TQ9: Dart valley cob, clay tile and river damp
TQ9 is river country. Totnes and the villages around it sit in the Dart valley on cob, stone and painted render, with clay tile appearing on the roofs alongside slate - a combination we do not meet anywhere else on our patch.
TQ9 covers 16 places we work in, 12.6 to 19.3 miles from our base at 58 Reddington Road, Plymouth (Devon, South Hams District Council) - all inside our 20-mile radius of Plymouth.
Towns and suburbs in TQ9
Villages and neighbourhoods in TQ9
- Totnes - wall softwash
- Dartington - wall softwash
- Staverton - wall softwash
- Littlehempston - wall softwash
- Berry Pomeroy - wall softwash
- Broadhempston - wall softwash
- Harberton - wall softwash
- Harbertonford - wall softwash
- Cornworthy - wall softwash
- Ashprington - wall softwash
- Tuckenhay - wall softwash
- Halwell - wall softwash
- Blackawton - wall softwash
- East Allington - wall softwash
- California Cross - wall softwash
Clay tile behaves differently to concrete
Old clay tile is porous and brittle, and it is often hand-made with an uneven surface that holds moss well. It also breaks if you walk on it, far more readily than concrete does.
Treatment from the edge, no foot traffic on the covering, and patience while the growth releases. Anyone offering to scrub a clay roof clean in an afternoon is going to cost you tiles.
River valley humidity
The Dart keeps the valley air humid well into the morning. Walls facing the river or shaded by the valley side stay damp for hours after a coastal property would have dried, and the growth pattern follows exactly that.
Cob and lime in the villages
Littlehempston, Broadhempston and Diptford are cob and lime under slate. Low pressure only, and careful attention to where the water goes at the base of the wall.
Reached via local lanes off A38. Recorded wall finishes: cob, painted render, stone. Roof coverings: slate, clay tile, natural slate.
Questions we get asked in TQ9
- Can you clean an old clay tile roof safely?
- Yes, by treating rather than walking or washing it. Clay is brittle and does not forgive foot traffic.
- Why does the river side of my house grow more moss?
- Humidity and shade. The valley holds damp air longer than open ground does.
- Is Totnes town centre workable for a van?
- With planning, yes. We tend to work the town early in the day.