Northfield Conservatory Cleaning for 1990s Rear Additions
Northfield has plenty of conservatories and they share a strong family resemblance. They went up on the backs of these semis through the 1990s and 2000s, almost always white uPVC, usually with a polycarbonate roof in place of glass, and they are now twenty-five to thirty years old. The frames have weathered exactly as the window frames have, going grey and green, and the roof has been quietly filling with algae along every corrugation.
Access is unusually easy here, which is worth knowing before you ring anybody. Because these houses have a path running from the drive down to the back garden, we bring everything round the outside and never come through your hall. Nobody needs to be in, as long as the side gate is open.
- Service
- Conservatory Cleaning
- Area covered
- Northfield, B31
- Local authority
- Birmingham
- How we do it
- Soft wash on the roof, no pressure on seals or polycarbonate
- From our Selly Oak base
- About 12 minutes
- Price
- Quoted per property before we start (common questions)
- Booking
- Call or WhatsApp 07788 574283
Twin-wall polycarbonate roofs on 1990s B31 conservatories
Polycarbonate is what makes these roofs different. The twin-wall sheet used on nineties conservatories has flutes running down it, and algae colonises the shaded upper surface and the joints between sheets, which is why the roof looks striped instead of evenly dirty. Where a garden tree overhangs, sap and leaf tannin bake over the top of that and take longer to break down. The frames are the other half of the job: the same uPVC that has chalked on the front of the house has done the same at the back, and the glazing bars and ridge carry a black line of grime. Below all that, the conservatory gutter sits lower than the house run and blocks first.
- Twin-wall polycarbonate roofs where algae colonises the flutes and sheet joints, so it looks striped
- uPVC frames, glazing bars and ridge chalked and greyed after twenty-five years of weather
- Sap and leaf tannin baked over the algae where a garden tree overhangs the rear addition
- The conservatory gutter sitting low and blocking well before the house guttering does
- Slipped panels and hardened seals, common at this age and a repair matter, not a cleaning one
Low-pressure soft-washing for every roof type
Low pressure soft-washing, whatever the roof is made of. Solution goes on, gets the time it needs to break down algae and any tannin baked over it, then is rinsed off with pure water. Pressure is the thing to avoid on a roof of this age: it scores polycarbonate permanently, forces water past seals that have hardened, and can crack a glazing bar outright. Frames, bars, the ridge and any finials are cleaned by hand, side glazing and doors go with the same pure water system we use on windows, and the gutter along the conservatory is emptied and flushed as part of the price.
- Solution applied at low pressure and left to work, since force is what damages a roof of this age
- Frames, glazing bars, ridge and finials done by hand, and any perished seal pointed out to you
- Where a roof has sat green for a decade we say at the quote that two passes may be needed
- The little gutter along the conservatory emptied and flushed within the price, since it overflows first
More detail on the equipment and the order of work: conservatory cleaning across Birmingham.
Where the B31 conservatories are
They are spread right across Northfield: the estates towards Longbridge, the streets off Bristol Road South, and the roads on the higher ground to the south, where rear gardens run longer and the additions tend to be bigger. March and April are the natural months, with the room wanted bright before it comes back into use. We are about twelve minutes away, so a slot within the week is usually possible.
Plot size and years left green on a Northfield roof
Size, roof material and how many years it has been left set the price. A modest lean-to done every spring is quick. A large rear conservatory on one of the bigger plots, left green for eight years, needs two applications and takes most of a morning, so photographs tell us far more than a description. The real limitation is the sheet itself: on nineties polycarbonate, any yellowing is ultraviolet damage within the plastic, so the algae lifts off and the tint underneath does not change. Plenty of B31 roofs have reached that stage, so we raise it at the quote.
Every spring, and twice where a garden tree overhangs
Once a year suits most Northfield conservatories, timed for spring so the room is bright for the months you actually use it. Twice yearly earns its keep where a garden tree overhangs the roof, since sap and tannin sitting over the algae get harder to shift the longer they are left. The gutter benefits from the shorter interval whatever the roof looks like, because it overflows onto the frame and the patio well before the panels start looking bad.
Excellent job, highly recommended.
Nice man great at what he does
Northfield · Conservatory Cleaning
Frequently asked questions
The green on the upper surface comes off entirely. Amber or yellow in twin-wall sheet is ultraviolet damage to the plastic, and anything that has grown inside the flutes is sealed in there, so neither changes with a wash. New panels are the only fix for those, and we point that out at the quote so you know what the clean will and will not do.
No. High pressure scores polycarbonate permanently, and on twin-wall sheet it can force water into the flutes, where it then sits and grows algae from the inside out. We soft-wash at low pressure and let the solution do the work. It takes longer on the day and it is the only sensible way to treat a roof this old.
Yes, almost always in Northfield. These semis have a path from the drive round to the back garden, so the equipment goes round the outside. All we need is the side gate unlocked. You do not need to be in.
Both, and on a conservatory of this age the frames make as much difference as the panels do. Twenty-five years of weather leaves the uPVC greyed and the glazing bars carrying a black line of grime, and a bright roof above dingy frames still looks tired from the garden.
A couple of hours for a roof kept on an annual clean, and most of a morning for a large roof left green for years, which may need two applications. The time is set out with the quote, so you know how long we will be round the back.
Other cleaning we do in Northfield
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