Wall and render softwash near Strete
Coast-road village above Slapton Sands.
Cleaning walls in Strete is a slow, quiet job done at low pressure. It is nothing like a driveway wash, and on painted render and stone that difference is the whole point.
Working out what is wrong on a Strete wall
- 01A damp meter reading inside a stained corner separates a cleaning job from a building problem.
- 02Whether the property is exposed or sheltered is judged on the day, not from a map.
- 03Colour matters: green suggests algae, black suggests fungal spotting, grey-white crust suggests lichen.
- 04Nearby properties with the same finish are a useful reference for what is normal on that street.
- 05The condition of the cills tells you how much water has been running down the face.
- 06Where the pattern is a band at the top, the gutter line is doing it.
- 07Where paint is peeling in flakes rather than powdering, adhesion has already gone.
- 08The direction the growth thickens in points at the source of the moisture.
Material first, method second
- Patched render takes treatment differently from the original, which is why patches are identified before work starts.
- 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.
- Masonry paint over render adds a film that traps moisture if the substrate was damp when it was applied.
- Copings on stone boundary walls take the worst of the weather and the worst of the growth.
- Lime mortar in a stone wall is softer than the stone by design, and that design is worth respecting.
Why this keeps happening on TQ6 elevations
- A wall shielded by a car port dries slowly because it never sees direct sun or driven rain.
- A textured coating applied over an already dirty surface holds that dirt as a feeding layer.
- Growth thickest at head height usually means splash from a hard surface rather than run-off from above.
- A drying rack or store built against a wall keeps that panel of it permanently shaded.
- Cracked render lets water sit behind the face as well as on it, so the staining pattern follows the crack.
- Where a gutter joint weeps rather than pours, the stain is thin, vertical and very persistent.
- A split downpipe puts a single wet stripe down an elevation, and that stripe goes green months before anything either side of it.
- Salt-laden air roughens exposed surfaces slightly, and rougher surfaces hold more moisture.
- Airflow through a passage between two houses is fast but the passage itself is in permanent shade.
On site in Strete
- 1.Boundary walls and gate piers are treated in the same visit only if they take the same method as the house.
- 2.The elevation is walked first and anything loose, open or already failing is noted before a drop of water goes near it.
- 3.Where a property has solar panels on a wall-facing slope, the array is sheeted before treatment starts below.
- 4.Guttering above a worked elevation is checked for standing water, because a drip mid-treatment ruins an even finish.
- 5.Heavy lichen gets a second lighter application on a later visit instead of an increase in pressure on the first.
- 6.Where the growth sits mostly in the lower metre, that band is treated twice and the rest once.
- 7.The wall is left to dry naturally rather than being wiped, which is what keeps the finish even.
- 8.Where a wall has been previously jet washed, the damaged band is treated at a reduced strength.
- 9.Any surface that will be walked on afterwards is left rinsed rather than left with residue.
- 10.Where a pond or water feature sits below an elevation, it is covered and the run-off diverted well away from it.
Local detail that changes the job
- Modbury sits about 7.3 miles from Strete on our round, so visits are often shared.
- TQ6 covers 0 town hubs and 2 villages or districts in our radius.
- Nearest full coverage hub: Modbury (PL21), South Hams District Council.
- Access is usually via A379.
- Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
Preparing a coastal hamlet property
- Note where hoses can be run without crossing a doorway.
- Let us know whether the gutters have been cleared in the last couple of years.
- If you have a pond, a water butt or a wildlife area, point it out in advance.
- Mention shared access or a right of way that we will be crossing.
- Bring in washing, cushions and anything fabric that lives against the wall.
- Tell us about any previous treatment that came back quickly, and how quickly.
- Tell us about any planting you particularly care about at the base of the wall.
- Clear the base of the elevation of pots, ornaments and loose paving where you can.
Sequencing the outside of the house
Small repairs to pointing are best done after cleaning, when what needs doing is visible.
Roof work always precedes wall work, because everything released from the slope lands on the elevation below it.
Where a soakaway is already struggling, wall work is planned for a drier stretch.
Booking services out of order is the commonest reason a clean seems not to have lasted.
Asked most often in TQ6
- Will it damage the pointing?
- No. That is exactly what pressure does and softwash avoids.
- Can you clean a wall with an electric meter on it?
- Yes. The box is bagged before anything is applied around it.
- Will the drive get messy?
- Anything below the elevation is rinsed off before we finish.
- How is a quote put together?
- By elevation area, surface type and access, written down before anything starts.
- 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.
- Can the whole house be done in one go?
- Often, depending on size and access. Larger properties split naturally into two visits.
- Do you work on flats and shared buildings?
- Yes, with permission from whoever is responsible for the elevation.
- Is the water mains-fed?
- From your outside tap where there is one. Where there is not, we bring it with us.
Close to Strete
Strete wall softwash, in short
A treated wall keeps changing for a fortnight, which is the sign the method worked. A first clean is the heavy one. What follows is maintenance, and maintenance is quicker every time. A wall in poor condition is better found before cleaning than discovered halfway through. 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 Strete property
Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm