Can you quote from photographs?

For most straightforward jobs, yes. Awkward access is worth a look in person.

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.

How soon can the walls be painted afterwards?

Once fully dry, which in practice means giving it several dry days.

What about the smell for neighbours?

Mild and short-lived, and we avoid boundary elevations when someone next door has washing out.

What is the difference between this and a wash down?

A wash down removes what you can see. A treatment removes what is growing, which is not the same thing.

Will it strip my paint?

Sound paint is unaffected. Paint that has already lost adhesion may lift, which is why a test patch goes on first.

What if I only want the front done?

That is the most common request on this kind of job.

Do you move furniture and pots?

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

Wall cleaning for farming hamlet property in Marystow

Marystow, Devon - PL16

This page covers wall and render softwash for Marystow only, roughly 17.9 miles from our PL3 base and worked with the Lifton round. Roofs, gutters and hard surfaces have their own pages.

What Marystow walls are usually finished in

Thin-coat systems are thinner than people assume, and a jet held still in one place leaves a permanent shadow.
A rendered wall under a failed drip detail restains within a season however well it was cleaned.
Painted masonry can be cleaned, though a paint film that has already lost adhesion will lift where it was going to fail anyway.
Gloss-painted details like cills are wiped rather than sprayed.
Growth on cob is usually treated in light passes with long gaps rather than one wet application.
Cob walls dry slowly, so work is planned for a dry settled stretch.

Low pressure, longer dwell

1.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.
2.Application is by low-pressure fan, closer to a garden sprayer than a washer, and the wall is wetted evenly rather than saturated in patches.
3.Cable clips, aerial brackets and old fixings are noted, and loose ones are left rather than pushed further.
4.Where a lean-to gutter runs at wall height, it is cleared first so it does not overflow mid-visit.
5.Rainwater goods are checked while the elevation is being worked, since a blocked hopper explains most single-strip staining.
6.Photographs are taken of anything found in poor condition, so it can be shown rather than described.
7.External light fittings are switched off at the consumer unit before the elevation around them is treated.
8.Anything applied is applied once and given time, rather than applied twice in a hurry to look busy.
9.A wall with a visible damp patch inside is treated on the dry areas only until the cause is found.
10.The elevation is walked first and anything loose, open or already failing is noted before a drop of water goes near it.

Small things that make the visit smoother

Let us know if a neighbour parks under the wall on certain days.
Let us know if anyone in the house works nights and needs quiet at a particular time.
Mention any cladding or timber detail that you would rather was left alone.
Mention shared access or a right of way that we will be crossing.
Say where the outside tap is, and whether it runs at any pressure.
Point out ground-floor windows that are painted shut, as they need different masking.
Point out where the render was patched, since patches clean differently from the original.
Say if there is a wasp or bird nest under the eaves, and we will plan around it.

Facts on record for Marystow

Access is usually via A30.
Typical wall finish here is cob and painted render, which sets the cleaning method.
Lifton sits about 4.2 miles from Marystow on our round, so visits are often shared.
Nearest full coverage hub: Lifton (PL16), West Devon Borough Council.
PL16 covers 1 town hubs and 3 villages or districts in our radius.

See everywhere we cover in PL16

What is actually growing on the wall

Ivy pulled off a wall leaves suckers and a shaded, damp face that greens quickly afterwards.
Lichen anchors into the surface rather than resting on it, which is why brushing achieves nothing and pressure achieves damage.
Bird activity along a gutter line concentrates nutrients on the wall directly below it.
A wall that faces a large expanse of glass on another building gets less sun than its aspect suggests.
Rendered plinths take more water than the main face and are usually the first thing to look tired.
A wall behind a dense fence panel is in still air permanently, and still air never dries anything quickly.
Algae needs moisture far more than it needs dirt, so the wettest elevation greens first regardless of how clean the house is.
Driven rain sticks to a wall face rather than running off it, which keeps the surface wet long enough for spores to settle.
Soil banked above the damp course keeps the base of a wall permanently wet.

Assessing a PL16 elevation

01Whether the growth has spread onto glass and frames tells you how long it has been established.
02Whether the render is thin-coat or traditional is checked at a bead or a reveal.
03Where the wall carries a previous coating over render, its edges are inspected for lifting.
04A wall that feels chalky under the hand is telling you the coating has aged, not that it is dirty.
05A wall that is warmer than its neighbours on a cold morning is likely holding moisture.
06Where paint is peeling in flakes rather than powdering, adhesion has already gone.
07Anything that cannot be explained by water is treated with more caution, not less.
08Where a wall meets a roof abutment, the flashing is looked at first.

Within a short run of Marystow

Questions Marystow owners ask

Can you quote from photographs?: For most straightforward jobs, yes. Awkward access is worth a look in person.
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.
How soon can the walls be painted afterwards?: Once fully dry, which in practice means giving it several dry days.
What about the smell for neighbours?: Mild and short-lived, and we avoid boundary elevations when someone next door has washing out.
What is the difference between this and a wash down?: A wash down removes what you can see. A treatment removes what is growing, which is not the same thing.
Will it strip my paint?: Sound paint is unaffected. Paint that has already lost adhesion may lift, which is why a test patch goes on first.
What if I only want the front done?: That is the most common request on this kind of job.
Do you move furniture and pots?: Anything within the spray arc is moved and put back where it was found.

Guides worth a look first

Tell us about the access

Narrow passages, soft ground and shared drives are all normal. We just need to know.

Describe access 07830 242403

To sum up for PL16

If the staining sits in the substrate rather than on it, we will say so before taking the work on. Softwash suits coated and textured finishes precisely because those are the finishes pressure ruins. Water in the wrong place explains most tired elevations, and it is cheaper to fix than to keep cleaning.

Quote for a Marystow property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm