Tamarama is built into the sides of a steep gully. Many properties have no driveway, front doors reached by long flights of steps, and rear elevations two or three storeys above a steep garden. Parking is scarce, especially in summer when the beach is busy.
For exterior cleaning, that means access is often the biggest part of the job.
Why access changes the price
Cleaning equipment is heavy: pressure units, hoses, ladders, water tanks, surface cleaners. On a flat site it sits next to the work. In Tamarama it may need to be carried down sixty steps, or hoses run a long way from where a vehicle can park.
Two houses with the same wall area can be hours apart in labour. A fair quote reflects that, and a quote given without looking at the site usually does not. More: how access changes a quote and why we don’t price over the phone.
Height on the downhill side
A house that is single-storey at the street can be three storeys at the back. Gutters and windows on the downhill elevation may need roof access, rope access or a platform, not just a ladder. Ladders on steep, uneven ground need levelling and securing.
Work over two metres high carries legal safety requirements, including a safe work method statement. More: working at heights.
Water and runoff on a slope
On a steep site, water runs fast. Runoff from cleaning flows downhill into neighbours’ properties or onto the street and into stormwater, which in Tamarama goes to the ocean within metres. It needs to be controlled. More: stormwater rules.
Neighbours
Properties are close together. Overspray, noise and runoff affect neighbours more than in spread-out suburbs. Sometimes an elevation can only be reached from next door. Talk to neighbours before the job. More: neighbours and working hours.
Parking
Tell your contractor about parking when booking. Visitor permits, a space in a building’s car park, or a weekday booking outside beach season all make a real difference.
What helps
Combine jobs. Setup and carrying gear is the same cost whether one service or three is done. Gutters, windows and a house wash on one visit is far more efficient.
Book outside summer. Beach season makes parking and access harder.
Clear the path. Unlock gates, clear stairs, move pots.
More: what we need before we arrive.
Questions to ask before booking
Where will the vehicle park, and how far is that from the work? How will equipment get to the property: carried down stairs, run by hose from the street, or brought in some other way? How will the downhill elevation be reached safely? Where will the wash water go? How will neighbours be protected?
A contractor who has answers to these before the day has thought about your property. One who discovers them on the day is likely to change the price or cut corners.
DIY on steep sites
Ladders on sloping ground are a common cause of falls. If you clean anything yourself, keep to ground level, use extension poles rather than ladders, and never work on a roof. The downhill side of a Tamarama house is often much higher than it looks. More: how to clean gutters safely.
See the Tamarama maintenance calendar.
