Will the treatment harm my planting?

Beds are wetted down first so run-off arrives diluted, and rinsing is directed away from anything growing.

Do you clean boundary walls too?

If they take the same method as the house, yes, in the same visit.

Is the water mains-fed?

From your outside tap where there is one. Where there is not, we bring it with us.

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.

There is a mild one during application that clears within a few hours.

Will you tell me if the gutters are the real problem?

Yes, and it is common enough that the gutter line is checked on every wall visit.

Do you need scaffolding?

Rarely. Most elevations are reached from the ground with a telescopic lance.

Can you treat one elevation only?

Yes, and it is common. Often only the shaded side has a problem and the rest of the house needs nothing.

Render and wall cleaning in Dartington

Home of the Dartington Estate and Hall.

If the walls on your Dartington property have gone patchy or green, the finish itself is usually sound. Home of the Dartington Estate and Hall, and growth on painted render and stone sits on the surface rather than in the structure.

Working out what is wrong on a Dartington wall

01The ground level relative to the damp course is checked before the base of a wall is treated.
02The mortar is tested with a key at a discreet point, since soft mortar sets the whole method.
03The state of the pointing is judged at the most exposed corner, not the most convenient one.
04Previous cleaning is usually visible as a slightly different texture rather than a different colour.
05The first question is whether the staining sits on the surface or has gone into the material, because only one of those cleans off.
06The direction the growth thickens in points at the source of the moisture.
07Where the pattern is a band at the bottom, splash from the ground is doing it.
08A test patch at low strength shows what the surface will do before the full elevation commits to it.

Material first, method second

A rendered plinth takes more water than the face above it and is usually the first band to look tired.
Render that has lost its water repellency absorbs surface water instead of shedding it, which extends every damp spell.
Where a painted wall has been patch-repainted, the patches clean at a different rate.
A weaker mix and a longer wait suits paint better than anything stronger and faster.
Method is set by the softest thing on the wall, not the hardest.
The rinse on stone is gentle enough that nothing is driven into an open joint.

Why this keeps happening on TQ9 elevations

Where a chimney is no longer used, rain that once dried out now sits in the stack and shows on the wall below.
Lichen anchors into the surface rather than resting on it, which is why brushing achieves nothing and pressure achieves damage.
Where a hose reel or water butt overflows against a wall, the staining follows the overflow path exactly.
A cracked cill throws water back at the wall instead of clear of it.
Airflow along a terrace is different from airflow around a detached house, and the drying patterns follow.
A conservatory or extension roof abutting a wall throws water back at it every time it rains.
Bird activity along a gutter line concentrates nutrients on the wall directly below it.
Salt-laden air roughens exposed surfaces slightly, and rougher surfaces hold more moisture.
Once lichen is established it holds water itself, which makes the surface beneath it wetter than it started.

On site in Dartington

1.Anything found broken before we arrived is photographed before work starts, not after.
2.Vents, extractor terminals and trickle vents get taped, because water pushed into them is the one thing that turns an exterior job into an interior one.
3.Sheeting comes off from the top down so nothing collected on it lands on cleaned work.
4.Airbricks are covered for the duration and uncovered before we leave, without exception.
5.Ridge and verge debris that has landed on the wall head is brushed off dry before anything wet goes on.
6.Sheltered corners and inside angles hold growth longest and get worked before the open faces.
7.Where growth has spread onto a UPVC panel or door surround, it is wiped rather than sprayed.
8.Guttering above a worked elevation is checked for standing water, because a drip mid-treatment ruins an even finish.
9.Windows are checked from inside where access allows, because a closed window with a broken seal still lets water past.
10.Where a wall abuts a neighbour's boundary within a metre, the fan is narrowed and the pass slowed.

Local detail that changes the job

Recorded character: village. Home of the Dartington Estate and Hall.
Access is usually via A38.
Nearest full coverage hub: South Brent (TQ10), South Hams District Council.
Postcode district: TQ9. County: Devon. Approx 18.2 miles from the PL3 base.
TQ9 covers 1 town hubs and 15 villages or districts in our radius.

See everywhere we cover in TQ9

Preparing a village property

Flag any recent repair or repaint, because fresh work is treated more gently.
Unlock side gates the night before if you are not going to be in, because a locked passage stops a whole elevation.
Mention any glazing you already know is cracked before work starts.
If a security light or camera covers the elevation, tell us so it can be isolated.
Let us know if scaffold or a tower is already up for other work.
Mention whether the drive drains to a soakaway that already struggles in heavy rain.
Say if a conservatory or lean-to abuts the elevation, so glazing can be sheeted.
Mention any cladding or timber detail that you would rather was left alone.

First, next, last

Where a soakaway is already struggling, wall work is planned for a drier stretch.

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

Where scaffolding is going up for other work, the wall clean is easier and safer while it is standing.

Roof work always precedes wall work, because everything released from the slope lands on the elevation below it.

Straight answers before you book

Will the treatment harm my planting?: Beds are wetted down first so run-off arrives diluted, and rinsing is directed away from anything growing.
Do you clean boundary walls too?: If they take the same method as the house, yes, in the same visit.
Is the water mains-fed?: From your outside tap where there is one. Where there is not, we bring it with us.
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.
Is there a smell?: There is a mild one during application that clears within a few hours.
Will you tell me if the gutters are the real problem?: Yes, and it is common enough that the gutter line is checked on every wall visit.
Do you need scaffolding?: Rarely. Most elevations are reached from the ground with a telescopic lance.
Can you treat one elevation only?: Yes, and it is common. Often only the shaded side has a problem and the rest of the house needs nothing.

Other Devon places on the same round

Where to go next

The essentials

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. Anything that keeps a wall wet for longer will bring the growth back sooner, whatever product goes on it. Method, dwell and patience beat pressure and speed on every wall finish we work on.

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 Dartington property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm