Bratton Clovelly exterior wall softwash, Devon
cob and painted render walls, slate roofs, 19.9 miles from the yard.
Wall cleaning in Bratton Clovelly is mostly a question of what the wall is made of. Northern edge of our radius, west of Okehampton. The nearest hub we cover in depth is Lifton, and the building stock here follows the same pattern.
The Devon detail
- Nearest full coverage hub: Lifton (PL16), West Devon Borough Council.
- Access is usually via A30.
- Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
- Postcode district: EX20. County: Devon. Approx 19.9 miles from the PL3 base.
- Lifton sits about 2.2 miles from Bratton Clovelly on our round, so visits are often shared.
cob and painted render and what it needs
- Render cleans up well at low pressure and badly at high pressure, because pressure removes the finish along with the growth.
- Thin-coat systems are thinner than people assume, and a jet held still in one place leaves a permanent shadow.
- Chalking paint is a rougher surface than new paint, which is why older painted walls green faster.
- Masonry paint over render adds a film that traps moisture if the substrate was damp when it was applied.
- Cracks in a cob wall are structural information, not cosmetic, and are reported rather than cleaned.
- Thatch or deep eaves above cob change how much of the wall ever gets wet.
Application, dwell and rinse
- 1.Fixings for hanging baskets and washing lines are unloaded before the elevation is worked, then put back.
- 2.Where the growth sits mostly in the lower metre, that band is treated twice and the rest once.
- 3.Anything that has to be moved - bins, planters, a bike - goes back exactly where it was found.
- 4.The job is worked one elevation at a time from end to end so that nothing dries out mid-wall.
- 5.Where a bay window projects, its cheeks are treated separately from the main face to avoid a shadow line.
- 6.Treatments are kept away from vegetable beds entirely, with those sections sheeted rather than diluted.
- 7.Hoses run outside gates where children or dogs are about, and gates are closed behind us each time.
- 8.Areas that stay stubborn after full dwell are left to weather rather than pushed harder on the day.
- 9.Ground-level splash marks are worked separately from the main face, since they are silt rather than growth.
- 10.Old paint flakes are removed by hand before treatment rather than blown around by water.
The survey we do in Bratton Clovelly
- 01Cracks are traced to their ends, because a crack that runs to an opening behaves differently from one that stops.
- 02A wall that is warmer than its neighbours on a cold morning is likely holding moisture.
- 03A test patch at low strength shows what the surface will do before the full elevation commits to it.
- 04Old repair patches are identified early, because they take treatment differently from the surrounding finish.
- 05A slow walk of the gutter line from the ground finds most of the causes worth fixing.
- 06Where paint is peeling in flakes rather than powdering, adhesion has already gone.
- 07Hollow-sounding render is checked by tapping before any water is put onto it.
- 08The first question is whether the staining sits on the surface or has gone into the material, because only one of those cleans off.
Why order matters more than speed
Block paving cannot be re-sanded until it is dry, which decides the running order in a wet week.
Where only walls are being done, the gutter line is still checked, because it is the usual culprit behind the worst staining.
A first clean is heavier work than the ones that follow, so the interval afterwards can be longer than people expect.
Where scaffolding is going up for other work, the wall clean is easier and safer while it is standing.
What to tell us in advance
- Say if the property has a flat roof section that we would be working above.
- Say if there is a wasp or bird nest under the eaves, and we will plan around it.
- Point out any alarm sensor mounted externally on the elevation.
- Mention any cladding or timber detail that you would rather was left alone.
- Unlock side gates the night before if you are not going to be in, because a locked passage stops a whole elevation.
- If there are children's toys or a trampoline against the wall, they need to move.
- Point out ground-floor windows that are painted shut, as they need different masking.
- Mention shared access or a right of way that we will be crossing.
Asked most often in EX20
- Do you clean garages and outbuildings?
- Yes, if they are part of the same visit and take the same method.
- How long before I can repaint?
- Several dry days after the wall has been treated and rinsed.
- Do you need scaffolding?
- Rarely. Most elevations are reached from the ground with a telescopic lance.
- How do I know it is algae and not damp coming through?
- Surface growth wipes and lightens. Damp coming through darkens the wall from behind and returns as soon as it dries out.
- Does softwash actually kill the growth or just wash it off?
- It kills it. The treatment is left on long enough to work, which is why the surface keeps lightening for a week or two after the visit.
- Will the colour be even afterwards?
- Working bottom-up and one elevation at a time is what keeps it even.
- How do you price the work?
- By elevation area and access, put in writing before anything starts.
- Can you deal with black spotting on white render?
- That is usually a fungal spot rather than algae. It responds to treatment but often needs a second lighter pass.
Close to Bratton Clovelly
Bratton Clovelly wall softwash, in short
Shade, run-off and airflow decide how long a clean lasts. The treatment decides whether it worked at all. Anything that keeps a wall wet for longer will bring the growth back sooner, whatever product goes on it. Water in the wrong place explains most tired elevations, and it is cheaper to fix than to keep cleaning.
Send two photos, near and far
One from the pavement and one from a metre away is usually enough to work from.
Quote for a Bratton Clovelly property
Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm