Green walls in Littlehempston? Start here
Farming hamlet north-east of Totnes.
This page is about one job in one place: cleaning cob and painted render walls in Littlehempston, Devon. Softwash means chemistry and dwell time doing the work rather than pressure.
Working out what is wrong on a Littlehempston wall
- 01Whether the growth has spread onto glass and frames tells you how long it has been established.
- 02Where the pattern is even across the whole face, exposure and aspect are the cause.
- 03A wall that is warmer than its neighbours on a cold morning is likely holding moisture.
- 04Colour matters: green suggests algae, black suggests fungal spotting, grey-white crust suggests lichen.
- 05The ground level relative to the damp course is checked before the base of a wall is treated.
- 06The presence of moss rather than algae suggests standing water rather than damp air.
- 07Whether the render is thin-coat or traditional is checked at a bead or a reveal.
- 08Where paint is peeling in flakes rather than powdering, adhesion has already gone.
Material first, method second
- Cracks in render change the staining pattern, because water then sits behind the face as well as on it.
- Render responds to dwell time better than almost any other finish, which is what makes softwash suit it.
- Cleaning before repainting is not optional, because paint over live growth fails from underneath.
- Painted plinths take splash and are worked as a separate band from the main face.
- Cob and lime-finished walls are moisture-sensitive by design.
- Cob walls dry slowly, so work is planned for a dry settled stretch.
Why this keeps happening on TQ9 elevations
- The lowest metre of any wall takes splash-back off the path and stains from the ground up, not the top down.
- Sheltered gable ends collect airborne spores because there is no wind to move them along.
- A downpipe discharging onto a hard surface next to the wall sends the water straight back at the brickwork.
- Airflow through a passage between two houses is fast but the passage itself is in permanent shade.
- A wall that faces a large expanse of glass on another building gets less sun than its aspect suggests.
- Rain shadow works both ways: the sheltered face stays dry of rain but also of the washing that rain provides.
- Washing without a biocide simply resets the clock and leaves the roots in place.
- Nutrients from a nearby feeding lawn or planting drift onto a wall and give growth something to work with.
- Pebbledash holds water in the shadow of every stone, so it stays damp long after a flat render has dried.
On site in Littlehempston
- 1.Fixings for hanging baskets and washing lines are unloaded before the elevation is worked, then put back.
- 2.The finished elevation is looked at from the pavement, not from the ladder, because that is where it will be seen from.
- 3.Anything found broken before we arrived is photographed before work starts, not after.
- 4.Neighbouring cars and windows are checked before spraying starts on a boundary elevation.
- 5.Applications are kept off hot surfaces in direct sun, because a mix that flashes off has no dwell time at all.
- 6.Where growth has spread onto a UPVC panel or door surround, it is wiped rather than sprayed.
- 7.Timber decking or a doorstep directly under the work is covered rather than rinsed afterwards.
- 8.Where a porch roof sits mid-elevation, it is sheeted and its own tiles cleared before the wall above is touched.
- 9.Airbricks are covered for the duration and uncovered before we leave, without exception.
- 10.External light fittings are switched off at the consumer unit before the elevation around them is treated.
Local detail that changes the job
- South Brent sits about 4.6 miles from Littlehempston on our round, so visits are often shared.
- Recorded character: farming hamlet. Farming hamlet north-east of Totnes.
- TQ9 covers 1 town hubs and 15 villages or districts in our radius.
- Access is usually via A38.
- Typical wall finish here is cob and painted render, which sets the cleaning method.
Preparing a farming hamlet property
- Clear the base of the elevation of pots, ornaments and loose paving where you can.
- Bring in washing, cushions and anything fabric that lives against the wall.
- Say if any part of the wall has been jet washed before, and roughly when.
- Tell us where the drains run if the garden has a soakaway rather than a mains connection.
- If a security light or camera covers the elevation, tell us so it can be isolated.
- Point out where the render was patched, since patches clean differently from the original.
- Point out ground-floor windows that are painted shut, as they need different masking.
- Say if the property has a flat roof section that we would be working above.
Planning a full exterior in Littlehempston
Where the property is being sold, walls are the single most visible thing to do first.
Patio joints are checked before the wall above them is treated, since loose sand washes into puddles.
Glass is done last on any multi-service visit, since it picks up whatever the earlier stages put in the air.
Where scaffolding is going up for other work, the wall clean is easier and safer while it is standing.
Straight answers before you book
- 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.
- Will the treatment harm my planting?
- Beds are wetted down first so run-off arrives diluted, and rinsing is directed away from anything growing.
- 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.
- Can you work around a conservatory?
- The glazing is sheeted first and given a rinse at the end.
- Is the water mains-fed?
- From your outside tap where there is one. Where there is not, we bring it with us.
- Do you treat garden and boundary walls on their own?
- Yes, where the method matches and access allows.
- Is the finish even across the wall?
- That is the main reason we work bottom-up and one elevation at a time.
- Will the drive get messy?
- Anything below the elevation is rinsed off before we finish.
Other Devon places on the same round
The essentials
Written scope first means nothing is discovered late. The safest method is the one set by the weakest material on the wall, not the strongest. Every visit ends with the elevation judged from where people actually see it. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.
Split it over two visits
Front now, back later is a perfectly normal way to plan it.
Quote for a Littlehempston property
Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm