Gentilly

Exterior cleaning in Gentilly

Gentilly is largely mid-century brick ranch housing on slab, single storey, set back from the street with open lots. Brick is a forgiving surface and the layout makes access easy, so the washing itself is straightforward. The weak point is the mortar, which on a house of this age is softer than the brick and erodes out of the joint under high pressure.

What we focus on here

• Brick washing matched to mortar age
• Gutter clearing and downspout testing
• Driveways, carports, and walkways
• Fence and patio washing

Low profile, flat ground, and where water sits

Single-storey and flat ground means gutters and downspouts carry the whole load of moving water away, and there is no slope helping them. A downspout discharging at the base of the wall puts water against the slab edge. We clear the runs, test that every downspout actually flows, and flag anywhere an extension would help.

Brick is easy, its mortar is not

Fired brick handles cleaning well and mid-century brick is hard and consistent. The joints between it are the limit. Mortar on a house of this age is softer than the brick by design, and a jet held on a joint erodes it noticeably in seconds. Repointing an elevation costs many times what the wash did.

The working rule is the lowest pressure that does the job, the spray kept moving, and never held square onto a joint. Growth on brick is organic and comes off with a solution, so force is not what is needed anyway.

Carports, drives, and flat ground

Single-storey housing on open lots means a lot of horizontal surface: driveways, carport slabs, patios and walkways, usually more square footage than the walls. Those take a surface cleaner rather than a wand, which is what stops a slab drying in visible arcs. Carport slabs in particular collect oil drips, and oil needs a degreaser and dwell time rather than pressure, because it has soaked into the concrete rather than sitting on it.