What to expect from our lewes power washing service
Wedged between the Downs and the Ouse, Lewes is one of the more interesting places we work. We clean paths, courtyards and patios in the twittens off the High Street and School Hill, driveways on the estates around Nevill and Landport, and larger properties out towards Kingston, Cooksbridge, Ringmer and Barcombe.
A great deal of the town sits in a conservation area, and the buildings reflect it — flint and brick walls, knapped flint frontages, old lime mortar, York stone thresholds, tile-hung elevations and steep slate or clay roofs. None of that takes the pressure a modern concrete drive shrugs off, so on period property we drop the pressure, change the nozzle, and rely on treatment rather than force.
Everything is measured and priced in person, free of charge. On a historic property that visit matters — knowing what a surface actually is before the machine comes off the van is the difference between a good clean and an expensive repair.
What a Lewes job typically involves
We look after the whole exterior. In Lewes that typically means courtyards, steps, paths and terraces rather than large driveways, plus a roofline package taking in gutters, fascias, soffits and windows in one visit. On the newer estates we also do plenty of conventional block paving drives, cleaned, re-sanded, weed treated and sealed.
- Driveway jet washing — block paving, concrete, imprinted concrete and tarmac
- Patio, courtyard, step and path cleaning, including York stone and brick
- Flint and brick wall cleaning at controlled low pressure
- Timber and composite decking cleaning
- Roof moss removal by hand scrape, followed by biocide treatment
- Gutter clearing, cast iron repairs and full replacement
- Soffit and fascia cleaning, repair and refits
- Window cleaning with pure water, including sash frames and sills
Flint, lime mortar and looking after old fabric
Flint walls and lime-mortared brickwork are common in Lewes, and both are easily ruined by a pressure washer in the wrong hands. Lime mortar is deliberately softer than the stone around it, so high pressure washes it straight out of the joint — once that happens, water gets into the wall and the repair costs far more than the clean ever did.
On historic fabric we use low pressure and the right cleaning agent, applied and left to dwell, then rinsed gently. Algae and lichen on flint respond well to that. We'll always say if a wall needs repointing before it's cleaned rather than after, and we'll decline to blast something if blasting it would cause damage.
The setting adds its own problems too. Chalk and hard water leave scale and lime bloom on stone and glass, the river valley keeps humidity high, and the steep shaded twittens stay damp year round — ideal conditions for green growth on steps and paths, a genuine slip hazard on a hill town. Those surfaces are cleaned and then treated so regrowth slows.
Out from the town centre
Beyond Lewes town we work regularly in Kingston, Cooksbridge, Ringmer, Barcombe, Glynde, Firle, Plumpton, Ditchling, Newick and Chailey, and further across Sussex and the South East for larger jobs. Being on the road between Burgess Hill and the coast every week means a Lewes enquiry is easy for us to fit in.
Narrow lanes, steps, shared courtyards and no parking are all normal in the older parts of town. Our vans carry their own water and generator, we run hoses tidily and keep pavements and passageways clear, and we stage larger jobs so access is never blocked for long.
We also work for commercial and community clients — shop frontages, pub patios and courtyards, offices, school paving and communal areas for property management companies — usually early morning or around opening hours.
Getting started
Ring us or send the enquiry form and we'll arrange a time to come and look. On the visit we identify the materials, assess the mortar and pointing, flag anything worth knowing, and send a written price, usually the same day.
Most domestic jobs are a single day. Sealing paving or oiling decking needs a dry surface, so that returns as a short second visit. On period property we'll sometimes suggest a test patch first, so you can see the result before committing to the whole area.
No obligation, nothing added at the end, and a straight answer if we think a surface should be repaired rather than cleaned.
