Is thin-coat render different from sand and cement?

Yes, and it is more sensitive. Thin-coat systems get a weaker mix and a longer dwell rather than more pressure.

Will treatment damage a wildlife pond?

Ponds are sheeted and run-off is diverted well away from them.

Can two elevations be done on separate days?

Yes, and splitting a larger property over two visits is normal.

How soon can the walls be painted afterwards?

Once fully dry, which in practice means giving it several dry days.

Do you treat garden and boundary walls on their own?

Yes, where the method matches and access allows.

Is it worth cleaning a wall in winter?

Yes. Cool damp conditions suit the method, and heavy rain during application is the only real obstacle.

Will you tell me if the job is not worth doing?

Yes. If the staining is in the substrate rather than on it, cleaning will not change much and we will say so.

Botus Fleming exterior wall softwash, Cornwall

Cherry-orchard parish north of Saltash.

Everything below applies to painted render and cob elevations in Botus Fleming, inside the PL12 area we cover in full. The method is set by the surface and the exposure, and nothing else changes it.

Working out what is wrong on a Botus Fleming wall

01Where the pattern is a band at the top, the gutter line is doing it.
02Old repair patches are identified early, because they take treatment differently from the surrounding finish.
03The condition of the cills tells you how much water has been running down the face.
04Any staining that continues below ground level is a drainage question, not a cleaning one.
05Where the pattern is a band at the bottom, splash from the ground is doing it.
06Whether the growth has spread onto glass and frames tells you how long it has been established.
07Anything that cannot be explained by water is treated with more caution, not less.
08Photographs taken before work provide the reference for judging the result later.

Material first, method second

Coloured through-render fades gradually, so what looks like dirt on an older wall is sometimes age in the finish.
Patched render takes treatment differently from the original, which is why patches are identified before work starts.
Masonry paint over render adds a film that traps moisture if the substrate was damp when it was applied.
Colour on a painted wall usually returns once the film on top is removed.
They need the gentlest approach available and a lot of care about how much water goes onto the surface.
Limewash over cob is sacrificial and will lift if treated as though it were masonry paint.

Why this keeps happening on PL12 elevations

Where a downpipe discharges into a gully that has silted, the overflow soaks the wall base each winter.
Concrete render plinths wick moisture upward from the ground more readily than the face above them.
Frost damage opens the surface slightly, which gives the next season's growth somewhere to sit.
A path that slopes towards a house rather than away from it keeps the base of the wall wet after every shower.
A leaking outside tap or an unlagged pipe can be the entire reason one corner of a house looks different from the rest.
Ground-level render behind a planted border is wet from irrigation as much as from weather.
A wall shaded by its own porch roof for half the day dries at half the rate of the face beside it.
Black spotting on white render is a different organism from the green film beside it, and it clears at a different rate.
Old sealant around window heads cracks and lets a thin trickle run down the face below.

On site in Botus Fleming

1.Photographs are taken of anything found in poor condition, so it can be shown rather than described.
2.Ridge and verge debris that has landed on the wall head is brushed off dry before anything wet goes on.
3.Where a property has solar panels on a wall-facing slope, the array is sheeted before treatment starts below.
4.Waste water is directed to a soakaway or drain that can take it rather than allowed to pond on a lawn.
5.Treatment goes on from the bottom of the elevation upwards, which stops clean streaks forming where liquid runs onto dry surface.
6.Paving, steps and paths below the elevation are rinsed clear at the end of the visit.
7.The lance tip is changed rather than the pressure raised whenever coverage is not even enough.
8.Curtains and blinds behind a treated elevation are best left closed, and we say so before starting rather than afterwards.
9.Rainwater goods are checked while the elevation is being worked, since a blocked hopper explains most single-strip staining.
10.Where a wall meets a conservatory or lean-to, the roof glazing is sheeted before anything is applied above it.

Local detail that changes the job

Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
Postcode district: PL12. County: Cornwall. Approx 5.6 miles from the PL3 base.
Nearest full coverage hub: Saltash (PL12), Cornwall Council.
PL12 covers 8 town hubs and 13 villages or districts in our radius.
Recorded character: farming hamlet. Cherry-orchard parish north of Saltash.

See everywhere we cover in PL12

Preparing a farming hamlet property

Let us know whether the gutters have been cleared in the last couple of years.
Say if the property has a flat roof section that we would be working above.
Tell us about pets in the garden before the day rather than on it.
Move cars off a drive that runs tight to the house if you can, and tell us if you cannot.
Note where the electricity meter and consumer unit sit relative to the wall.
Warn us about a soft lawn or an unmade drive so boards come on the van.
Say if the elevation is overlooked by a neighbouring window that should stay shut.
Unlock side gates the night before if you are not going to be in, because a locked passage stops a whole elevation.

Why order matters more than speed

Where a soakaway is already struggling, wall work is planned for a drier stretch.

Small repairs to pointing are best done after cleaning, when what needs doing is visible.

Driveways come after walls so that run-off from the elevation is rinsed away as part of the drive work.

Where gutters need repair rather than clearing, that goes ahead of any cleaning at all.

Practical questions answered

Is thin-coat render different from sand and cement?: Yes, and it is more sensitive. Thin-coat systems get a weaker mix and a longer dwell rather than more pressure.
Will treatment damage a wildlife pond?: Ponds are sheeted and run-off is diverted well away from them.
Do you need my electricity?: No. Kit runs off the van.
Can two elevations be done on separate days?: Yes, and splitting a larger property over two visits is normal.
How soon can the walls be painted afterwards?: Once fully dry, which in practice means giving it several dry days.
Do you treat garden and boundary walls on their own?: Yes, where the method matches and access allows.
Is it worth cleaning a wall in winter?: Yes. Cool damp conditions suit the method, and heavy rain during application is the only real obstacle.
Will you tell me if the job is not worth doing?: Yes. If the staining is in the substrate rather than on it, cleaning will not change much and we will say so.

Neighbouring places we work

Summary

The quiet visit is the good one. Noise usually means pressure. Written price first, method matched to the surface, then the work. In that order. One elevation, two elevations or the whole property. The method does not change, only the time it takes.

Straight answer, no chasing

You get a price, then you get left alone to think about it.

Get the price 07830 242403

Quote for a Botus Fleming property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm