Pressure Cleaning in Como
Roofs, driveways, paths and walls brought back to life with professional pressure cleaning. Serving Como 6152 and the inner-southern suburbs.
Fully licensed & accredited — Builders Registration BC105819 · Painters Registration PC102072 · Patent ID AU-A-2020100623
Some surfaces should never see a pressure washer at all and asbestos cement is top of that list. On Como properties we identify what we are cleaning before the trigger gets pulled and we will decline work that would cause damage.
Why Como roofs behave the way they do
Como has a piece of building history that genuinely changes how its houses should be inspected. In 1948-49, more than a thousand blocks were created here and the suburb became a testing ground for experimental prefabricated. “expansible” houses, homes designed to be thrown up quickly against a desperate post-war housing shortage. The shortage was severe enough that the City allowed families to live in caravans on their own blocks while their houses went up. Identify the construction before assuming anything about it Experimental housing was built for speed, not longevity, using non-standard details. Where examples survive, or were later built onto, expect unusual wall and floor systems, junctions that were never intended to last seventy-five years and additions grafted onto a frame never designed to carry them. A conventional inspection checklist applied to a non-conventional house will miss the things that matter. Establishing what the house is actually made of comes first. Not always. The scale of that release also means a very large body of homes of near-identical vintage. Late-1940s and 1950s problems recur across whole streets, original services well past life, asbestos-era materials and roof and wet-area fabric at or beyond a second cycle. Two pieces of geography shape the rest. Canning Highway cuts the suburb in half, so properties near it carry real traffic noise and the two halves differ in character. And where Como runs down toward the Swan River, the low parcels carry a high water table and estuarine damp working at masonry.Pressure Cleaning in Como: the short version
Where a surface is too fragile for pressure, soft washing does the work chemically instead and takes longer. It looks less impressive on the day and it is better for the building. Full detail on our pressure cleaning page.
What that means for pressure cleaning in Como
Aged tile in this part of Perth has been damp for decades, which softens the surface layer. High pressure strips it and leaves the roof more porous than before, which is a genuinely perverse outcome.
Runoff has nowhere to drain on saturated ground, so managing where several hundred litres ends up is a real consideration rather than an afterthought.
On a character property, cleaning should leave the building looking like itself. Aggressive work strips patina that took a century to develop and cannot be put back.
Como roofs: symptom and fix
| What you are seeing | What it usually means | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Old render, powdery to touch | Substrate already failing | Do not pressure clean, assess first |
| Fibre cement sheeting, weathered | Possible asbestos content | Stop, identify before touching |
| Timber decking, greyed | Soft grain, raises easily | Low pressure with the grain |
| Limestone, historic | Soft and permeable | Specialist approach, not high pressure |
Guide only. Every roof differs, which is why we look before quoting.
More roofing in Como
01Roof Cleaning in Como
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Roof Cleaning in Como
Learn moreRight by the river the air stays damp, and Como's shaded, tree-lined blocks grow moss and lichen readily. We treat the growth so it's killed at the root, then bring the tiles back to an even colour at a pressure they'll take, and clear the leaf litter the foreshore trees drop into the valleys. On a lot of these older homes a thorough treat-and-clean is genuinely all the roof needs.
View roof cleaning in Como →
02Roof Restoration in Como
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Roof Restoration in Como
Learn moreComo's older foreshore homes are prime restoration candidates — sound tiles under faded colour and tired pointing, in a setting worth doing well. We lift the river-fed moss, re-bed and re-point the ridges, replace the odd broken tile, and re-coat in a tone that suits the house. On a leafy riverside street a proper restoration takes years off a home for a fraction of a re-roof.
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03Roof Repairs in Como
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Roof Repairs in Como
Learn moreComo runs along the Swan and mixes older character homes with a good deal of unit and townhouse stock, so the roof work is varied — perished pointing and cracked tiles on the houses, plus flashing and box-gutter issues on the flatter roofs of the units. We match the tile where it's a pitched roof, sort the detailing where it's not, and always trace the leak to where the water genuinely enters rather than where it shows.
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04Roof Replacement in Como
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Roof Replacement in Como
Learn moreWhen a Como roof is genuinely finished, we re-roof it to suit an established riverside home — framing and sarking sorted while it's open, flashings detailed properly, and a considered choice between a traditional tile look and lighter Colorbond. The aim is a roof that fits comfortably on a Swan-side street and outlasts the one it replaces, whether it's a character house or something more recent.
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05Roof Inspection in Como
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Roof Inspection in Como
Learn moreA Como home — house or unit — can hide an aged roof behind a well-kept front, so a look before you buy is worth it. We check the tiles, pointing, valleys and flashings on a pitched roof, or the box gutters and membrane on a flatter one, and get into the roof space where we can, then hand you a clear photographed report so the roof isn't an unknown when you make your offer.
View roof inspection in Como →
06Roof Carpentry in Como
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Roof Carpentry in Como
Learn moreUnder Como's older foreshore homes there's framing that's absorbed years of river damp, and where a leak's been added on top the timber has often quietly gone. We repair it properly — cutting back to sound wood, matching the old framing, and stopping the water at its source above — so a lovely riverside home isn't left with rot working away beneath a roof that looks fine from the street.
View roof carpentry in Como →See all roofing services in Como, or read more about our roof carpentry service across Perth.
Surfaces around a Como home that come up well
- Paving that has become slippery underfoot
- Brickwork carrying years of accumulated grime
- Retaining walls and steps with moss on the shaded side
- A patio or alfresco that has stopped looking maintained
- Surfaces being prepared before sealing or painting
Local conditions in Como
Como was a testing ground for EXPERIMENTAL PREFABRICATED and 'EXPANSIBLE' houses in 1948-49, homes designed for speed rather than longevity and built to non-standard details. Where any survive or were built onto, expect construction that does not follow conventional practice: unusual wall. That matters. Floor systems, joints and junctions that were never meant to last 75 years and additions grafted onto a frame never designed to carry them. Identify the construction type before assuming anything about it.
Over 1,000 blocks released in two years means a large body of homes of near-identical vintage. The same late-1940s and 1950s issues recur across whole streets: original services long past life, asbestos-era materials and roof and wet-area fabric at or beyond the end of a second cycle.
Canning Highway cuts the suburb in two, properties on or near it carry substantial traffic noise and the two halves differ in character and value.
We cover the whole of the City of South Perth. Short drives keep pressure cleaning affordable on smaller jobs and most of ours are smaller jobs.
Materials and specification
Where cleaning is preparation for a roof coating, the sequence matters more than the equipment. Treat growth, wait for it to die, clean at a pressure suited to the tile, then seal and apply the Dulux AcraTex system under accreditation. Cleaning alone returns a roof to bare aged tile that starts weathering again immediately.
A little about Como
Originally three land grants purchased by Christchurch farmer Edmund Hugh Comer in February 1891; recognised as a new suburb around 1898; established 1905; Canning Highway Divides THE Suburb; ~6.7km², ~14,786 pop The 1950s and 60s saw further development of surrounding areas by the State Housing Commission and under War Service Homes Housing shortages were such that the City Allowed People TO Live IN Caravans ON Their Properties While Their Houses Were Being Built None of that decides what your roof needs. It does tell us what to expect before we get the ladder out in Como.
Recent work
What the work involves
- Work down, never uphill under laps. On any roof or overlapping surface, driving water uphill forces it behind and underneath. That damage is invisible on the day and appears as a stained ceiling weeks later
- Protect surrounds and manage the runoff. Plants covered, windows and fittings protected and the considerable volume of dirty water directed somewhere sensible rather than into a soakwell it will block
- Identify the surface before anything else. Concrete, brick, limestone, render, timber, coated steel and aged roof tile all behave differently under pressure. Asbestos cement is identified and left alone, because cleaning it releases fibres
Common questions about pressure cleaning in Como
Where does all the water go?
Into your drainage, carrying whatever came off the surface. On a large job that is a genuine volume and it can silt a soakwell. Managing the runoff is part of doing it properly.
Is soft washing better?
On fragile surfaces, considerably. It applies treatment chemistry at low pressure and lets it work over time, then rinses gently. It takes longer and it does not damage what it is cleaning.
Can you clean before painting?
Yes and preparation is exactly where pressure cleaning earns its place. Coatings adhere to the substrate, not to what is sitting on it.
Can I hire a machine and do it myself?
For a concrete driveway, yes, with a fan tip and sensible distance. For anything on a roof, at height, or on a surface you cannot identify with confidence, the risk of permanent damage outweighs the saving.
Do you work throughout Como?
Yes and the surrounding suburbs. Ring 0421 768 842 and tell us your street. If we are not the right people for the job we will say so rather than quoting anyway.
Three questions worth asking first
Compare scopes rather than totals. A cheaper quote is frequently a different job and the gap is usually treatment time, film build, or repairs excluded and raised later. Ask for the product name, coat count and what happens if more damage is found once work starts.
Getting a quote in Como
Ring 0421 768 842. Somebody who has been on roofs will come and look at yours, photograph the findings and price the job itemised rather than by the square metre. Quotes on Como homes stay open for a reasonable period so nobody is rushed.
Dulux AcraTex accredited applicators
Powerdrive Roofing is an accredited applicator for the Dulux AcraTex roof restoration system, so your coating carries the manufacturer’s product warranty alongside our own 10-year workmanship warranty. How the Dulux AcraTex warranty works →
What Perth homeowners say
Two hundred and six people have reviewed us on Google. If we have worked on your roof, adding yours genuinely helps the next person deciding who to trust with theirs.
Request a free inspection
Tell us about the roof and we will come and look at it. Free inspection, written quote, no obligation.
Need your roof sorted? Let's talk.
Tell us about your roof and the problem, we'll tell you the likely cause and what it'll take to fix.