Do you treat mortar joints separately?

The method is set by the mortar because it is nearly always the softest thing on the wall.

Can you get behind downpipes?

Yes, by hand. It is the part a sprayed pattern always misses.

Is a second visit ever needed?

For heavy lichen, a lighter second application later beats increasing pressure on the first.

Do you clean under the eaves?

The soffit line is in the spray path and gets a pass as part of the work.

Can you work while builders are on site?

Better after they finish, so their dust and debris does not land on clean work.

Should I fix the downpipe before or after?

Before, if it is the cause. Cleaning around a live leak puts the stain straight back.

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.

What about the windows afterwards?

Frames and glass in the spray path are wiped as the masking comes off.

Wall softwash for Walkhampton Village homes

Walkhampton Village, Devon - PL20

Walkhampton Village property owners usually call about colour rather than dirt. Growth flattens the tone of a granite finish long before anyone would call the wall unclean.

Quote for a Walkhampton Village property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm

How the work is actually carried out

1.Any window left open is closed, or that section is skipped and left for a second visit.
2.On thin-coat systems the lance is kept moving, because holding it still in one place is how a shadow mark gets left behind.
3.The elevation is walked first and anything loose, open or already failing is noted before a drop of water goes near it.
4.Ground-level splash marks are worked separately from the main face, since they are silt rather than growth.
5.Hoses run outside gates where children or dogs are about, and gates are closed behind us each time.
6.The wall is left to dry naturally rather than being wiped, which is what keeps the finish even.
7.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.
8.Paving, steps and paths below the elevation are rinsed clear at the end of the visit.
9.Between elevations the kit is rinsed so nothing dries in the line and blocks the fan pattern.
10.Where a property is rendered onto insulation, extra care goes into avoiding water at the bead edges.

Reading the finish on a Walkhampton Village elevation

Treatment kills lichen and lets it weather off, which is slower to look finished than a pressure wash but leaves the face intact.
Deeply rooted lichen on granite can take a full season to fade after treatment.
Pressure on granite blows out the joints long before it touches the stone.
Second lighter applications suit granite better than one strong pass.

The reasons behind the staining

Growth returns fastest where the underlying cause was never dealt with, which is usually water going somewhere it should not.
Mild damp winters here keep growth metabolising through months that would stop it in a colder, drier county.
Shading from a neighbouring building can matter more than the aspect of the wall itself.
A wall shielded by a car port dries slowly because it never sees direct sun or driven rain.
Silt washed down from the roof leaves a thin feeding layer on the render below.
Cold bridging at a lintel can keep a narrow band of render damper than everything around it.
Where a wall sits below a bank or a raised garden, water arrives at it sideways rather than from above.
A wall behind a dense fence panel is in still air permanently, and still air never dries anything quickly.
Nutrients from a nearby feeding lawn or planting drift onto a wall and give growth something to work with.

Practical points to sort first

Warn us about a soft lawn or an unmade drive so boards come on the van.
Point out any window that does not seal properly, so it gets sheeted rather than sprayed near.
Close and latch every window on the elevations being worked, including any small top lights.
Say if the property has a flat roof section that we would be working above.
Tell us if a fence panel is loose, because sheeting gets pegged to something solid.
Tell us if there is a low wall or a step at the base of the elevation that gets slippery.
Tell us about any planting you particularly care about at the base of the wall.
Say if the elevation is overlooked by a neighbouring window that should stay shut.

How the wall is read first

01The angle of morning sun on the elevation tells you how long it stays damp.
02Cracks are traced to their ends, because a crack that runs to an opening behaves differently from one that stops.
03The mortar is tested with a key at a discreet point, since soft mortar sets the whole method.
04A wall that feels chalky under the hand is telling you the coating has aged, not that it is dirty.
05Hollow-sounding render is checked by tapping before any water is put onto it.
06The state of the pointing is judged at the most exposed corner, not the most convenient one.
07Whether the growth has spread onto glass and frames tells you how long it has been established.
08Old repair patches are identified early, because they take treatment differently from the surrounding finish.

Questions Walkhampton Village owners ask

Do you treat mortar joints separately?: The method is set by the mortar because it is nearly always the softest thing on the wall.
Can you get behind downpipes?: Yes, by hand. It is the part a sprayed pattern always misses.
Is a second visit ever needed?: For heavy lichen, a lighter second application later beats increasing pressure on the first.
Do you clean under the eaves?: The soffit line is in the spray path and gets a pass as part of the work.
Can you work while builders are on site?: Better after they finish, so their dust and debris does not land on clean work.
Should I fix the downpipe before or after?: Before, if it is the cause. Cleaning around a live leak puts the stain straight back.
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.
What about the windows afterwards?: Frames and glass in the spray path are wiped as the masking comes off.

Walkhampton Village in plain facts

Access is usually via local lanes off A386.
Walkhampton sits about 0.3 miles from Walkhampton Village on our round, so visits are often shared.
Postcode district: PL20. County: Devon. Approx 10.4 miles from the PL3 base.
Typical wall finish here is granite, which sets the cleaning method.
PL20 covers 12 town hubs and 12 villages or districts in our radius.

See everywhere we cover in PL20

Within a short run of Walkhampton Village

Weekday or Saturday

We work Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm, so it does not have to eat into your working week.

Pick a day 07830 242403

Guides worth a look first

To sum up for PL20

The best time to book is before the wet months, not after them. A wall is part of a system that includes the roof above it and the ground below it. Anything that keeps a wall wet for longer will bring the growth back sooner, whatever product goes on it. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.