Outside work in Kent has a particular enemy: exposure. Properties closer to the coast take salt-laden wind that finds every weak edge, and south-facing elevations across the county get enough sun to chalk and fade a coating years before the north side needs touching.
Weatherboard is the one that catches people out. It is common on Kent houses and it moves, so it needs a flexible exterior coating and proper attention to the end grain and the laps, where water gets in first. Render and masonry need cleaning down and any cracks making good before a coat goes near them, and bare or rotten timber needs dealing with rather than painting over — paint does not hold on a surface that is already failing.
We watch the forecast and plan access before we start. There is no point coating masonry the day before heavy rain or in a cold snap, and we would rather move a day than do it badly.
