Can you remove ivy marks?

Suckers can be treated and weathered off, though the shadow of an old ivy run can take a season to fade fully.

Do you work on flats and shared buildings?

Yes, with permission from whoever is responsible for the elevation.

How much water does a wall job use?

Less than a pressure wash, because the work is dwell time rather than volume.

Will it strip my paint?

Sound paint is unaffected. Paint that has already lost adhesion may lift, which is why a test patch goes on first.

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.

Can you work while builders are on site?

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

Do you treat garden and boundary walls on their own?

Yes, where the method matches and access allows.

Can you clean a wall covered in ivy?

The ivy needs removing first. Once it is off, the shaded face behind it is treated as normal.

Render and wall cleaning in Broadhempston

Conservation-area village north of Totnes.

Broadhempston is a village within the TQ9 area, roughly 19.1 miles out from PL3 and one of 16 places we cover in that district. Its cob and lime render walls behave in a predictable way once you know the exposure.

Working out what is wrong on a Broadhempston wall

01The condition of the cills tells you how much water has been running down the face.
02A fingernail drawn across the growth says more in a second than a photograph does.
03Colour matters: green suggests algae, black suggests fungal spotting, grey-white crust suggests lichen.
04Cracks are traced to their ends, because a crack that runs to an opening behaves differently from one that stops.
05The first question is whether the staining sits on the surface or has gone into the material, because only one of those cleans off.
06A wall that feels chalky under the hand is telling you the coating has aged, not that it is dirty.
07Old repair patches are identified early, because they take treatment differently from the surrounding finish.
08The angle of morning sun on the elevation tells you how long it stays damp.

Material first, method second

Bead edges and stop ends on a rendered elevation are the details worth protecting from driven water.
Coloured through-render fades gradually, so what looks like dirt on an older wall is sometimes age in the finish.
A cob wall relies on staying dry inside, so any method that soaks it is the wrong method.
The safest outcome on cob is a lighter, slower improvement rather than an immediate transformation.
Lime plaster on an exposed elevation erodes gently, and cleaning should not accelerate that.
Any repointing needed shows up clearly once a lime wall is clean.

Why this keeps happening on TQ9 elevations

Rain shadow works both ways: the sheltered face stays dry of rain but also of the washing that rain provides.
Any surface that holds a drop of water long enough to be seen will hold it long enough to feed growth.
Rain running off an unsealed timber fascia carries tannin down the wall as a brown stripe, not growth at all.
Washing without a biocide simply resets the clock and leaves the roots in place.
A wall next to a busy road picks up a film of traffic grime that holds moisture on the surface.
A cracked cill throws water back at the wall instead of clear of it.
Where a wall sits below a bank or a raised garden, water arrives at it sideways rather than from above.
Painted walls chalk with age, and chalked paint is a rougher surface than new paint.
Salt spray does not itself grow, but it roughens and holds damp, which is the same outcome.

On site in Broadhempston

1.Any window left open is closed, or that section is skipped and left for a second visit.
2.Access equipment is footed on boards where the ground is soft, so nothing sinks into a lawn.
3.The lower band of an elevation is checked for salt or silt staining, which is rinsed rather than treated.
4.Any electric meter box, alarm bell or external socket is bagged before the lance comes out.
5.Fence panels tight against a wall are wetted first so run-off does not sit on dry timber.
6.The finished elevation is looked at from the pavement, not from the ladder, because that is where it will be seen from.
7.Hoses run outside gates where children or dogs are about, and gates are closed behind us each time.
8.Vents serving a boiler or flue are checked and left uncovered, with the elevation around them worked dry.
9.Reach is taken from the ground with a telescopic lance wherever the elevation allows, which keeps ladders off soft render.
10.Treatments are kept away from vegetable beds entirely, with those sections sheeted rather than diluted.

Local detail that changes the job

Recorded character: village. Conservation-area village north of Totnes.
Nearest full coverage hub: South Brent (TQ10), South Hams District Council.
TQ9 covers 1 town hubs and 15 villages or districts in our radius.
South Brent sits about 5.3 miles from Broadhempston on our round, so visits are often shared.
Typical wall finish here is cob and lime render, which sets the cleaning method.

See everywhere we cover in TQ9

Preparing a village property

Tell us about any planting you particularly care about at the base of the wall.
Trim back anything that has grown tight against the wall, or ask us to work around it.
Say whether the side passage is wide enough for a wheeled kit trolley.
Mention any cladding or timber detail that you would rather was left alone.
Close and latch every window on the elevations being worked, including any small top lights.
Say if a conservatory or lean-to abuts the elevation, so glazing can be sheeted.
Mention any planned decorating so the drying window can be built into the date.
Note any external socket or garden power run near the base of the wall.

First, next, last

Glass is done last on any multi-service visit, since it picks up whatever the earlier stages put in the air.

If a decorator is due, the wall clean goes in first and is given time to dry fully.

Conservatory roofs go before the wall above them, then get a final rinse afterwards.

Where a roof clean is planned for later in the year, walls are worth leaving until after it.

Asked most often in TQ9

Can you remove ivy marks?: Suckers can be treated and weathered off, though the shadow of an old ivy run can take a season to fade fully.
Do you work on flats and shared buildings?: Yes, with permission from whoever is responsible for the elevation.
How much water does a wall job use?: Less than a pressure wash, because the work is dwell time rather than volume.
Will it strip my paint?: Sound paint is unaffected. Paint that has already lost adhesion may lift, which is why a test patch goes on first.
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.
Can you work while builders are on site?: Better after they finish, so their dust and debris does not land on clean work.
Do you treat garden and boundary walls on their own?: Yes, where the method matches and access allows.
Can you clean a wall covered in ivy?: The ivy needs removing first. Once it is off, the shaded face behind it is treated as normal.

Close to Broadhempston

Useful pages alongside this one

Broadhempston wall softwash, in short

Textured finishes hold damp because of their shape, not because of neglect. Ask what will be used and how long it will be left on. The answers tell you everything. The safest method is the one set by the weakest material on the wall, not the strongest.

Split it over two visits

Front now, back later is a perfectly normal way to plan it.

Split the work 07830 242403

Quote for a Broadhempston property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm