Red clay on the foundation and the first course of siding
Tuscaloosa County gets well over fifty inches of rain in a normal year, and out here it lands on bare clay more often than on a lawn. Every hard storm throws a line of orange up the foundation, across the bottom of the garage door and onto the first course of siding. It dries, it bakes in the sun, and by the end of summer the house looks like it has a rust-colored skirt.
Clay splash does not rinse off with a garden hose, and it should not be blasted off either. High pressure on brick mortar or on the bottom edge of vinyl does more harm than the stain ever did. We put a cleaner on the clay first, let it break the bond, then rinse at low pressure so the siding stays seated and the mortar stays put. Where the splash has been there a few seasons, it takes a second pass. The wash we do on brick and vinyl homes always includes that bottom band, because a clean house with an orange foundation does not look clean.
If the clay is coming off a gravel drive or a bare slope next to the house, we will tell you where it is coming from so you can fix the source. Otherwise it comes right back after the next storm.
Barns, outbuildings and the long concrete drive
A rural drive in Fosters can run a few hundred feet from the road to the house, and the shaded stretch near the trees goes black with mildew while the sunny stretch just goes grey. We clean the whole run with a surface cleaner rather than a wand, so the concrete comes up even instead of striped, and we post-treat the shaded section so the mildew is slower coming back. Every job is priced in writing before we start, by the surface and its size, from a photo or a quick walk-around, and on a long drive the length is the main number we need.
Metal barns and pole buildings hold red dust on the lower panels and green film on the north wall, same as a house. We wash them at low pressure so the paint on the panels stays put, and we rinse the slab inside the open bays if you want it. Wood sheds and older board-and-batten outbuildings get a soft wash only. Pressure on old wood raises the grain and takes years off it.
The concrete and slab cleaning we run out here covers the drive, the carport pad, sidewalks to the barn and any patio behind the house in one visit, which saves you a second trip charge on a place this far from town.
What we wash in Fosters
House washing on brick, vinyl, Hardie and painted wood, always a soft wash on the siding and a stronger rinse on the foundation band. Roof cleaning for the black streaks on shingles, low pressure only. Driveways, carport slabs, walks and patios. Gutter cleaning, with the exterior face brightened so the black tiger stripes go away. Barns, shops and metal buildings. Decks and porch floors.
We treat the shrubs and flower beds before we start and rinse them again after, so azaleas and boxwoods along the foundation do not get burned by the cleaner. We wash houses, roofs and concrete across Tuscaloosa County: Tuscaloosa, Northport, Cottondale, Coker, Brookwood, Vance, Duncanville, Fosters, Coaling, Moundville, Holt, Lake View and Samantha. From Fosters the next stop is usually down the river toward Moundville or back up toward Duncanville, so if you have a neighbor who needs a wash the same week, say so and we will put you on the same day.
Services we bring out here
- House WashingLow-pressure soft wash that lifts algae, mildew and pollen film and keeps water out of the wall.
- Driveway and Concrete CleaningA surface cleaner lifts red clay, mildew and oil with no wand stripes.
- Gutter CleaningFall and spring service.
- House Washing in DuncanvilleSoft wash and deck cleaning, free quote.
- Pressure Washing in MoundvilleOlder brick homes, mildewed walks and highway storefronts cleaned right.
- House Washing in CokerSoft wash for siding, free written quote from a photo.
- Where We WorkFind your town and send a photo for a same-day written quote.
- Get a Free QuoteLearn what sets the price and what happens after you send the form.
- Home base: TuscaloosaFastest response, every service.
Questions we get
Do you charge extra to come out to Fosters?
No. Fosters is inside our regular Tuscaloosa County route. If you have more than one surface to wash, we would rather do it all in one visit than drive out twice.
Will the cleaner hurt my well or my garden?
We rinse plants before and after and keep the wash water off bare beds. The siding cleaner breaks down quickly once it is diluted. If you have a shallow well or a spring box near the house, tell us where it is and we will keep the runoff away from it.
Can you wash a metal barn without stripping the paint?
Yes. Metal panels get a low-pressure wash with a cleaner that lifts the red dust and the green film. We do not use high pressure on painted metal, which chalks and peels it.