House soft washing in West Creek

What you might be looking at

• Green or grey film on the shaded side of the house that a hose will not touch
• Dark spotting on soffits and porch ceilings that has spread since last summer
• A salt haze that dulls the whole elevation facing the ocean

Why this comes up in West Creek

Here is what makes West Creek particular: two different environments along one road. Up near Route 9 the ground is higher and genuinely wooded, so the load is needles, sap and shade. Out toward the creek mouth the lots sit low against the meadow, where salt haze carries in off the bay and high water leaves silt behind.

Older village stock along Route 9 and the side streets, a good deal of it painted wood with porches and detail work, alongside newer waterfront infill out along Dock Road toward the creek.

Practicalities in West Creek

Generous lots in the village with room to work. Ground gets softer and lots tighter toward the meadow, which limits where a rig can be staged on the waterfront end.

Coating work needs a permit through Eagleswood Township, and no municipality in New Jersey will issue one to an unregistered contractor.

How it is normally done

A soft wash is low pressure and a cleaning solution, not a pressure washer pointed at the house. The crew should be rinsing salt off the elevation before anything is applied, keeping the solution off plantings, and working top down so nothing dries on the way. Pressure is what forces water behind siding and up under shingle butts, and on an island where wind-driven rain already tests every seam, that is the last thing a wall needs.