Terraces, façades and roofs
The green film settling on the paving, the black streak under the gutter, the dull gate: all of it can be turned back.
Two ways to strip the dirt
Pressure washing suits hard, sound surfaces: concrete slabs, block paving, low walls, outdoor steps, metal gates, cladding in good order. The result is immediate and spectacular, but the lance is unforgiving: on soft stone, a tired joint or an old wood stain, it carves. That is why I look at the surface before the machine comes out.
Greying and moss treatments work differently: a suitable product is applied, left to act, and the moss and lichen die back and wash away with the following rains. It takes longer to show its full effect but treats a timber deck, a roof or natural stone far more kindly — and the result outlasts a purely mechanical strip.
Roofs and gutters are a case apart. Clearing the gutters — leaves, moss, nests — is done by hand from a safe access and ends with a flow check. On roofs, work is limited to moss removal reachable without scaffolding: beyond that it is a roofer's job, and I say so rather than improvising at height.
Ponds and garden furniture round off the family: green walls, resin or teak garden sets left out all winter, plancha grills and barbecues.
How an outdoor job runs
Surface check
Material, condition of the joints, presence of paint or stain: that is what decides the method.
Protection
Sensitive planting, joinery and openings are sheeted before the pressure goes on.
Treatment
A full pass, zone by zone, going back over the corners and joints the lance reaches poorly.
Rinse and removal
General rinse, loosened moss collected, green waste taken to the recycling centre.
Outdoors: what to know
Is there a right season for this?
Moss treatment works best in spring and autumn, when damp helps the product soak in and the rains that follow finish the job. Pressure washing can be done all year as long as there is no frost. Around Toulouse the driest weeks of summer are the worst moment: the product evaporates before it acts.
Do you need water and electricity?
Yes, a tap and a socket reachable from the area to be treated. If your terrace sits far from the building, let me know: I bring extension leads and a long enough hose, but that has to be known before the van is loaded.
Can a timber deck take this treatment?
Not at high pressure: the lance tears the fibre and leaves a furry surface for good. Decking boards are cleaned with a brush and a greying remover, then rinsed at low pressure. It takes longer and costs more in labour, but a deck never recovers from the other method.
The rest of the outside
Send me a photo of the terrace
Two pictures and the rough surface area are enough for me to know which method to use and how long it will take.