Our Work
Case studies, the diagnostic way.
Most quote conversations hinge on one unspoken question. Each job below names that question, then shows what the answer actually was.
Coastal home — descriptive placeholder until real photos are supplied-
Surfers Paradise, QLD
Exterior soft-wash, Surfers Paradise canal townhouse
Buyer's question "Will high pressure crack my render or blow my window seals?"
- The brief
- Three-storey canal-front townhouse with render and rendered-block walls. The waterline-facing elevation had gone grey-green with salt and mould, and the body corporate wanted it presentable before a unit went to market. Owner was nervous about pressure cleaning near the large windows and the rendered parapet.
- What we found
- Mould and salt film were surface only — the render coating underneath was sound, no blistering or hollow spots. A little efflorescence at the base of the canal-side wall from constant moisture, which a wash won't permanently fix but does clean back. Window seals were intact.
- What we did
- Masked nothing we didn't need to, closed all openings, and worked off a platform for the upper level. Soft-wash detergent matched to the render, dwelled to kill the mould at the root, then a low-pressure top-down rinse — no high-pressure anywhere near the glass or the render. Hand-detailed the entry and the balustrades.
- Result
- Walls came back to their original off-white in a day. We flagged the efflorescence in writing so the owner understood it's a moisture symptom that'll return, not something the wash failed to remove. Unit photographed the following week.
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Burleigh Heads, QLD
Tile roof restoration, Burleigh Heads headland house
Buyer's question "Three roofers said I need a whole new roof — do I really?"
- The brief
- Tired-looking concrete tile roof on a headland house that cops the salt air. Owner was getting the property valued and the agent flagged the roof in the curb-appeal walkthrough. Three other quotes said the roof needed replacing.
- What we found
- Tiles were structurally fine — the cracking was confined to the ridge pointing and a handful of cap tiles, not the body of the roof. Underlayment intact where we could inspect. The 'replace it' quotes had been written from the kerb, not from on the roof. Salt build-up on the windward face was cosmetic, not structural.
- What we did
- Replaced eleven slipped or cracked tiles with colour-matched stock. Re-bedded the ridge caps where the mortar had failed. Re-pointed in flexible pointing. Soft-washed the surface and applied a protective membrane in heritage red. Two-coat application over three days, weather window watched against the onshore wind.
- Result
- Roof now reads as restored rather than replaced. Owner saved around twenty-four thousand dollars against the re-roof quote. Agent's photos went up two weeks later. The QBCC-licensed scope was itemised because the job cleared the $3,300 threshold.
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Palm Beach, QLD
Exposed-aggregate driveway clean and reseal, Palm Beach
Buyer's question "Has this gone too far? Do I need to replace the driveway?"
- The brief
- Long exposed-aggregate driveway facing east, a few streets back from the beach. Owners said the surface was 'dusting' — small stones coming loose underfoot. Wanted to know if it could be saved or needed replacing.
- What we found
- Dusting was from the surface binder breaking down after about twelve years of UV and salt exposure, but the substrate was sound. No structural cracking, no movement. The previous sealer had worn off entirely in the tyre tracks, which had then aged faster.
- What we did
- Pressure-cleaned at a soft pressure suited to exposed aggregate. Let it dry properly — three full days because of the late autumn humidity. Applied two coats of penetrating sealer, no surface film, in a satin finish. Walked the owner around the cured surface before signing off.
- Result
- Surface stabilised, colour deepened slightly (we showed a test patch first so they knew what to expect), and the dusting stopped. Expected sealer life: three to five years given the exposure. Owner now on our reminder list for the next reseal.
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Banora Point, NSW
Roof clean, Banora Point hill house
Buyer's question "Will pressure cleaning wreck my roof tiles?"
- The brief
- Dark mould stripes running down the tiles from the ridge, cocos palms overhanging the roof, gutters overflowing in the last big rain. The owners wanted a quote for 'cleaning the roof'.
