Can you tell from a photo whether it will clean up?

Usually yes for surface growth. Staining that is in the material is harder to judge without seeing it.

Does anyone need to be home?

No. It is outside work. Access to the elevations, ideally an outside tap, and windows shut for the visit.

Will the treatment harm my planting?

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

Should the gutters be done at the same time?

Usually. Overflow is behind a large share of wall staining, so clearing it protects the work.

How much water does a wall job use?

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

Do you work on bungalows differently?

Only in that everything is reachable from the ground, which makes the visit shorter.

Can I get the roof done at the same time?

Yes, and the roof goes first so what comes off it does not land on clean walls.

Do you clean chimney stacks?

Where they can be reached safely from a position that keeps us off the roof covering.

PL11 - Cornwall - 11.4 miles from PL3

Low-pressure wall treatment across Downderry Village

If the walls on your Downderry Village property have gone patchy or green, the finish itself is usually sound. Cliff-top village overlooking Whitsand Bay, and growth on painted render and stone sits on the surface rather than in the structure.

Quote for a Downderry Village property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm

What helps before we arrive

Flag any recent repair or repaint, because fresh work is treated more gently.
Say if you would prefer the front done on a different day from the back.
Say if a conservatory or lean-to abuts the elevation, so glazing can be sheeted.
Move cars off a drive that runs tight to the house if you can, and tell us if you cannot.
Say if the property has a flat roof section that we would be working above.
If there are children's toys or a trampoline against the wall, they need to move.
Let us know whether the gutters have been cleared in the last couple of years.
Let us know if the property is listed or in a conservation area, as it affects method choice.

Wall build-ups common in PL11

Where render sits over insulation, the wall is more sensitive still and the mix is weakened accordingly.
Render responds to dwell time better than almost any other finish, which is what makes softwash suit it.
Peeling in flakes means adhesion has gone; powdering under the hand means the surface has simply aged.
Gloss-painted details like cills are wiped rather than sprayed.
Where stone has been repointed with cement, water is pushed into the stone instead of out through the joint.
Lime mortar in a stone wall is softer than the stone by design, and that design is worth respecting.

Diagnosis before treatment

01A fingernail drawn across the growth says more in a second than a photograph does.
02A wall that feels chalky under the hand is telling you the coating has aged, not that it is dirty.
03The presence of moss rather than algae suggests standing water rather than damp air.
04Weep holes are counted and checked for blockage while the wall is being read.
05Efflorescence is distinguished from lichen before anything is applied, since one is salt and one is alive.
06A test patch at low strength shows what the surface will do before the full elevation commits to it.
07Where a wall meets a roof abutment, the flashing is looked at first.
08The direction the growth thickens in points at the source of the moisture.

Damp, airflow and what feeds growth

Concrete render plinths wick moisture upward from the ground more readily than the face above them.
Where a hose reel or water butt overflows against a wall, the staining follows the overflow path exactly.
Driven rain sticks to a wall face rather than running off it, which keeps the surface wet long enough for spores to settle.
A path that slopes towards a house rather than away from it keeps the base of the wall wet after every shower.
Sheltered courtyards feel pleasant and dry slowly, which is a bad combination for a wall.
A wall shaded by its own porch roof for half the day dries at half the rate of the face beside it.
Lichen prefers hard, alkaline surfaces, which is why it shows on mortar and cills before it shows on render.
Algae needs moisture far more than it needs dirt, so the wettest elevation greens first regardless of how clean the house is.
Prevailing wind decides which elevation takes driven rain, and that elevation is nearly always the tired-looking one.

First, next, last

Rendering or repair work should always finish before cleaning starts, never the other way round.

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

Where only walls are being done, the gutter line is still checked, because it is the usual culprit behind the worst staining.

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

How a softwash visit runs

1.The same operator works a whole elevation so the application rate stays consistent across it.
2.Where a lean-to gutter runs at wall height, it is cleared first so it does not overflow mid-visit.
3.A wall carrying a house number, plaque or bell push has those items worked around by hand.
4.A hose test on the nearest outside tap happens before anything is mixed, because flow rate changes how the day is planned.
5.Any window left open is closed, or that section is skipped and left for a second visit.
6.Windows are checked from inside where access allows, because a closed window with a broken seal still lets water past.
7.Painted elevations get a small test patch first, low down and out of sight, so failing paint is found deliberately rather than by accident.
8.Any electric meter box, alarm bell or external socket is bagged before the lance comes out.
9.Mortar joints that have already lost material are pointed out and left alone rather than washed further open.
10.The mix is made up in small batches as the work moves, rather than one large batch that stands and weakens.

Questions Downderry Village owners ask

Can you tell from a photo whether it will clean up?: Usually yes for surface growth. Staining that is in the material is harder to judge without seeing it.
Does anyone need to be home?: No. It is outside work. Access to the elevations, ideally an outside tap, and windows shut for the visit.
Will the treatment harm my planting?: Beds are wetted down first so run-off arrives diluted, and rinsing is directed away from anything growing.
Should the gutters be done at the same time?: Usually. Overflow is behind a large share of wall staining, so clearing it protects the work.
How much water does a wall job use?: Less than a pressure wash, because the work is dwell time rather than volume.
Do you work on bungalows differently?: Only in that everything is reachable from the ground, which makes the visit shorter.
Can I get the roof done at the same time?: Yes, and the roof goes first so what comes off it does not land on clean walls.
Do you clean chimney stacks?: Where they can be reached safely from a position that keeps us off the roof covering.

Guides worth a look first

Where Downderry Village sits on our round

Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
Nearest full coverage hub: Downderry (PL11), Cornwall Council.
PL11 covers 4 town hubs and 12 villages or districts in our radius.
Access is usually via B3247.
Typical wall finish here is painted render and stone, which sets the cleaning method.

See everywhere we cover in PL11

Within a short run of Downderry Village

Small job, same care

A porch, a plinth or a single gable is still worth doing properly.

Ask about a small job 07830 242403

To sum up for PL11

An honest no is worth more than a job that was never going to work. Getting the order of work right protects the money already spent on the parts that were cleaned first. Access and surface type decide the plan far more than the size of the house does.