Bridestowe (EX20) render softwash
Dartmoor-edge village between Lydford and Okehampton.
Wall cleaning in Bridestowe is mostly a question of what the wall is made of. Dartmoor-edge village between Lydford and Okehampton. The nearest hub we cover in depth is Lydford, and the building stock here follows the same pattern.
Quote for a Bridestowe property
Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm
Shade, damp and run-off
- North and east elevations dry last and green first, in that order, on nearly every property.
- Lichen prefers hard, alkaline surfaces, which is why it shows on mortar and cills before it shows on render.
- Growth that appears in a neat rectangle usually marks something that was leaning against the wall.
- A leaking outside tap or an unlagged pipe can be the entire reason one corner of a house looks different from the rest.
- Sheltered courtyards feel pleasant and dry slowly, which is a bad combination for a wall.
- Where two properties share a wall of different finishes, the finishes weather at different speeds and look mismatched.
- Where a hose reel or water butt overflows against a wall, the staining follows the overflow path exactly.
- Lichen anchors into the surface rather than resting on it, which is why brushing achieves nothing and pressure achieves damage.
- Overflowing gutters feed the top of the wall continuously through the wet months.
Bridestowe at a glance
- Typical wall finish here is granite and painted render, which sets the cleaning method.
- Recorded character: moorland hamlet. Dartmoor-edge village between Lydford and Okehampton.
- Access is usually via local lanes off A386.
- EX20 covers 1 town hubs and 7 villages or districts in our radius.
- Postcode district: EX20. County: Devon. Approx 19.1 miles from the PL3 base.
Surfaces this page is written for
- Render cleans up well at low pressure and badly at high pressure, because pressure removes the finish along with the growth.
- Coloured through-render fades gradually, so what looks like dirt on an older wall is sometimes age in the finish.
- Chalking paint is a rougher surface than new paint, which is why older painted walls green faster.
- Cleaning before repainting is not optional, because paint over live growth fails from underneath.
- Deeply rooted lichen on granite can take a full season to fade after treatment.
- Granite cills and thresholds collect the heaviest lichen because they stay wet longest.
Reading the surface
- 01Whether the property is exposed or sheltered is judged on the day, not from a map.
- 02Where the pattern is vertical and narrow, plumbing is looked at before chemistry is.
- 03Previous cleaning is usually visible as a slightly different texture rather than a different colour.
- 04The mortar is tested with a key at a discreet point, since soft mortar sets the whole method.
- 05A damp meter reading inside a stained corner separates a cleaning job from a building problem.
- 06The condition of the cills tells you how much water has been running down the face.
- 07A short section of hose test shows whether run-off drains away or ponds at the base.
- 08Nearby properties with the same finish are a useful reference for what is normal on that street.
Where wall work sits in a Bridestowe visit
Where gutters need repair rather than clearing, that goes ahead of any cleaning at all.
Solar panels are cleaned separately from the roof slope they sit on, and after it.
Anything that involves opening a gutter is done before the ground beneath it is cleaned.
Where a soakaway is already struggling, wall work is planned for a drier stretch.
Before the day in Bridestowe
- Tell us if there is a septic tank and where its outlet sits.
- Note where the electricity meter and consumer unit sit relative to the wall.
- Flag any recent repair or repaint, because fresh work is treated more gently.
- Tell us if a fence panel is loose, because sheeting gets pegged to something solid.
- Let us know if a neighbour parks under the wall on certain days.
- Let us know if anyone in the house works nights and needs quiet at a particular time.
- Warn us about a soft lawn or an unmade drive so boards come on the van.
- Mention any planned decorating so the drying window can be built into the date.
Also covered near EX20
Before you get in touch
- How long before I can repaint?
- Several dry days after the wall has been treated and rinsed.
- Do you work weekends?
- We work Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.
- Can you clean render on an insulated system?
- Yes, with extra care around bead edges where water should not be driven in.
- What about the smell for neighbours?
- Mild and short-lived, and we avoid boundary elevations when someone next door has washing out.
- Do you clean under the eaves?
- The soffit line is in the spray path and gets a pass as part of the work.
- Do you clean soffits and fascias?
- They are in the same spray path, so they are done as part of the wall visit.
- Is a second visit ever needed?
- For heavy lichen, a lighter second application later beats increasing pressure on the first.
- What if I only want the front done?
- That is the most common request on this kind of job.
Saturday works too
Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm, so it need not eat your working week.
The short version
Where the cause is plumbing, cleaning is a cosmetic answer to a practical problem. Gentle and patient beats fast and forceful on any coated finish. Water in the wrong place explains most tired elevations, and it is cheaper to fix than to keep cleaning. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.