PL3 suburbs: pebbledash, bay windows and 1930s gutters
This is our home district. We are based on Reddington Road, so PL3 is the area we know street by street: bay-fronted 1930s semis, pebbledash and painted render, concrete tile above and a gutter design that was never meant to cope with a mature street of trees.
PL3 covers 8 places we work in, 1.2 to 2.4 miles from our base at 58 Reddington Road, Plymouth (Devon, Plymouth City Council) - all inside our 20-mile radius of Plymouth.
Towns and suburbs in PL3
Villages and neighbourhoods in PL3
Pebbledash holds what lands on it
Pebbledash has an enormous surface area compared with a flat render. Every stone gives spores something to sit in, which is why a dashed wall greens up while the smooth-rendered house opposite still looks clean.
It also means pressure is the wrong answer twice over: it strips the stones off and drives water into the backing coat. Treatment, dwell time and a soft rinse is what actually works on dash.
Tree-lined streets and autumn gutters
Mannamead and Hartley in particular have big mature street trees. Leaf fall packs the gutter, then the packed leaves hold water against the fascia all winter.
On these streets an annual autumn clear is worth more than anything else we do. It is a short visit and it prevents the wet fascia and streaked bay that costs real money later.
Being local actually changes the job
PL3 is close to the stated business address. A wall assessment still depends on access, surface condition and scheduling, so photographs are useful before a visit is arranged.
Reached via Mutley Plain, A386, A374, Embankment Road. Recorded wall finishes: render, pebbledash, painted render. Roof coverings: concrete tile, slate, natural slate.
Questions we get asked in PL3
- You are based in PL3 - do local jobs get seen quicker?
- In practice yes, because we can slot a look at the property around whatever else is running that day.
- Will softwashing knock the stones off my pebbledash?
- No. Losing dash is a pressure-washing problem. A softwash runs at low pressure and does not disturb the surface.
- How often should the gutters on a 1930s semi be cleared?
- Once a year on a tree-lined street, and every couple of years on an open one.