Will treatment damage a wildlife pond?

Ponds are sheeted and run-off is diverted well away from them.

What about the smell for neighbours?

Mild and short-lived, and we avoid boundary elevations when someone next door has washing out.

Do you cover air bricks the whole time?

Covered while the wall around them is worked and uncovered before we go.

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.

Do you jet wash walls?

Not on render, pebbledash or paint. Pressure takes the finish off with the growth and brings the problem back sooner.

Is it safe around pets?

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

Will the drive get messy?

Anything below the elevation is rinsed off before we finish.

PL8 - Devon - 7.6 miles from PL3

Cleaning tired walls in Yealmpton Village

Most enquiries from Yealmpton Village start with one elevation that has gone darker than the rest. Nine times out of ten the reason is how long that face stays damp, not how dirty it is.

The wall finishes we meet around PL8

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.
Painted masonry can be cleaned, though a paint film that has already lost adhesion will lift where it was going to fail anyway.
Where a painted wall has been patch-repainted, the patches clean at a different rate.
Rubble stone walls have deep joints that hold moisture and feed growth from within the joint.
Cleaning stone reveals natural colour variation, which some owners expect to be uniform and it never is.

Conditions around Yealmpton Village that feed growth

Render that has lost its water repellency absorbs and holds surface water instead of shedding it.
A blocked weep hole means the cavity drains through the face instead of out of the hole.
Washing without a biocide simply resets the clock and leaves the roots in place.
Hedging planted tight to a wall cuts airflow, and still air is the same as slow drying.
Where a wall was cleaned without a biocide, the regrowth is often patchier and faster than the original.
Pebbledash holds water in the shadow of every stone, so it stays damp long after a flat render has dried.
Silt washed down from the roof leaves a thin feeding layer on the render below.
Salt spray does not itself grow, but it roughens and holds damp, which is the same outcome.
A wall shielded by a car port dries slowly because it never sees direct sun or driven rain.

Checks made before anything is applied

01A short section of hose test shows whether run-off drains away or ponds at the base.
02The elevation is read from the pavement first and from a metre away second.
03The condition of the cills tells you how much water has been running down the face.
04The age of the finish is estimated before a strength of mix is chosen.
05Nearby properties with the same finish are a useful reference for what is normal on that street.
06Whether the property is exposed or sheltered is judged on the day, not from a map.
07How quickly a splash of water darkens the surface says how porous the finish has become.
08Photographs taken before work provide the reference for judging the result later.

What happens on the day

1.Painted elevations get a small test patch first, low down and out of sight, so failing paint is found deliberately rather than by accident.
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.On render below a flat roof edge, the drip detail is checked, because a failed one puts the stain straight back.
4.The wall is left to dry naturally rather than being wiped, which is what keeps the finish even.
5.Chimney stacks are treated from a position that keeps the operator off the roof covering entirely.
6.Areas that stay stubborn after full dwell are left to weather rather than pushed harder on the day.
7.Cable clips, aerial brackets and old fixings are noted, and loose ones are left rather than pushed further.
8.Every hose junction is checked before pressure goes on, because a burst at a coupling floods a border.
9.Reach is taken from the ground with a telescopic lance wherever the elevation allows, which keeps ladders off soft render.
10.Any window left open is closed, or that section is skipped and left for a second visit.

Access and preparation

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.
If a security light or camera covers the elevation, tell us so it can be isolated.
Clear the base of the elevation of pots, ornaments and loose paving where you can.
Say whether the property is occupied during the day, since that changes nothing technically but helps the plan.
Mention any glazing you already know is cracked before work starts.
Let us know if anyone in the house works nights and needs quiet at a particular time.
Mention any cladding or timber detail that you would rather was left alone.

Coverage and travel

PL8 covers 5 town hubs and 8 villages or districts in our radius.
Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
Typical wall finish here is painted render and stone, which sets the cleaning method.
Recorded character: village. River Yealm crossing on the A379.
Postcode district: PL8. County: Devon. Approx 7.6 miles from the PL3 base.

See everywhere we cover in PL8

Asked most often in PL8

Will treatment damage a wildlife pond?: Ponds are sheeted and run-off is diverted well away from them.
What about the smell for neighbours?: Mild and short-lived, and we avoid boundary elevations when someone next door has washing out.
Do you cover air bricks the whole time?: Covered while the wall around them is worked and uncovered before we go.
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.
Do you jet wash walls?: Not on render, pebbledash or paint. Pressure takes the finish off with the growth and brings the problem back sooner.
Do you need my electricity?: No. Kit runs off the van.
Is it safe around pets?: Keep them indoors during application and for a couple of hours after, and there is nothing to worry about.
Will the drive get messy?: Anything below the elevation is rinsed off before we finish.

Close to Yealmpton Village

Useful pages alongside this one

Start with the worst elevation

Most enquiries begin with one side of the house. That is a sensible place to start.

Start there 07830 242403

Yealmpton Village wall softwash, in short

The point is not a clean wall for a fortnight. It is a wall that stays clean because the roots went with the surface growth. Small jobs get the same sequence as large ones, just fewer elevations. One elevation, two elevations or the whole property. The method does not change, only the time it takes. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.

Quote for a Yealmpton Village property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm