Do you clean garages and outbuildings?

Yes, if they are part of the same visit and take the same method.

Does anyone need to be home?

No. It is outside work. Access to the elevations, ideally an outside tap, and windows shut for the visit.

Is it worth cleaning a wall in winter?

Yes. Cool damp conditions suit the method, and heavy rain during application is the only real obstacle.

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.

What about the neighbour's side?

We only work surfaces you own or have permission for, and we check before spraying near a boundary.

Will the treatment harm my planting?

Beds are wetted down first so run-off arrives diluted, and rinsing is directed away from anything growing.

Can you work around a conservatory?

The glazing is sheeted first and given a rinse at the end.

Do you need scaffolding?

Rarely. Most elevations are reached from the ground with a telescopic lance.

Yelverton Village walls: method before pressure

Yelverton Village, Devon - PL20

A wall in Yelverton Village that has greened over is telling you where water sits. Roundabout village on the western Dartmoor gateway, so the pattern of staining tends to repeat from one property to the next.

Quote for a Yelverton Village property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm

How the work is actually carried out

1.Vents, extractor terminals and trickle vents get taped, because water pushed into them is the one thing that turns an exterior job into an interior one.
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 lean-to gutter runs at wall height, it is cleared first so it does not overflow mid-visit.
4.The lower band of an elevation is checked for salt or silt staining, which is rinsed rather than treated.
5.Where a property is rendered onto insulation, extra care goes into avoiding water at the bead edges.
6.Ridge and verge debris that has landed on the wall head is brushed off dry before anything wet goes on.
7.Work stops if a wall turns out to be wetter inside than out, because cleaning is not the answer to that.
8.Any electric meter box, alarm bell or external socket is bagged before the lance comes out.
9.Fence panels tight against a wall are wetted first so run-off does not sit on dry timber.
10.Where a wall carries a satellite dish or cable run, the fixings are checked before they get wet.

Reading the finish on a Yelverton Village elevation

Thin-coat systems are thinner than people assume, and a jet held still in one place leaves a permanent shadow.
Where render sits over insulation, the wall is more sensitive still and the mix is weakened accordingly.
Masonry paint over render adds a film that traps moisture if the substrate was damp when it was applied.
Gloss-painted details like cills are wiped rather than sprayed.
The mortar between granite blocks is usually lime, which sets the whole method for the wall.
Second lighter applications suit granite better than one strong pass.

The reasons behind the staining

An untreated wall carries a spore load already, so regrowth after a rinse is faster than first growth ever was.
A patio laid up against a wall reflects splash onto it every time it rains hard.
North-east corners hold frost longest and thaw slowest, which extends the damp window every morning.
A downpipe discharging onto a hard surface next to the wall sends the water straight back at the brickwork.
Pebbledash holds water in the shadow of every stone, so it stays damp long after a flat render has dried.
Render laid over a colder substrate holds surface condensation into the morning.
Where a wall carries a heavy climbing plant, the fabric behind it is nearly always damper than the rest.
Growth that appears in a neat rectangle usually marks something that was leaning against the wall.
Lichen anchors into the surface rather than resting on it, which is why brushing achieves nothing and pressure achieves damage.

Practical points to sort first

Tell us if a gutter has been overflowing, because that changes what we look at first.
Mention whether the drive drains to a soakaway that already struggles in heavy rain.
Point out any alarm sensor mounted externally on the elevation.
Point out ground-floor windows that are painted shut, as they need different masking.
Note any external socket or garden power run near the base of the wall.
If a security light or camera covers the elevation, tell us so it can be isolated.
Close and latch every window on the elevations being worked, including any small top lights.
Say whether the side passage is wide enough for a wheeled kit trolley.

How the wall is read first

01Where a wall meets a roof abutment, the flashing is looked at first.
02Whether the growth has spread onto glass and frames tells you how long it has been established.
03Where paint is peeling in flakes rather than powdering, adhesion has already gone.
04Weep holes are counted and checked for blockage while the wall is being read.
05Efflorescence is distinguished from lichen before anything is applied, since one is salt and one is alive.
06A wall that is warmer than its neighbours on a cold morning is likely holding moisture.
07A test patch at low strength shows what the surface will do before the full elevation commits to it.
08The angle of morning sun on the elevation tells you how long it stays damp.

Questions Yelverton Village owners ask

Do you clean garages and outbuildings?: Yes, if they are part of the same visit and take the same method.
Does anyone need to be home?: No. It is outside work. Access to the elevations, ideally an outside tap, and windows shut for the visit.
Is it worth cleaning a wall in winter?: Yes. Cool damp conditions suit the method, and heavy rain during application is the only real obstacle.
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.
What about the neighbour's side?: We only work surfaces you own or have permission for, and we check before spraying near a boundary.
Will the treatment harm my planting?: Beds are wetted down first so run-off arrives diluted, and rinsing is directed away from anything growing.
Can you work around a conservatory?: The glazing is sheeted first and given a rinse at the end.
Do you need scaffolding?: Rarely. Most elevations are reached from the ground with a telescopic lance.

Yelverton Village in plain facts

Postcode district: PL20. County: Devon. Approx 8.4 miles from the PL3 base.
Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
PL20 covers 12 town hubs and 12 villages or districts in our radius.
Recorded character: village. Roundabout village on the western Dartmoor gateway.
Access is usually via A386.

See everywhere we cover in PL20

Within a short run of Yelverton 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

A wall is part of a system that includes the roof above it and the ground below it. Low pressure is not a compromise. On render it is the only sensible option. Softwash trades speed for safety on the finish, and that trade is worth making on any coated wall. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.