Do you clean conservatory roofs?

Yes, and they go before the wall above them so nothing lands back on clean glazing.

Do you leave a written record of what was done?

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

Does the treatment stain paving?

No, and paving below the elevation is rinsed at the end anyway.

Can you work around a conservatory?

The glazing is sheeted first and given a rinse at the end.

There is a mild one during application that clears within a few hours.

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.

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.

Do you clean soffits and fascias?

They are in the same spray path, so they are done as part of the wall visit.

Wall cleaning for coastal hamlet property in Soar

Soar, Devon - TQ7

Soar is a coastal hamlet within the TQ7 area, roughly 18.7 miles out from PL3 and one of 36 places we cover in that district. Its cob and painted render walls behave in a predictable way once you know the exposure.

Quote for a Soar property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm

How the work is actually carried out

1.On render below a flat roof edge, the drip detail is checked, because a failed one puts the stain straight back.
2.Where a property has solar panels on a wall-facing slope, the array is sheeted before treatment starts below.
3.A wall backing onto a public pavement is worked at times that keep the spray arc away from passers-by.
4.Overspray is controlled by working with the wind rather than across it, and by stopping when it gets up.
5.Waste water is directed to a soakaway or drain that can take it rather than allowed to pond on a lawn.
6.Cills, frames and glass are wiped down as the masking comes off, so nothing dries as a film on the joinery.
7.Where a pond or water feature sits below an elevation, it is covered and the run-off diverted well away from it.
8.Weep holes above openings are left clear so the wall can drain the way it was designed to.
9.Anything applied is applied once and given time, rather than applied twice in a hurry to look busy.
10.The colour keeps improving for a fortnight after the visit as dead growth loses its grip and weathers away.

Reading the finish on a Soar elevation

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.
Chalking paint is a rougher surface than new paint, which is why older painted walls green faster.
Gloss-painted details like cills are wiped rather than sprayed.
Where cob has been cement-rendered at some point, that render traps moisture and the wall behaves badly.
The safest outcome on cob is a lighter, slower improvement rather than an immediate transformation.

The reasons behind the staining

A textured coating applied over an already dirty surface holds that dirt as a feeding layer.
North and east elevations dry last and green first, in that order, on nearly every property.
Nutrients from a nearby feeding lawn or planting drift onto a wall and give growth something to work with.
Prevailing wind decides which elevation takes driven rain, and that elevation is nearly always the tired-looking one.
Where a downpipe discharges into a gully that has silted, the overflow soaks the wall base each winter.
Roof valleys concentrate run-off, so the wall under a valley outlet is loaded more heavily than anywhere else.
Sheltered courtyards feel pleasant and dry slowly, which is a bad combination for a wall.
A drying rack or store built against a wall keeps that panel of it permanently shaded.
A blocked weep hole means the cavity drains through the face instead of out of the hole.

Practical points to sort first

Tell us about pets in the garden before the day rather than on it.
Let us know if scaffold or a tower is already up for other work.
Tell us where the drains run if the garden has a soakaway rather than a mains connection.
If there are children's toys or a trampoline against the wall, they need to move.
Let us know if the property is listed or in a conservation area, as it affects method choice.
Say if the elevation is overlooked by a neighbouring window that should stay shut.
Tell us about any previous treatment that came back quickly, and how quickly.
Say if a conservatory or lean-to abuts the elevation, so glazing can be sheeted.

How the wall is read first

01A damp meter reading inside a stained corner separates a cleaning job from a building problem.
02A wall that is warmer than its neighbours on a cold morning is likely holding moisture.
03The mortar is tested with a key at a discreet point, since soft mortar sets the whole method.
04The presence of moss rather than algae suggests standing water rather than damp air.
05Where the pattern is a band at the top, the gutter line is doing it.
06A fingernail drawn across the growth says more in a second than a photograph does.
07Whether the render is thin-coat or traditional is checked at a bead or a reveal.
08Weep holes are counted and checked for blockage while the wall is being read.

Questions Soar owners ask

Do you clean conservatory roofs?: Yes, and they go before the wall above them so nothing lands back on clean glazing.
Do you leave a written record of what was done?: Photographs of before and after the visit, plus anything found in poor condition.
Does the treatment stain paving?: No, and paving below the elevation is rinsed at the end anyway.
Can you work around a conservatory?: The glazing is sheeted first and given a rinse at the end.
Is there a smell?: There is a mild one during application that clears within a few hours.
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.
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.
Do you clean soffits and fascias?: They are in the same spray path, so they are done as part of the wall visit.

Soar in plain facts

Postcode district: TQ7. County: Devon. Approx 18.7 miles from the PL3 base.
Typical wall finish here is cob and painted render, which sets the cleaning method.
TQ7 covers 7 town hubs and 29 villages or districts in our radius.
Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
Access is usually via A381.

See everywhere we cover in TQ7

Within a short run of Soar

Plan the whole outside once

Roof, gutters, walls and hard surfaces in the right order costs less trouble than doing them piecemeal.

Plan it out 07830 242403

Guides worth a look first

To sum up for TQ7

Prep takes longer than application, and that is the right way round. Shade is not a fault in a house, but it is the reason one elevation always looks worse. The mortar is the weakest link on most walls, so the mortar sets the pressure. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.