East Prawle (TQ7) render softwash
East Prawle, Devon - TQ7
Where a East Prawle 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.
What East Prawle walls are usually finished in
- That gets pointed out before work starts rather than discovered halfway through.
- Painted plinths take splash and are worked as a separate band from the main face.
- Slate-faced walls shed water quickly but the bedding mortar does not.
- A stone wall in deep shade holds moss in the joints long after the faces have dried.
- Growth on cob is usually treated in light passes with long gaps rather than one wet application.
- The base of a cob wall is the most vulnerable part and is often left alone entirely.
Low pressure, longer dwell
- 1.Where a porch roof sits mid-elevation, it is sheeted and its own tiles cleared before the wall above is touched.
- 2.Rainwater goods are checked while the elevation is being worked, since a blocked hopper explains most single-strip staining.
- 3.Where growth has spread onto a UPVC panel or door surround, it is wiped rather than sprayed.
- 4.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.
- 5.Where a wall abuts a neighbour's boundary within a metre, the fan is narrowed and the pass slowed.
- 6.Any window left open is closed, or that section is skipped and left for a second visit.
- 7.Heavy lichen gets a second lighter application on a later visit instead of an increase in pressure on the first.
- 8.Treatment goes on from the bottom of the elevation upwards, which stops clean streaks forming where liquid runs onto dry surface.
- 9.Treatments are kept away from vegetable beds entirely, with those sections sheeted rather than diluted.
- 10.Access equipment is footed on boards where the ground is soft, so nothing sinks into a lawn.
Small things that make the visit smoother
- Mention any cladding or timber detail that you would rather was left alone.
- Say if a conservatory or lean-to abuts the elevation, so glazing can be sheeted.
- Say if the elevation is overlooked by a neighbouring window that should stay shut.
- Mention shared access or a right of way that we will be crossing.
- Note where the electricity meter and consumer unit sit relative to the wall.
- Mention any planned decorating so the drying window can be built into the date.
- Tell us about any planting you particularly care about at the base of the wall.
- Point out ground-floor windows that are painted shut, as they need different masking.
Facts on record for East Prawle
- Typical wall finish here is painted stone and cob, which sets the cleaning method.
- Salcombe sits about 3.1 miles from East Prawle on our round, so visits are often shared.
- TQ7 covers 7 town hubs and 29 villages or districts in our radius.
- Recorded character: coastal hamlet. Devon's southernmost village, near Prawle Point.
- Access is usually via A381.
What is actually growing on the wall
- Lichen prefers hard, alkaline surfaces, which is why it shows on mortar and cills before it shows on render.
- Salt-laden air roughens exposed surfaces slightly, and rougher surfaces hold more moisture.
- Overhanging eaves protect the top of a wall and leave the unprotected lower band to take everything.
- Frost damage opens the surface slightly, which gives the next season's growth somewhere to sit.
- Bird activity along a gutter line concentrates nutrients on the wall directly below it.
- Low winter sun never reaches the bottom third of a wall behind a fence, and it shows.
- Cold bridging at a lintel can keep a narrow band of render damper than everything around it.
- Driven rain sticks to a wall face rather than running off it, which keeps the surface wet long enough for spores to settle.
- A wall shielded by a car port dries slowly because it never sees direct sun or driven rain.
Assessing a TQ7 elevation
- 01Where the pattern is a band at the bottom, splash from the ground is doing it.
- 02The elevation is read from the pavement first and from a metre away second.
- 03Any staining that continues below ground level is a drainage question, not a cleaning one.
- 04The direction the growth thickens in points at the source of the moisture.
- 05Whether the render is thin-coat or traditional is checked at a bead or a reveal.
- 06The angle of morning sun on the elevation tells you how long it stays damp.
- 07A wall that feels chalky under the hand is telling you the coating has aged, not that it is dirty.
- 08How quickly a splash of water darkens the surface says how porous the finish has become.
Also covered near TQ7
Before you get in touch
- Do you clean stonework?
- Yes, with the method set by the softest part of the wall, which is almost always the mortar.
- Do you clean render above a flat roof?
- Yes, with the roof covering sheeted and the drip detail checked.
- Do you clean UPVC panels and door surrounds?
- They are wiped by hand rather than sprayed.
- 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 often does this need doing?
- It depends entirely on shade and exposure. An open elevation holds a long time; a permanently shaded one comes back sooner.
- Will the wall need doing again next year?
- Not usually. How long it holds depends on shade, run-off and airflow rather than on the treatment.
- 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.
- What about air bricks and vents?
- Covered for the duration, uncovered before we leave.
Check the access with us
Narrow lanes, tight side passages and awkward parking are normal here. Tell us what we are dealing with.
The short version
An honest no is worth more than a job that was never going to work. Every coated wall has a maximum pressure it tolerates, and it is much lower than most people assume. A wall in poor condition is better found before cleaning than discovered halfway through. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.
Quote for a East Prawle property
Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm