extensions?
- We clear and treat them where they are safely reachable, and we clear the outlets while we are up there. We do not carry out felt repairs.