Exterior cleaning in Balgowlah

Inter-war and post-war brick bungalows on the Woodbine and Maretimo Street slopes, a run of 1960s to 1980s walk-up blocks along Sydney Road and Condamine Street, and newer townhouse developments around the village. Most of what we clean here dates from 1920s to 1960s with recent medium-density infill, on gentle sandstone slopes draining to Burnt Bridge Creek and Manly Lagoon.

We work around Stockland Balgowlah on Sydney Road, Balgowlah Oval, Burnt Bridge Creek and Condamine Street shops, on streets such as Sydney Road, Condamine Street, Woodbine Street, Maretimo Street and Griffiths Street. The defining exterior problem is mould on the south face of painted brick and render, lichen-spotted concrete paths and driveways, and salt haze on the glass of the higher homes that look east to the ocean.

The suburbs one ridge back from the surf, such as Queenscliff, Balgowlah, Allambie Heights, Beacon Hill, Cromer, Collaroy Plateau, Elanora Heights and Bilgola Plateau, get the salt haze on ocean-facing glass without the full battering, and the mould and lichen that come with sea-level humidity.

Field note from Balgowlah. Balgowlah's painted brick from the 1950s chalks if you pressure wash it; we soft wash it with a biocide and a 40-degree fan at arm's length, which lifts the mould and leaves the paint film whole. Nathan G, Founder

Planning and site constraints we check in Balgowlah:

• Burnt Bridge Creek corridor drains to Manly Lagoon, so run-off control is enforced
• Pockets of heritage-listed Inter-war housing

Run-off. Anything washed off a Balgowlah property ends up in Manly Lagoon via Burnt Bridge Creek unless it is stopped at the kerb. Northern Beaches Council enforces the NSW EPA rule that wash water, detergent and sediment stay out of stormwater, so we bund drains, capture run-off and vacuum-recover on sealed or commercial sites. More in our stormwater guide.