The nearest island to our base
Our office is on Commercial Street, minutes from the Bressay ferry, so quoting visits and any follow-up are genuinely practical rather than a special trip.
Bressay, Shetland
Roof Cleaning & PropertyMaintenance on BressayA Short Crossing From Our Base
Bressay is a few minutes across the Sound from our Lerwick office, so cleaning, gutter work and repairs are planned around the ferry and finished properly.
17 years' property experience · Lerwick-based team · Free, no-obligation estimate
17 years' experience
In Shetland property
Shetland coverage
Lerwick-based team
Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm
Local office hours
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Local Relevance
Working in Bressay
Bressay sits directly across the Sound from Lerwick, and the ferry from Victoria Pier takes only a few minutes. That makes the island one of the easier places for us to reach from 68 Commercial Street, even though it still needs planning around sailings.
Because the island shelters Lerwick harbour, Bressay itself takes the weather first. Properties on the east and south of the island face the open sea, and salt-laden wind reaches roofs, render and external timber constantly rather than occasionally.
Housing on the island runs from older stone and harled croft houses to newer family homes around Maryfield and Glebe, along with outbuildings, sheds and the working buildings that go with crofting land. Each of those wants a different cleaning method rather than the same machine.
A good share of Bressay work is for owners who commute to Lerwick or who let the property out, so access, timing and a clear account of what was done matter as much as the work itself.
Getting to Bressay
Bressay is reached by the Lerwick ferry, a crossing of a few minutes from our own base, so island work here is straightforward to arrange. We agree the scope first, bring what the job needs, and book the sailings around the work.
We do not publish a guaranteed response time: the crossing is short, but the weather and our schedule still decide the date. Call 01595 747045 during office hours and we will tell you honestly when we can be at the property.
Property types we work on in Bressay
- Older stone and harled croft houses
- Family housing around Maryfield and Glebe
- Croft outbuildings, sheds and stores
- Properties facing the open sea on the east of the island
- Let properties and second homes managed from Lerwick
- Buildings overlooking Bressay Sound and the harbour
What we are usually called for here
- Moss and lichen removed from exposed slate and tiled roofs
- Gutters and downpipes cleared and refixed after gales
- Salt-weathered render and cladding softwashed, not jet washed
- Paths, steps and yards cleaned back to a non-slip finish
- Joinery repairs to doors, frames and external timber
- Roofing repairs where cleaning is not the right answer
Services Here
Services available in Bressay
Every service below is carried out by our own team. Follow any of them for the full detail on methods, process and cost.
Roof Cleaning in Bressay
Moss and lichen removed from roofs exposed to the Sound.
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Roof Coating in Bressay
Protective coating after cleaning, where the roof is sound enough to justify it.
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Gutter Cleaning in Bressay
Gutters and downpipes cleared, checked and refixed where wind has moved them.
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Softwashing in Bressay
Low-pressure cleaning for salt-weathered render, harling and paintwork.
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Driveway Cleaning in Bressay
Drives, paths and yards cleaned back to a safe, even surface.
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Joinery in Bressay
Repairs to doors, frames, facings and outbuilding timber.
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Insulation in Bressay
Insulation work in older island housing, carried out in the right order.
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Roofing in Bressay
Roofing repairs after gales and for coverings past cleaning.
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Woodworm Treatment in Bressay
Treatment of affected timber in older croft houses and outbuildings.
View serviceWhy Us
Why property owners in Bressay call us
Several trades in one crossing
Cleaning, joinery and roofing are all in-house, so one visit can cover the roof, the gutters and the repair underneath.
Methods chosen for the building
Harling and older render are softwashed at low pressure. A jet wash that suits a modern drive is the wrong tool for an island house wall.
17 years in Shetland property
We came into this from managing property, so we know what deferred maintenance costs an owner on an exposed site.
We do not publish job counts, response-time guarantees, accreditations or warranty claims for Bressay, because we have not been given verified figures to publish and will not invent them. What we can tell you is documented above: where we are based, how long David Arthur has worked in Shetland property, that the work is done by our own team, and that the estimate is free.
Local Conditions
The problems Bressay property actually has
Full exposure to the Sound
Bressay shelters Lerwick, which means Bressay takes the wind and the salt first. Salt holds moisture, so walls and roofs stay damp longer than the rainfall alone would suggest.
That shows up as faster organic growth on roofs, earlier failure of paint and coatings, and corrosion around fixings. It is manageable with cleaning and repair on a sensible interval.
Gutters moved by wind
Brackets work loose, joints open and downpipes pull away from the wall, and water then runs down the face of the building for months before anyone notices.
When we clear gutters here we check the fixings and the falls as well, because a clear gutter that is no longer holding its line does not protect anything.
Repairs deferred because of the ferry
Even a short crossing encourages owners to wait until several things need doing. The weather does not wait, and a morning's joinery becomes a structural repair over two or three winters.
Dealing with the roof, the gutters and the timber in one planned visit is both cheaper and far less disruptive than a separate trip for each problem.
Old timber with a damp history
Older croft houses and outbuildings often have structural timber that has been wet at some point. Decay and wood-boring beetle both follow, unnoticed in a roof space for years.
We establish whether an infestation is active, deal with the moisture getting in, then treat and repair. Treating wet timber simply buys the problem more time.
Our Process
How a Bressay job runs from first call to finished work
Step 01
Tell us about the property
Call or send the form with the property type, its location and what needs doing. It takes a couple of minutes and costs nothing.
Step 02
We assess and price it
We look at the roof, walls, gutters or grounds, work out the right method for that building, and give you a clear price for the work.
Step 03
The work gets done
Our own team carries out the cleaning or maintenance work, tidies up, and tells you plainly about anything else we found while we were there.
Coverage
Bressay and the areas around it
We cover the Shetland Islands and Orkney from our office at 68 Commercial Street, Lerwick. If you are near Bressay, we almost certainly cover you too, ask.
Full service detail is on our cleaning & property maintenance services pages, and you can reach us any time through the estimate form below.
Questions
Bressay: the things people ask first
Do you serve Bressay?
Yes. Bressay is within our working area and is one of the closest places to our Lerwick base, reached by the ferry from Victoria Pier.
How fast can you get to Bressay?
The crossing is short, but sailings, weather and our schedule still decide the date, so we do not publish a response time. Call 01595 747045 during office hours for an honest answer.
Does working on Bressay cost more?
Ferry access is part of what the job involves and we account for it in the estimate. Grouping work into one visit is the practical way to keep that element down.
What does roof cleaning cost on Bressay?
There is no fixed price. Size, pitch, covering, condition and access all matter. We give you one clear figure before the work starts, and the estimate is free.
Is there emergency cover on Bressay?
We work Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm and do not advertise an emergency service. Call during office hours and we will be straight with you about what is possible.
Can you look after a let property on Bressay?
Yes. A lot of our work is for owners who are not on site. We agree access and timing, carry out the work and tell you plainly what we found.
Free Estimate
Get a free estimate for your Bressay property
Call David or send the details of the property. We will look at the roof, gutters, walls and any repair work and give you one clear price.
property@arthurandsimpson.com
68 Commercial Street, Lerwick, Shetland ZE2 9EZ
Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm · Closed Sat & Sun
17 years' property experience · Lerwick-based team · Free, no-obligation estimates