- What we found
- Loose ridge pointing on the eastern run, two cracked tiles near the valley, and a blocked downpipe at the rear corner where palm-frond seed clusters had built up over two seasons. Tiles themselves were structurally sound.
- What we did
- Treated with roof-safe biocide and dwelled fifteen minutes. Soft-washed at low pressure top-to-bottom. Cleared gutters and flushed downpipes. Photographed the loose pointing and cracked tiles, scoped them as a separate restoration line on the quote so the owner could decide whether to fix now or later.
- Result
- Roof looks fresh, gutters are flowing properly into summer storm season, the owner has photos of the pointing issue for their records. They booked the small restoration the following week.
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Kingscliff, NSW
Soft-wash house wash, Kingscliff holiday rental
Buyer's question "Will pressure cleaning take my paint off?"
- The brief
- Holiday rental dropping bookings since the previous owner. Render had gone black on the south-east wall facing the river. Listing photos were two years old and didn't match the current state of the place.
- What we found
- Mould was surface only — the paint underneath was sound. A bit of paint flaking on the western bargeboards from UV. No water-ingress signs around the windows or eaves.
- What we did
- Closed all openings, moved outdoor furniture, dropped sheets on the deck. Treated with soft-wash detergent appropriate to the render, dwelled to break the mould at the root, low-pressure rinsed top-down. Hand-scrubbed the front door and front pavers. Photographed the bargeboards for the owner so they know what's coming next.
- Result
- Same-day result. Owner had photographer back within a fortnight, listing photos refreshed. They reported bookings recovering within the next two months.
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Pottsville, NSW
Bushfire-rated gutter guard, Pottsville bushland edge
Buyer's question "Will gutter guard mean I never have to clean my gutters again? (Honestly: no.)"
- The brief
- Bushland-interface block backing onto the koala corridor. Owners had been cleaning their own gutters twice a year and finding gum leaves, paperbark and the occasional bird's nest. RFS hazard-reduction season approaching.
- What we found
- Gutters in good condition but full of eucalyptus litter, and one downpipe outlet partially nested. No protected-tree concerns for the work itself — the install doesn't touch the trees, just the roof line. Pitch on the front run was steep enough we set up a small platform.
- What we did
- Cleared the gutters and flushed downpipes first — guard goes on clean gutters, never over debris. Sized and fitted powder-coated aluminium mesh with the BAL-rated aperture (finer mesh, ember-zone appropriate, mild trade-off in flow rate). Saddled the downpipe outlets so seed clusters can't slip into the pipe. Trimmed and sealed all corners.
- Result
- Annual cleaning workload effectively halved. Bushfire-zone ember entry to the gutter cavity blocked. Owner sent a thank-you message after the first wet-and-windy week with no gutter overflow.
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Byron Bay, NSW
Roof clean under the tree canopy, Byron Bay
Buyer's question "Can you clean around my protected trees without getting me in trouble with council?"
- The brief
- Coastal house tucked under a mature tree canopy a few streets from the town centre. Roof had gone dark with mould and lichen, and leaf litter was constant. Owner wanted it cleaned before a family event but was worried about run-off into the garden and about the protected trees overhanging the roof.
- What we found
- Heavy lichen on the southern, shaded pitch and a thick mat of leaf litter in the valleys and gutters. Tiles sound underneath. Two of the overhanging branches were on protected species under Byron Shire's vegetation rules — not ours to touch, so we worked around them rather than near them.
- What we did
- Cleared the valleys and gutters by hand first, bagged the green waste. Treated the lichen with a roof-safe biocide and let it dwell, then soft-washed at low pressure top-to-bottom. Controlled the run-off away from the garden beds and the tank inlet. Left the protected branches alone and noted in writing that any trimming needs a qualified arborist and council sign-off.
- Result
- Roof came back clean for the event, gutters flowing before the next downpour. Owner got a clear written note on the protected trees so they know to call an arborist, not a roof cleaner, if they want the branches managed.
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