Wall cleaning for coastal hamlet property in South Milton
Ley and Thurlestone Rock behind the sands.
Where a South Milton wall has gone patchy rather than evenly dirty, the cause is nearly always local: a downpipe, a hedge, a shaded corner. That is where we look first.
Quote for a South Milton property
Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm
Shade, damp and run-off
- Wall growth often maps exactly to where a previous extension roof used to sit.
- A wall under a mature hedge takes both shade and constant leaf litter, which is the worst pairing there is.
- Cold bridging at a lintel can keep a narrow band of render damper than everything around it.
- Growth thickest at head height usually means splash from a hard surface rather than run-off from above.
- Rain running off an unsealed timber fascia carries tannin down the wall as a brown stripe, not growth at all.
- Where two elevations meet in a tight internal corner, neither one dries properly.
- Once lichen is established it holds water itself, which makes the surface beneath it wetter than it started.
- Overhanging eaves protect the top of a wall and leave the unprotected lower band to take everything.
- Any surface that holds a drop of water long enough to be seen will hold it long enough to feed growth.
South Milton at a glance
- TQ7 covers 7 town hubs and 29 villages or districts in our radius.
- Typical wall finish here is cob and lime render, which sets the cleaning method.
- Nearest full coverage hub: Thurlestone (TQ7), South Hams District Council.
- Recorded character: coastal hamlet. Ley and Thurlestone Rock behind the sands.
- Postcode district: TQ7. County: Devon. Approx 17.4 miles from the PL3 base.
Surfaces this page is written for
- A rendered plinth takes more water than the face above it and is usually the first band to look tired.
- Patched render takes treatment differently from the original, which is why patches are identified before work starts.
- Growth on cob is usually treated in light passes with long gaps rather than one wet application.
- Any rinse on cob is minimal and directed downwards, never held on the surface.
- Lime walls are worked in cooler conditions so nothing dries before it has acted.
- The colour of a lime finish is in the material, so it returns rather than being restored.
Reading the surface
- 01A fingernail drawn across the growth says more in a second than a photograph does.
- 02Where the pattern is a band at the top, the gutter line is doing it.
- 03Where the pattern is a band at the bottom, splash from the ground is doing it.
- 04The ground level relative to the damp course is checked before the base of a wall is treated.
- 05A wall that is warmer than its neighbours on a cold morning is likely holding moisture.
- 06The age of the finish is estimated before a strength of mix is chosen.
- 07Photographs taken before work provide the reference for judging the result later.
- 08Whether the render is thin-coat or traditional is checked at a bead or a reveal.
Sequencing the outside of the house
Booking services out of order is the commonest reason a clean seems not to have lasted.
Where a soakaway is already struggling, wall work is planned for a drier stretch.
The number of elevations completed in one visit depends on their area, access, condition and weather.
Where a roof clean is planned for later in the year, walls are worth leaving until after it.
Before the day in South Milton
- Let us know if the property is listed or in a conservation area, as it affects method choice.
- Note where the electricity meter and consumer unit sit relative to the wall.
- Say if any part of the wall has been jet washed before, and roughly when.
- Say if the property has a flat roof section that we would be working above.
- If you have a pond, a water butt or a wildlife area, point it out in advance.
- Trim back anything that has grown tight against the wall, or ask us to work around it.
- Say if you would prefer the front done on a different day from the back.
- Unlock side gates the night before if you are not going to be in, because a locked passage stops a whole elevation.
Also covered near TQ7
Before you get in touch
- Can you clean a wall before painting?
- Yes, and it should be done first. Paint over live growth fails from underneath.
- Do you clean garages and outbuildings?
- Yes, if they are part of the same visit and take the same method.
- Is timber cladding treated the same way?
- No. Cladding takes a weaker mix, and pressure is avoided entirely because it raises the grain.
- What happens if it rains on the day?
- Light rain is workable. Persistent rain moves the visit rather than compromising the treatment.
- Does softwash actually kill the growth or just wash it off?
- It kills it. The treatment is left on long enough to work, which is why the surface keeps lightening for a week or two after the visit.
- Is it safe around pets?
- Keep them indoors during application and for a couple of hours after, and there is nothing to worry about.
- Do you offer a maintenance visit?
- A lighter top-up treatment every couple of years is much less work than leaving it until it is heavy again.
- How much water does a wall job use?
- Less than a pressure wash, because the work is dwell time rather than volume.
Book the quiet method
Low pressure means a quiet visit and a finish that survives it.
The short version
Method, dwell, rinse, check. There is nothing else to it. Walls, gutters and roof are one system. Cleaning one and ignoring the others is why results disappoint. The safest method is the one set by the weakest material on the wall, not the strongest. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.