Wall softwash for California Cross homes

How the work is actually carried out

1. 1.The van is parked so hoses do not cross a footpath, and matting goes down where they have to.
2. 2.Heavy lichen gets a second lighter application on a later visit instead of an increase in pressure on the first.
3. 3.Downpipe backs and the strip of wall behind them are done by hand, because a sprayed pattern always misses them.
4. 4.Where a bay window projects, its cheeks are treated separately from the main face to avoid a shadow line.
5. 5.Hoses run outside gates where children or dogs are about, and gates are closed behind us each time.
6. 6.Boundary walls and gate piers are treated in the same visit only if they take the same method as the house.
7. 7.A wall with a visible damp patch inside is treated on the dry areas only until the cause is found.
8. 8.Where a pond or water feature sits below an elevation, it is covered and the run-off diverted well away from it.
9. 9.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.
10. 10.Where the growth sits mostly in the lower metre, that band is treated twice and the rest once.

Reading the finish on a California Cross elevation

• Modern render, whether sand and cement or a thin-coat system, has a slightly porous face that holds airborne spores.
• Thin-coat systems are thinner than people assume, and a jet held still in one place leaves a permanent shadow.
• A test patch low down and out of sight is how failing paint is found deliberately.
• Peeling in flakes means adhesion has gone; powdering under the hand means the surface has simply aged.
• A cob wall relies on staying dry inside, so any method that soaks it is the wrong method.
• Thatch or deep eaves above cob change how much of the wall ever gets wet.

Practical points to sort first

• Move cars off a drive that runs tight to the house if you can, and tell us if you cannot.
• Tell us if there is a septic tank and where its outlet sits.
• Tell us if a fence panel is loose, because sheeting gets pegged to something solid.
• Close and latch every window on the elevations being worked, including any small top lights.
• If there are children's toys or a trampoline against the wall, they need to move.
• Say if you would prefer the front done on a different day from the back.
• Let us know whether the gutters have been cleared in the last couple of years.
• Point out ground-floor windows that are painted shut, as they need different masking.

Common questions about wall softwash

Do you treat mortar joints separately?

The method is set by the mortar because it is nearly always the softest thing on the wall.

Can the whole house be done in one go?

Often, depending on size and access. Larger properties split naturally into two visits.

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.

Do you use a pressure washer at all on a wall visit?

Only on hard surfaces below it, like paving, and never on the wall finish itself.

What happens if it rains on the day?

Light rain is workable. Persistent rain moves the visit rather than compromising the treatment.

Will the colour come back?

If the original finish is sound, the colour underneath is usually still there and comes back with the growth removed.

Do you work on flats and shared buildings?

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

How is a quote put together?

By elevation area, surface type and access, written down before anything starts.

Nearby villages and districts

• Chaddlewood (PL7)
• Staddon Heights (PL9)
• Torcross (TQ7)
• West Alvington (TQ7)
• Scorriton (TQ11)
• Worswell (PL9)

In a sentence or two

Method, dwell, rinse, check. There is nothing else to it. The point is not a clean wall for a fortnight. It is a wall that stays clean because the roots went with the surface growth. An honest no is worth more than a job that was never going to work.