Ponsonby and Grey Lynn are villa country. Street after street of old timber houses, many over a hundred years old, sit on small sections with narrow side paths and neighbours close by. They're lovely houses, but old weatherboards, decorative trim and sash windows need careful washing.
Central Auckland is one of the areas we work in most, and we're available seven days a week, 7am to 7pm.
Washing a villa properly
The worst thing you can do to an old villa is hit it with a water blaster. High pressure gets under old paint, lifts it off in sheets and forces water into joints and behind the boards. Much of the paint on these houses is decades deep, and the bottom layers may contain lead.
So we soft wash instead. A cleaning solution breaks down the mould, algae and traffic grime, and a low-pressure rinse takes it away. It's slower than blasting, but the paint stays on the house. Fretwork, finials, bay windows and verandah posts get a gentle hand.
Common jobs here: - Grey film and black mould on the side of the house facing the neighbour, which never gets any sun - Traffic grime on street-facing walls along the busier roads - Moss on corrugated iron roofs and in the gutters, especially under big street trees - Front paths, steps and brick or concrete courtyards that are slippery in winter, which we water blast - Shopfronts, awnings and footpaths on Ponsonby Road and Great North Road, with commercial building washes booked at quiet times
Side access is often tight, sometimes under a metre.
Ponsonby and Grey Lynn FAQ
Can you wash a villa without damaging the paint? Sound paint is fine with a soft wash. If paint is already flaking, washing won't make it worse, but it won't fix it either. We'll show you any areas we're worried about before we start.
Do you need to get through the neighbour's property? Not usually. Where the gap is too tight, we may need to ask your neighbour for access to the far side, and we'd talk to you first.
Nearby
We also work in Mt Eden and Remuera. More about house washing in Auckland.
Call 027 303 8398 or email sales@classiccleaners.co.nz.