Can the whole outside be planned in one go?

Yes, and getting the order right matters more than doing it all at once.

Can you remove ivy marks?

Suckers can be treated and weathered off, though the shadow of an old ivy run can take a season to fade fully.

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 the method different on a listed building?

The approach is gentler still, and lime finishes are treated with the lowest strength that will work.

Can you clean a wall with an electric meter on it?

Yes. The box is bagged before anything is applied around it.

What if part of the wall does not come up?

It is left to weather rather than pushed harder, and we will say what we think is happening.

What if the render is hollow in places?

It is tapped and mapped first, and hollow sections are treated dry-side only rather than soaked.

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.

Wall and render softwash near Hope Cove

Twin coves on the South West Coast Path.

Everything below applies to painted render and stone elevations in Hope Cove, inside the TQ7 area we cover in full. The method is set by the surface and the exposure, and nothing else changes it.

Working out what is wrong on a Hope Cove wall

01Where the pattern is even across the whole face, exposure and aspect are the cause.
02A wall that is warmer than its neighbours on a cold morning is likely holding moisture.
03How quickly a splash of water darkens the surface says how porous the finish has become.
04The mortar is tested with a key at a discreet point, since soft mortar sets the whole method.
05Efflorescence is distinguished from lichen before anything is applied, since one is salt and one is alive.
06The elevation is read from the pavement first and from a metre away second.
07Colour matters: green suggests algae, black suggests fungal spotting, grey-white crust suggests lichen.
08A damp meter reading inside a stained corner separates a cleaning job from a building problem.

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 responds to dwell time better than almost any other finish, which is what makes softwash suit it.
A test patch low down and out of sight is how failing paint is found deliberately.
Painted plinths take splash and are worked as a separate band from the main face.
Stone elevations vary enormously in hardness, and the pointing is usually the weakest part.
Copings on stone boundary walls take the worst of the weather and the worst of the growth.

Why this keeps happening on TQ7 elevations

Where a wall sits below a bank or a raised garden, water arrives at it sideways rather than from above.
A cracked cill throws water back at the wall instead of clear of it.
Where a downpipe discharges into a gully that has silted, the overflow soaks the wall base each winter.
A wall that faces a large expanse of glass on another building gets less sun than its aspect suggests.
Where two properties share a wall of different finishes, the finishes weather at different speeds and look mismatched.
Bird activity along a gutter line concentrates nutrients on the wall directly below it.
Cracked render lets water sit behind the face as well as on it, so the staining pattern follows the crack.
A wall that never takes direct sun stays damp for hours after everything else has dried, and that extra time is the whole story.
Overhanging eaves protect the top of a wall and leave the unprotected lower band to take everything.

On site in Hope Cove

1.The finished elevation is looked at from the pavement, not from the ladder, because that is where it will be seen from.
2.Hoses run outside gates where children or dogs are about, and gates are closed behind us each time.
3.The lance is held at a distance and an angle that lets the fan open fully instead of hitting the wall as a jet.
4.Rainwater goods are checked while the elevation is being worked, since a blocked hopper explains most single-strip staining.
5.Steps and thresholds get a plain water rinse at the end so nothing is left slippery.
6.The finished wall is photographed in the same light as the start photograph, so the comparison is honest.
7.Downpipe backs and the strip of wall behind them are done by hand, because a sprayed pattern always misses them.
8.Where a wall abuts a neighbour's boundary within a metre, the fan is narrowed and the pass slowed.
9.A wall in deep shade is worked earlier in the day, when there is most light on it to judge coverage.
10.Any window left open is closed, or that section is skipped and left for a second visit.

Local detail that changes the job

Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
Postcode district: TQ7. County: Devon. Approx 18.9 miles from the PL3 base.
TQ7 covers 7 town hubs and 29 villages or districts in our radius.
Access is usually via local lanes off A381.
Thurlestone sits about 1.1 miles from Hope Cove on our round, so visits are often shared.

See everywhere we cover in TQ7

Preparing a coastal hamlet property

Bring in washing, cushions and anything fabric that lives against the wall.
If parking needs a permit or a bay suspension, tell us early.
Clear the base of the elevation of pots, ornaments and loose paving where you can.
If there are children's toys or a trampoline against the wall, they need to move.
Say where the outside tap is, and whether it runs at any pressure.
Tell us if a gutter has been overflowing, because that changes what we look at first.
Say if there is a wasp or bird nest under the eaves, and we will plan around it.
Unlock side gates the night before if you are not going to be in, because a locked passage stops a whole elevation.

Sequencing the outside of the house

Solar panels are cleaned separately from the roof slope they sit on, and after it.

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

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

Fascia and soffit cleaning is folded into the wall visit rather than being priced as a separate trip.

Asked most often in TQ7

Can the whole outside be planned in one go?: Yes, and getting the order right matters more than doing it all at once.
Can you remove ivy marks?: Suckers can be treated and weathered off, though the shadow of an old ivy run can take a season to fade fully.
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 the method different on a listed building?: The approach is gentler still, and lime finishes are treated with the lowest strength that will work.
Can you clean a wall with an electric meter on it?: Yes. The box is bagged before anything is applied around it.
What if part of the wall does not come up?: It is left to weather rather than pushed harder, and we will say what we think is happening.
What if the render is hollow in places?: It is tapped and mapped first, and hollow sections are treated dry-side only rather than soaked.
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.

Close to Hope Cove

Useful pages alongside this one

Hope Cove wall softwash, in short

The finish keeps improving after we leave, which is how you know the treatment did the work rather than the water. Nothing here needs a promise. It needs the correct method on the correct surface. The best time to book is before the wet months, not after them. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.

Straight answer, no chasing

You get a price, then you get left alone to think about it.

Get the price 07830 242403

Quote for a Hope Cove property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm