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.

What happens if it rains on the day?

Light rain is workable. Persistent rain moves the visit rather than compromising the treatment.

Do you clean boundary walls too?

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

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.

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 have a minimum size of job?

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

Do you move furniture and pots?

Anything within the spray arc is moved and put back where it was found.

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.

Wall softwash for Holne homes

Holne, Devon - TQ13

This page is about one job in one place: cleaning granite and painted render walls in Holne, Devon. Softwash means chemistry and dwell time doing the work rather than pressure.

What Holne walls are usually finished in

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.
Where a painted wall has been patch-repainted, the patches clean at a different rate.
Gloss-painted details like cills are wiped rather than sprayed.
Granite is hard-faced but the joints are not, and lichen roots into micro-fissures in the stone.
Where granite has been repointed in cement, that band behaves differently from the rest of the wall.

Low pressure, longer dwell

1.Curtains and blinds behind a treated elevation are best left closed, and we say so before starting rather than afterwards.
2.Where two different finishes meet on one elevation, they are treated as two jobs on one wall.
3.Where growth has spread onto a UPVC panel or door surround, it is wiped rather than sprayed.
4.The finished wall is photographed in the same light as the start photograph, so the comparison is honest.
5.A short rinse of the whole face at the end removes residue rather than removing growth, which is a different job done at a different pressure.
6.Heavy lichen gets a second lighter application on a later visit instead of an increase in pressure on the first.
7.Timber decking or a doorstep directly under the work is covered rather than rinsed afterwards.
8.Photographs are taken of anything found in poor condition, so it can be shown rather than described.
9.Beds and borders at the foot of the wall are soaked with clean water first, so any run-off arrives diluted.
10.Rinsing, where it is needed at all, runs top down at a pressure you could hold your hand in front of.

Small things that make the visit smoother

Tell us where the drains run if the garden has a soakaway rather than a mains connection.
Tell us about any planting you particularly care about at the base of the wall.
Point out any window that does not seal properly, so it gets sheeted rather than sprayed near.
If there are children's toys or a trampoline against the wall, they need to move.
Mention any cladding or timber detail that you would rather was left alone.
Let us know whether the gutters have been cleared in the last couple of years.
Move cars off a drive that runs tight to the house if you can, and tell us if you cannot.
Note where hoses can be run without crossing a doorway.

Facts on record for Holne

Postcode district: TQ13. County: Devon. Approx 18.4 miles from the PL3 base.
Nearest full coverage hub: South Brent (TQ10), South Hams District Council.
Recorded character: moorland hamlet. Dartmoor village above the Dart gorge.
Typical wall finish here is granite and painted render, which sets the cleaning method.
Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.

See everywhere we cover in TQ13

What is actually growing on the wall

A wall shaded by its own porch roof for half the day dries at half the rate of the face beside it.
Any surface that holds a drop of water long enough to be seen will hold it long enough to feed growth.
A textured coating applied over an already dirty surface holds that dirt as a feeding layer.
Growth that appears in a neat rectangle usually marks something that was leaning against the wall.
Driven rain sticks to a wall face rather than running off it, which keeps the surface wet long enough for spores to settle.
A cracked cill throws water back at the wall instead of clear of it.
Concrete render plinths wick moisture upward from the ground more readily than the face above them.
Airflow through a passage between two houses is fast but the passage itself is in permanent shade.
Prevailing wind decides which elevation takes driven rain, and that elevation is nearly always the tired-looking one.

Assessing a TQ13 elevation

01Whether the growth has spread onto glass and frames tells you how long it has been established.
02Where paint is peeling in flakes rather than powdering, adhesion has already gone.
03The condition of the cills tells you how much water has been running down the face.
04Where a wall meets a roof abutment, the flashing is looked at first.
05The mortar is tested with a key at a discreet point, since soft mortar sets the whole method.
06The age of the finish is estimated before a strength of mix is chosen.
07A short section of hose test shows whether run-off drains away or ponds at the base.
08Nearby properties with the same finish are a useful reference for what is normal on that street.

Within a short run of Holne

Questions Holne 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.
What happens if it rains on the day?: Light rain is workable. Persistent rain moves the visit rather than compromising the treatment.
Do you clean boundary walls too?: If they take the same method as the house, yes, in the same visit.
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.
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 have a minimum size of job?: A single gable or a porch is still worth doing properly.
Do you move furniture and pots?: Anything within the spray arc is moved and put back where it was found.
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.

Guides worth a look first

Check the access with us

Narrow lanes, tight side passages and awkward parking are normal here. Tell us what we are dealing with.

Check access 07830 242403

To sum up for TQ13

The quiet visit is the good one. Noise usually means pressure. Small jobs get the same sequence as large ones, just fewer elevations. Prep takes longer than application, and that is the right way round. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.

Quote for a Holne property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm