Do you work on flats and shared buildings?

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

What if part of the wall does not come up?

It is left to weather rather than pushed harder, and we will say what we think is happening.

Can you get behind downpipes?

Yes, by hand. It is the part a sprayed pattern always misses.

Is a lower price ever a bad sign?

Not automatically, but ask what method is being used. Speed on a delicate finish usually means pressure.

What about the windows afterwards?

Frames and glass in the spray path are wiped as the masking comes off.

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.

Should I fix the downpipe before or after?

Before, if it is the cause. Cleaning around a live leak puts the stain straight back.

Do I need to move my car?

It helps. If it cannot be moved we sheet it or work around it.

TQ7 - Devon - 16.1 miles from PL3

Softwash for walls in and around Combe Royal

Where a Combe Royal wall has gone patchy rather than evenly dirty, the cause is nearly always local: a downpipe, a hedge, a shaded corner. That is where we look first.

The wall finishes we meet around TQ7

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.
Painted masonry can be cleaned, though a paint film that has already lost adhesion will lift where it was going to fail anyway.
Where a painted wall has been patch-repainted, the patches clean at a different rate.
Rubble stone walls have deep joints that hold moisture and feed growth from within the joint.
Slate-faced walls shed water quickly but the bedding mortar does not.

Conditions around Combe Royal that feed growth

Washing without a biocide simply resets the clock and leaves the roots in place.
Overhanging eaves protect the top of a wall and leave the unprotected lower band to take everything.
Mild damp winters here keep growth metabolising through months that would stop it in a colder, drier county.
Airflow through a passage between two houses is fast but the passage itself is in permanent shade.
Spores travel on the wind and land everywhere. What decides whether they take hold is whether the surface stays damp.
A wall shaded by its own porch roof for half the day dries at half the rate of the face beside it.
Where a gutter joint weeps rather than pours, the stain is thin, vertical and very persistent.
A conservatory or extension roof abutting a wall throws water back at it every time it rains.
A single missing tile above an elevation can put water onto the same square metre for years.

Checks made before anything is applied

01Old repair patches are identified early, because they take treatment differently from the surrounding finish.
02A damp meter reading inside a stained corner separates a cleaning job from a building problem.
03Whether the property is exposed or sheltered is judged on the day, not from a map.
04Any staining that continues below ground level is a drainage question, not a cleaning one.
05A wall that is warmer than its neighbours on a cold morning is likely holding moisture.
06The presence of moss rather than algae suggests standing water rather than damp air.
07The condition of the cills tells you how much water has been running down the face.
08Cracks are traced to their ends, because a crack that runs to an opening behaves differently from one that stops.

What happens on the day

1.Where a wall runs straight down to a lawn, a run of sheeting is pegged along the base instead of relying on dilution alone.
2.Vents serving a boiler or flue are checked and left uncovered, with the elevation around them worked dry.
3.Airbricks are covered for the duration and uncovered before we leave, without exception.
4.Anything that has to be moved - bins, planters, a bike - goes back exactly where it was found.
5.Where a wall abuts a neighbour's boundary within a metre, the fan is narrowed and the pass slowed.
6.Expected rain is considered before application because the treatment needs suitable dwell time on the wall.
7.Timber decking or a doorstep directly under the work is covered rather than rinsed afterwards.
8.A final walk of each finished elevation happens with the property owner where they are home, and by photograph where they are not.
9.Any surface that will be walked on afterwards is left rinsed rather than left with residue.
10.Rinsing, where it is needed at all, runs top down at a pressure you could hold your hand in front of.

Access and preparation

If you have a pond, a water butt or a wildlife area, point it out in advance.
Note where hoses can be run without crossing a doorway.
Tell us if there is a low wall or a step at the base of the elevation that gets slippery.
Mention any cladding or timber detail that you would rather was left alone.
Point out any window that does not seal properly, so it gets sheeted rather than sprayed near.
Tell us if there is a septic tank and where its outlet sits.
Let us know if anyone in the house works nights and needs quiet at a particular time.
Flag any recent repair or repaint, because fresh work is treated more gently.

Coverage and travel

TQ7 covers 7 town hubs and 29 villages or districts in our radius.
Access is usually via A379 and A381.
Nearest full coverage hub: Kingsbridge (TQ7), South Hams District Council.
Postcode district: TQ7. County: Devon. Approx 16.1 miles from the PL3 base.
Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.

See everywhere we cover in TQ7

Asked most often in TQ7

Do you work on flats and shared buildings?: Yes, with permission from whoever is responsible for the elevation.
What if part of the wall does not come up?: It is left to weather rather than pushed harder, and we will say what we think is happening.
Can you get behind downpipes?: Yes, by hand. It is the part a sprayed pattern always misses.
Is a lower price ever a bad sign?: Not automatically, but ask what method is being used. Speed on a delicate finish usually means pressure.
What about the windows afterwards?: Frames and glass in the spray path are wiped as the masking comes off.
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.
Should I fix the downpipe before or after?: Before, if it is the cause. Cleaning around a live leak puts the stain straight back.
Do I need to move my car?: It helps. If it cannot be moved we sheet it or work around it.

Close to Combe Royal

Useful pages alongside this one

Start with the worst elevation

Most enquiries begin with one side of the house. That is a sensible place to start.

Start there 07830 242403

Combe Royal wall softwash, in short

Method, dwell, rinse, check. There is nothing else to it. Prep takes longer than application, and that is the right way round. Ask what will be used and how long it will be left on. The answers tell you everything.

Quote for a Combe Royal property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm