Is it safe around pets?

Keep them indoors during application and for a couple of hours after, and there is nothing to worry about.

Is thin-coat render different from sand and cement?

Yes, and it is more sensitive. Thin-coat systems get a weaker mix and a longer dwell rather than more pressure.

What if there is a wasp nest under the eaves?

We stop and leave that section. It gets picked up after the nest has been dealt with.

Will the colour come back?

If the original finish is sound, the colour underneath is usually still there and comes back with the growth removed.

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.

Can two elevations be done on separate days?

Yes, and splitting a larger property over two visits is normal.

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.

TQ7 - Devon - 16.7 miles from PL3

Green walls in West Alvington? Start here

A wall in West Alvington that has greened over is telling you where water sits. Hillside village just west of Kingsbridge, so the pattern of staining tends to repeat from one property to the next.

The wall finishes we meet around TQ7

Bead edges and stop ends on a rendered elevation are the details worth protecting from driven water.
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.
A test patch low down and out of sight is how failing paint is found deliberately.
Limewash over cob is sacrificial and will lift if treated as though it were masonry paint.
Where cob has been cement-rendered at some point, that render traps moisture and the wall behaves badly.

Conditions around West Alvington that feed growth

Mild damp winters here keep growth metabolising through months that would stop it in a colder, drier county.
Growth on a painted wall often sits on top of a paint film that has already begun to chalk.
Tree canopy overhead drips long after the rain has stopped and drops organic debris onto the wall face.
A wall behind a dense fence panel is in still air permanently, and still air never dries anything quickly.
Sheltered courtyards feel pleasant and dry slowly, which is a bad combination for a wall.
Where a wall was cleaned without a biocide, the regrowth is often patchier and faster than the original.
Silt washed down from the roof leaves a thin feeding layer on the render below.
A drying rack or store built against a wall keeps that panel of it permanently shaded.
North-east corners hold frost longest and thaw slowest, which extends the damp window every morning.

Checks made before anything is applied

01Anything that cannot be explained by water is treated with more caution, not less.
02A damp meter reading inside a stained corner separates a cleaning job from a building problem.
03The presence of moss rather than algae suggests standing water rather than damp air.
04Whether the growth has spread onto glass and frames tells you how long it has been established.
05A wall that is warmer than its neighbours on a cold morning is likely holding moisture.
06The first question is whether the staining sits on the surface or has gone into the material, because only one of those cleans off.
07A test patch at low strength shows what the surface will do before the full elevation commits to it.
08Any staining that continues below ground level is a drainage question, not a cleaning one.

What happens on the day

1.Heavy lichen gets a second lighter application on a later visit instead of an increase in pressure on the first.
2.Treatment goes on from the bottom of the elevation upwards, which stops clean streaks forming where liquid runs onto dry surface.
3.Cills, frames and glass are wiped down as the masking comes off, so nothing dries as a film on the joinery.
4.The treatment is mixed to the surface, not to a fixed recipe, and a delicate finish gets a weaker mix and a longer wait.
5.A wall backing onto a public pavement is worked at times that keep the spray arc away from passers-by.
6.Where a lean-to gutter runs at wall height, it is cleared first so it does not overflow mid-visit.
7.Downpipe backs and the strip of wall behind them are done by hand, because a sprayed pattern always misses them.
8.Boundary walls and gate piers are treated in the same visit only if they take the same method as the house.
9.Fence panels tight against a wall are wetted first so run-off does not sit on dry timber.
10.On render below a flat roof edge, the drip detail is checked, because a failed one puts the stain straight back.

Access and preparation

If you have a pond, a water butt or a wildlife area, point it out in advance.
Tell us where the drains run if the garden has a soakaway rather than a mains connection.
Tell us if a gutter has been overflowing, because that changes what we look at first.
If parking needs a permit or a bay suspension, tell us early.
Say whether the side passage is wide enough for a wheeled kit trolley.
Say if a conservatory or lean-to abuts the elevation, so glazing can be sheeted.
Let us know if a neighbour parks under the wall on certain days.
Point out any alarm sensor mounted externally on the elevation.

Coverage and travel

Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
Nearest full coverage hub: Kingsbridge (TQ7), South Hams District Council.
Recorded character: village. Hillside village just west of Kingsbridge.
Kingsbridge sits about 3.7 miles from West Alvington on our round, so visits are often shared.
Typical wall finish here is cob and painted render, which sets the cleaning method.

See everywhere we cover in TQ7

Straight answers before you book

Is it safe around pets?: Keep them indoors during application and for a couple of hours after, and there is nothing to worry about.
Is thin-coat render different from sand and cement?: Yes, and it is more sensitive. Thin-coat systems get a weaker mix and a longer dwell rather than more pressure.
What if there is a wasp nest under the eaves?: We stop and leave that section. It gets picked up after the nest has been dealt with.
Will the colour come back?: If the original finish is sound, the colour underneath is usually still there and comes back with the growth removed.
Do you need my electricity?: No. Kit runs off the van.
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.
Can two elevations be done on separate days?: Yes, and splitting a larger property over two visits is normal.
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.

Other Devon places on the same round

Where to go next

Ask about doing it in stages

Front now, the rest later is a perfectly sensible way to do it.

Ask about stages 07830 242403

The essentials

One elevation, two elevations or the whole property. The method does not change, only the time it takes. The quiet visit is the good one. Noise usually means pressure. Shade is not a fault in a house, but it is the reason one elevation always looks worse.

Quote for a West Alvington property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm