Forder (PL12) render softwash

How the work is actually carried out

1. 1.The wall is left to dry naturally rather than being wiped, which is what keeps the finish even.
2. 2.Boundary walls and gate piers are treated in the same visit only if they take the same method as the house.
3. 3.Anything that has to be moved - bins, planters, a bike - goes back exactly where it was found.
4. 4.The finished elevation is looked at from the pavement, not from the ladder, because that is where it will be seen from.
5. 5.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.
6. 6.Where a property has solar panels on a wall-facing slope, the array is sheeted before treatment starts below.
7. 7.A wall with a visible damp patch inside is treated on the dry areas only until the cause is found.
8. 8.Fixings for hanging baskets and washing lines are unloaded before the elevation is worked, then put back.
9. 9.Growth in a shaded return is treated on the same visit even when only the front was asked about, if access allows.
10. 10.Where a porch roof sits mid-elevation, it is sheeted and its own tiles cleared before the wall above is touched.

Reading the finish on a Forder elevation

• Render cleans up well at low pressure and badly at high pressure, because pressure removes the finish along with the growth.
• Where render sits over insulation, the wall is more sensitive still and the mix is weakened accordingly.
• Masonry paint over render adds a film that traps moisture if the substrate was damp when it was applied.
• Cleaning before repainting is not optional, because paint over live growth fails from underneath.
• A stone wall in deep shade holds moss in the joints long after the faces have dried.
• Loose stones and open joints are recorded and left alone rather than washed.

Practical points to sort first

• If parking needs a permit or a bay suspension, tell us early.
• Point out where the render was patched, since patches clean differently from the original.
• Tell us where the drains run if the garden has a soakaway rather than a mains connection.
• Let us know if scaffold or a tower is already up for other work.
• Tell us about pets in the garden before the day rather than on it.
• Tell us if there is a low wall or a step at the base of the elevation that gets slippery.
• Mention any planned decorating so the drying window can be built into the date.
• If you have a pond, a water butt or a wildlife area, point it out in advance.

Questions Forder owners ask

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 work weekends?

We work Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.

Do you offer a maintenance visit?

A lighter top-up treatment every couple of years is much less work than leaving it until it is heavy again.

Is thin-coat render different from sand and cement?

Yes, and it is more sensitive. Thin-coat systems get a weaker mix and a longer dwell rather than more pressure.

Is the finish even across the wall?

That is the main reason we work bottom-up and one elevation at a time.

Do you leave a written record of what was done?

Photographs of before and after the visit, plus anything found in poor condition.

Can you clean a wall covered in ivy?

The ivy needs removing first. Once it is off, the shaded face behind it is treated as normal.

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.

Within a short run of Forder

• St John (Cornwall) (PL11)
• St Keyne (PL14)
• Twowatersfoot (PL14)
• Bathpool (PL15)
• Hannafore (PL13)
• Burraton (PL12)

To sum up for PL12

Water in the wrong place explains most tired elevations, and it is cheaper to fix than to keep cleaning. A first clean is the heavy one. What follows is maintenance, and maintenance is quicker every time. Written scope first means nothing is discovered late.