Sandstone cleaning and sealing in Clovelly

Clovelly is more densely built than most of Australia: around seven in ten dwellings are units, flats, semi-detached houses, terraces or townhouses. Streets such as Clovelly Road, Burnie Street, Arden Street, Mundarrah Street and Fern Street run down toward Clovelly Bay, a narrow inlet of the ocean with the beach at its head. Burrows Park sits on the southern side, the Clovelly Bowling Club occupies a clifftop site, and the surf club dates from 1906. The Clovelly Hotel is a local landmark. On a typical Clovelly property, sandstone means front steps and low walls, side paths between semis, small courtyards and the shared entries of unit blocks.

The ocean reaches deep into the suburb along the narrow bay, so salt is never far away, even several streets back from the water. On steps and walls facing the water, it shows as grey crust and white bloom. The other problem comes from density. Semis and terraces built close together leave narrow side passages and courtyards that get little sun, and those spaces stay damp and grow mould and algae on walls and paving. Paths become slippery after rain. In unit blocks, shared steps and paths take heavy traffic and bins, and are often cleaned with a pressure washer that roughens the stone and speeds up the problem.

Clovelly is in Randwick Council. The council lists 21 heritage conservation areas across its area, and we have not identified one named for Clovelly. That means most Clovelly homes are unlikely to be affected by area-based heritage controls, but individual buildings can still be listed on the council's heritage schedule. If you are unsure about your property, Randwick Council can confirm. For semis, the shared wall and front fence line can raise practical questions between neighbours, and for unit blocks, common property work needs the owners corporation's approval. We can provide a written scope and photographs for either situation, which makes those conversations simpler.

Our van takes around a quarter of an hour to get from Double Bay to Clovelly, along Clovelly Road. Parking is tight on many streets, and close to the beach in summer, so our technicians book weekday mornings where possible and confirm a spot for the van. Narrow side passages mean equipment is often carried in by hand, and hoses run carefully past neighbours' windows and doors. Run-off is held back with bunds and recovered by wet vacuum short of the street, which matters in a suburb where most front yards drain straight onto the footpath. On semis, we can quote both halves together if neighbours want to do the steps and fence line in one visit.