Exterior cleaning in Iwerne Minster

Roof cleaning deals with the sheltered pitch. Plain clay tile and concrete interlocking both grow moss on the sheltered pitch, and in this valley it is the north and east slopes that never properly dry out.

We take the bulk off dry, scraping it out of the laps and off the ridge by hand so it is not driven down the roof, then clear what falls into the gutter and the valley. A biocide goes on afterwards and does the slow work on the algae and lichen a scrape leaves behind. Pressure washing a roof forces water up under the laps and takes the face off a soft old tile, so we do not use it up there.

Nearly four in ten houses in the village predate 1919, and old flint, banded brickwork and stone bedded in lime get brushed and rinsed at very little pressure and nothing more. A lance held on a lime joint will empty it in seconds. The post-war houses at the edge of Iwerne Minster are mostly render or pebbledash and green over on the sheltered elevation first, and painted masonry, dry dash and modern silicone render all come up with a low pressure soft wash and a treatment.

Drives and paths are block paving, concrete flags, gravel edges and stone terraces with black spot lichen burnt into them. Block paving is jet washed properly and then re-sanded, because taking the joint sand out and leaving it out is how blocks start to rock. Stone and porcelain want a wider nozzle and less of it. The limes and beeches along the lanes fill gutters here every autumn, so book the gutters in Iwerne Minster ahead of the wall.

Before any water runs. Planting is watered and sheeted, the gully by the door and any open drain is covered, and vents, lights and letterboxes are protected. A biocide is a regulated product: we use it at the dilution on the label, on surfaces it is approved for, and we keep it out of drains, which is what the biocides regime the HSE administers and pollution prevention guidance both come down to. We would talk you out of sealing an old stone patio with damp sitting under it, and out of booking a clean every spring, because with a biocide behind it a proper wash holds here for two or three years.

Cleaning is not charged by the square metre. How long a wall takes depends on what has grown on it and for how long.

Growth under the trees. Iwerne Minster houses in the shade of the woods below Cranborne Chase stay damp, and a north wall can be green from end to end. Algae washes away quickly. Lichen and thick moss need a biocide brushed or sprayed on and left, and a return visit once it has done its work is sometimes worth quoting for.

How soft the wall is. Handmade brick, flint and lime pointing need far less force than modern render or concrete. Products are picked with that in mind and used within the biocides regime the HSE administers, so the lime is not harmed.

Reaching the high parts. A lance covers the ground floor. A roof slope or a high gable is done with a water-fed pole or from a tower, and the work at height rules settle which. A low cottage and a tall Victorian villa with a conservatory tucked against it are very different days.

Protecting what is round it. Borders against the walls, a garden pond, or a conservatory roof below all get covered before any washing starts.

Before you choose, ask any other firm how they will treat each surface, whether a biocide is in the price, whether a return visit is included, and where the dirty water goes.

We work from a base in Boscombe, 20.8 miles from Iwerne Minster. We clean houses in the village and along the Iwerne valley, out through Stourpaine and Blandford Forum and across the DT11 postcodes, under Dorset Council.

The company is Bournemouth Roofing & Building Ltd, registered in England and Wales with company number 15471719. Thomas Hannen, who owns it, looks at every surface and prices it himself. A customer verified by Checkatrade marked us 10 out of 10. The visit is free, and you get an itemised written quote at no charge. Before you book a visit in Iwerne Minster, you can read our customers' Google reviews, word for word, on our reviews page.

Most repairs in Iwerne Minster need no application at all. What decides whether a change to the outside of your house does is who the council is, whether a conservation area or a listing applies, and whether the place sits in a protected landscape.