Case Study:Navigating Access Issues to Complete Façade Cleaning in One Week

During a longstanding renovation project, a five-storey residential block in Croydon required extensive render, brick and façade cleaning services.

Read how our Spectrum team applied patented pole DOFF cleaning techniques to overcome several challenges and return the property to a “like new” condition in just one week.

The Logistics

Building on a positive working relationship with AD Construction Group, we received a call to help clean a property undergoing renovation and construction.

During our pre-site assessment, we noticed the following challenges:

• The property is opposite a school, restricting parking and operating vehicles from the roadside.
• A high volume of pedestrians required us to keep the pavement clear.
• Using patented poles and DOFF cleaning with biocide treatment was required to clean the extent of dirt, grime, and dust on the property exterior.

After quoting for this job several times over the years, the budget and changing scope of work enabled us to finally assist the project with our high-quality and cost-effective external building cleaning solutions.

The Project

Following the long-term refurbishment of the property, a mixture of dirt, debris and dust from the various construction and contractors had accumulated across the windows, render, bricks, soffits and window ledges. The stone accents were also heavily stained due to general wear and tear.

Due to working on an active construction site, we had to go through routine compliance regulations. This process included signing into the client welfare office before being shown site inductions, safety and signing permits for vehicles and locations. As an active construction site, we required additional permission to access the property and worked within a daily sign-in/out policy. 

After completing all the paperwork and policy, we agreed on the start day and area with the client, so the liaison officer could notify the residents. We also had to communicate with the other two/three contractors on site to make sure our work didn’t disturb or cause obstruction. 

Once our schedule and strategy were in place, we established a safe system of work by setting up the necessary exclusion zones on the pavements.

The team applied biocide treatment across the various substrates before using specialist DOFF steam techniques to wash and clean the surface. For the best results, we apply the biocide from top to bottom and leave it for enough time to penetrate the dirt and grime from the surface of the walls. Our specialised patented pole equipment enabled us to reach all the areas without scaffolding, saving the client time and money.

The Site

The five-storey property is in a busy residential area on Sydenham Road, Croydon, opposite a high school and with high volumes of pedestrians and traffic. The main road was narrow and often busy, even during the day.

Challenges

Due to its busy location, one of our first challenges was accessing the building with numerous resident cars parked and other contractors on-site. This situation relied on direct correspondence with the liaison officer to notify the residents to move their cars when scheduled, as we didn’t want to risk damage. Despite our efforts to communicate, some residents had left their cars in the car park. So, we had to adapt our plans to remain productive and return to restricted access areas when appropriate.

While this is a frustrating situation when trying to deliver high-quality external building cleaning services, it’s a scenario we’ve encountered before and have no issues overcoming. Being prepared for these issues and showing adaptability to work around the restrictions makes Spectrum an organisation with a reputation for exceeding expectations.

Due to working on an active construction site, there were two to three other contractors to consider and work around. As these contractors were finishing tasks, we had to wait to apply the biocide treatment until their work was complete. Scaffolding also obstructed our cleaning of some façade areas. Waiting for the contractors to finish renovations, we set aside a half day to return and apply any final touches. 

The Result

All the obstructions and access restrictions meant we had to communicate constantly with the client, contractors, and residents to successfully complete the cleaning job without disturbing others. 

Here’s a brief overview of our building cleaning process from start to finish:

• We inspected and assessed the site to establish the best cleaning strategy.
• The team signed various permits and safety inductions to adhere to the regulations of the construction site.
• We applied biocide treatment on the building walls from top to bottom to remove the dirt, dust, and grime on the property exterior.
• Using our patented pole equipment and DOFF steam cleaning capabilities, we washed off the biocide treatment to return the property aesthetic to a “like new” condition.
• Overall, the team demonstrated expert and efficient cleaning standards across various building features and substrates, including windows, render, and brick.  

Thanks to our scaffold-free cleaning solutions, the client was able to remove the scaffolding two weeks earlier than expected, saving significant costs.

If you'd like to learn more about our façade cleaning services, contact Spectrum today and receive a free assessment.