Is a second visit ever needed?

For heavy lichen, a lighter second application later beats increasing pressure on the first.

When does a treated wall show its final appearance?

Some change can be visible after treatment, while remaining dead growth may continue to weather away over the following days.

Do you jet wash walls?

Not on render, pebbledash or paint. Pressure takes the finish off with the growth and brings the problem back sooner.

Will the wall need doing again next year?

Not usually. How long it holds depends on shade, run-off and airflow rather than on the treatment.

Can you work while builders are on site?

Better after they finish, so their dust and debris does not land on clean work.

How soon after rain can you work?

As soon as the surface is not running with water.

Do you clean boundary walls too?

If they take the same method as the house, yes, in the same visit.

Is the method different on a listed building?

The approach is gentler still, and lime finishes are treated with the lowest strength that will work.

TQ7 - Devon - 14.9 miles from PL3

Cleaning tired walls in Bigbury-on-Sea

Bigbury-on-Sea is a coastal hamlet within the TQ7 area, roughly 14.9 miles out from PL3 and one of 36 places we cover in that district. Its painted render and stone walls behave in a predictable way once you know the exposure.

The wall finishes we meet around TQ7

Render cleans up well at low pressure and badly at high pressure, because pressure removes the finish along with the growth.
Render that has lost its water repellency absorbs surface water instead of shedding it, which extends every damp spell.
A test patch low down and out of sight is how failing paint is found deliberately.
Gloss-painted details like cills are wiped rather than sprayed.
Stone elevations vary enormously in hardness, and the pointing is usually the weakest part.
Slate-faced walls shed water quickly but the bedding mortar does not.

Conditions around Bigbury-on-Sea that feed growth

Where a downpipe discharges into a gully that has silted, the overflow soaks the wall base each winter.
Pebbledash holds water in the shadow of every stone, so it stays damp long after a flat render has dried.
Ivy pulled off a wall leaves suckers and a shaded, damp face that greens quickly afterwards.
A path that slopes towards a house rather than away from it keeps the base of the wall wet after every shower.
Algae needs moisture far more than it needs dirt, so the wettest elevation greens first regardless of how clean the house is.
A single missing tile above an elevation can put water onto the same square metre for years.
Shading from a neighbouring building can matter more than the aspect of the wall itself.
Wall growth often maps exactly to where a previous extension roof used to sit.
The lowest metre of any wall takes splash-back off the path and stains from the ground up, not the top down.

Checks made before anything is applied

01Whether the growth has spread onto glass and frames tells you how long it has been established.
02The underside of the soffit is checked, because staining there rarely stays there.
03The elevation is read from the pavement first and from a metre away second.
04The angle of morning sun on the elevation tells you how long it stays damp.
05Nearby properties with the same finish are a useful reference for what is normal on that street.
06Colour matters: green suggests algae, black suggests fungal spotting, grey-white crust suggests lichen.
07Where a wall meets a roof abutment, the flashing is looked at first.
08Weep holes are counted and checked for blockage while the wall is being read.

What happens on the day

1.Vents, extractor terminals and trickle vents get taped, because water pushed into them is the one thing that turns an exterior job into an interior one.
2.A hose test on the nearest outside tap happens before anything is mixed, because flow rate changes how the day is planned.
3.Anything found broken before we arrived is photographed before work starts, not after.
4.Gutter faces and fascia boards are wiped as part of the same pass, since they sit in the same spray path.
5.Paving, steps and paths below the elevation are rinsed clear at the end of the visit.
6.Hoses run outside gates where children or dogs are about, and gates are closed behind us each time.
7.Photographs are taken of anything found in poor condition, so it can be shown rather than described.
8.Where growth has spread onto a UPVC panel or door surround, it is wiped rather than sprayed.
9.Work stops if a wall turns out to be wetter inside than out, because cleaning is not the answer to that.
10.Dwell time is the active ingredient. The treatment is left on the growth long enough to kill it rather than being chased off with water.

Access and preparation

Mention whether the drive drains to a soakaway that already struggles in heavy rain.
Trim back anything that has grown tight against the wall, or ask us to work around it.
Tell us where the drains run if the garden has a soakaway rather than a mains connection.
Mention any cladding or timber detail that you would rather was left alone.
Note the position of the stopcock in case the outside tap needs isolating.
Tell us about pets in the garden before the day rather than on it.
Say if any part of the wall has been jet washed before, and roughly when.
Say where the outside tap is, and whether it runs at any pressure.

Coverage and travel

Recorded character: coastal hamlet. Sea tractor across to Burgh Island.
Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
Access is usually via B3392.
Nearest full coverage hub: Bigbury (TQ7), South Hams District Council.
TQ7 covers 7 town hubs and 29 villages or districts in our radius.

See everywhere we cover in TQ7

Straight answers before you book

Is a second visit ever needed?: For heavy lichen, a lighter second application later beats increasing pressure on the first.
When does a treated wall show its final appearance?: Some change can be visible after treatment, while remaining dead growth may continue to weather away over the following days.
Do you jet wash walls?: Not on render, pebbledash or paint. Pressure takes the finish off with the growth and brings the problem back sooner.
Will the wall need doing again next year?: Not usually. How long it holds depends on shade, run-off and airflow rather than on the treatment.
Can you work while builders are on site?: Better after they finish, so their dust and debris does not land on clean work.
How soon after rain can you work?: As soon as the surface is not running with water.
Do you clean boundary walls too?: If they take the same method as the house, yes, in the same visit.
Is the method different on a listed building?: The approach is gentler still, and lime finishes are treated with the lowest strength that will work.

Other Devon places on the same round

Where to go next

One visit for the whole outside

Where it fits in a day, everything gets planned into a single trip.

Ask about one visit 07830 242403

The essentials

Textured finishes hold damp because of their shape, not because of neglect. A wall is part of a system that includes the roof above it and the ground below it. Method, dwell and patience beat pressure and speed on every wall finish we work on. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.

Quote for a Bigbury-on-Sea property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm