PL18: steep valley sides at Gunnislake and Calstock
PL18 is small, steep and damp. Gunnislake and Calstock are built into the side of the Tamar valley, which means terraced properties on slopes, gardens above roof level, and elevations that never see a full day of sun between October and March.
PL18 covers 5 places we work in, 10.6 to 12.4 miles from our base at 58 Reddington Road, Plymouth (Cornwall, Cornwall Council) - all inside our 20-mile radius of Plymouth.
Working on a slope
Ladder work on a steep site is where most domestic accidents in this trade happen. Here the ground falls away behind half the properties, so a ladder that looks fine at the front is unusable at the back.
Pole-fed and ground-based methods do most of the work, and where height is genuinely required we set up properly rather than improvising off a garden wall.
Permanent shade, permanent growth
A valley-side elevation facing the hill gets almost no winter sun. Growth on those walls is continuous rather than seasonal, and honest advice is that they need attention more often than a house on open ground.
Granite, render and old slate
The building stock is granite and painted render under Cornish slate - hard materials with soft joints. Treatment first, then the gentlest rinse that will actually clear the surface.
Reached via A390, local lanes off A390. Recorded wall finishes: painted render, granite, stone. Roof coverings: slate, Cornish slate.
Questions we get asked in PL18
- The back of my house is above the garden - can you still reach it?
- Usually with poles from whatever level ground exists. We will assess it before quoting rather than on the day.
- Why does my north wall never stay clean?
- Valley-side shade. Without sun and airflow the surface simply does not dry out.
- Do you clean the retaining walls and steps too?
- Yes, and on these sites they are often the surfaces that most need it for safety.