TQ11: Buckfastleigh, tree cover and constant shade
TQ11 is a small wooded district on the Dart between the moor and the A38. Stone, cob and painted render under slate and clay tile, tucked into some of the densest tree cover of anywhere we work - and tree cover is the single best predictor of how dirty a building gets.
TQ11 covers 4 places we work in, 15.9 to 17.7 miles from our base at 58 Reddington Road, Plymouth (Devon) - all inside our 20-mile radius of Plymouth.
What overhanging trees actually do
Three separate things. They block the sun so the surface never dries. They drip water long after the rain has stopped. And they drop leaf litter and honeydew that feed the growth directly.
That combination is why a house under mature trees can look worse after two years than an open one does after ten. Cleaning works, but the interval is shorter and we will say so rather than overselling the result.
Gutters here fill twice a year
Under heavy tree cover an annual gutter clear is often not enough. Late spring blossom and seed, then autumn leaf fall, both fill a gutter completely. Two shorter visits usually cost less trouble than one emergency call in December.
Damp-loving growth on slate and clay
Shaded slate and clay roofs here grow thick moss mats rather than the thin lichen you see on exposed moor roofs. Moss holds water against the covering, which is worth removing for the roof's sake as much as for the look.
Villages and neighbourhoods in TQ11
Questions we get asked in TQ11
- Should I cut the trees back instead?
- Where you can, it makes more difference than any cleaning schedule. Often you cannot, and then cleaning more regularly is the answer.
- Twice-yearly gutter clearing - is that really necessary?
- Under heavy tree cover, frequently yes. On an open site once a year is plenty.
- Does moss actually harm a roof?
- It holds water against the covering and blocks gutters when it sheds. On old slate and clay that matters.