A short run from our base
Sandwick is close enough to Lerwick that scheduling is simple and a follow-up visit is not a problem.
Sandwick, Shetland
Roof Cleaning & PropertyMaintenance in Sandwickand the South Mainland
A short run south from Lerwick on the A970. We clean roofs, walls, gutters and drives in Sandwick and carry out the joinery and roofing work behind them.
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 Sandwick
Sandwick lies on the south mainland, a straightforward run down the A970 from our Lerwick office, and it serves as a centre for the surrounding south mainland communities including the road on towards Levenwick and the Mousa side.
Properties here range from older croft houses and converted steadings through 1960s to 1980s housing to newer private builds, often on open ground with long views and correspondingly little shelter. Many sit on sloping sites where drainage and surface water are a practical, year-round concern rather than a technicality.
The south mainland gets a slightly different weather pattern from the north, no less wind, but the exposure tends to be more consistently from the open Atlantic and North Sea approaches, and coastal properties on that stretch weather hard. Roofs green up on the sheltered, shaded sides; walls take the salt and the driven rain on the other.
What we are usually called for in Sandwick is a combination job: the roof cleaned, the gutters cleared and checked, and some joinery or roofing repair that has been on the list for a while. Because we are coming from Lerwick, getting everything looked at in one visit is the efficient way to do it.
Getting to Sandwick
We are based at 68 Commercial Street in Lerwick, so Sandwick is served directly by our own team rather than by a subcontractor brought in from elsewhere. Sandwick is a short run south of Lerwick on the A970, so quoting and return visits are straightforward to arrange.
We do not publish a guaranteed response time, because we would rather give you a real date than a marketing promise. Call 01595 747045 during office hours and we will tell you honestly when we can be at the property, and whether the work is weather-dependent.
Property types we work on in Sandwick
- Older croft houses and converted steadings
- 1960s to 1980s housing through the village
- Newer private builds on open, sloping sites
- Coastal properties on the south mainland stretch
- Outbuildings, sheds and agricultural structures
- Let properties and holiday accommodation
What we are usually called for here
- Moss and lichen removed from shaded roof slopes
- Gutters cleared and outlets checked before winter
- Render and painted walls softwashed at low pressure
- Sloping drives and paths cleaned of algae and slip risk
- Joinery repairs to weather-exposed timber
- Roofing repairs after winter damage
Services Here
Services available in Sandwick
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 Sandwick
Moss and lichen taken off shaded south mainland roof slopes.
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Roof Coating in Sandwick
Protective coating after cleaning where the roof is sound and worth protecting.
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Gutter Cleaning in Sandwick
Gutters, outlets and downpipes cleared and checked before the wet months.
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Softwashing in Sandwick
Low-pressure cleaning for render and painted walls on exposed elevations.
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Driveway Cleaning in Sandwick
Sloping drives, paths and steps cleaned back to a non-slip surface.
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Joinery in Sandwick
Repairs to external doors, frames, facings and outbuilding timber.
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Insulation in Sandwick
Insulation improvements in older croft housing, once damp is dealt with.
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Roofing in Sandwick
Roofing repairs where cleaning is not the right answer.
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Woodworm Treatment in Sandwick
Treatment of affected timber in older properties and steadings.
View serviceWhy Us
Why property owners in Sandwick call us
We look at the whole property
Roof, gutters, walls, drive and timber. Coming from town, it makes sense to assess everything at once and let you decide what to do now and what can wait.
In-house maintenance team
Joinery, roofing, insulation and woodworm treatment are our own work, which is why a cleaning visit can turn into a repair without a second contractor.
Clear, free estimates
We price after looking at the property. No fixed price lists, no obligation, and no pressure once you have the figure.
We do not publish job counts, response-time guarantees, accreditations or warranty claims for Sandwick, 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 Sandwick property actually has
Sloping sites and surface water
A lot of Sandwick property sits on ground that drains towards the house rather than away from it. Add a blocked gutter or a downpipe discharging at the wall and you have a reliable route for water into the building.
Fixing that is rarely dramatic. Clearing the gutters, checking that outlets and downpipes actually discharge where they should, and keeping the ground surfaces clear usually deals with the whole problem for a fraction of what the damp repair would cost.
Shaded slopes green up fast
Roof growth is about shade and dampness, not dirt. Slopes that sit in shadow, or under or beside anything that keeps them damp, carry moss and lichen years before the sunny side does.
Moss holds water against the covering and lifts slates and tiles at the edges, and in frost that water expands. It is a slow form of damage, which is exactly why it gets left until the roof is worse than it needed to be.
Coastal exposure on the south mainland
Properties on the more exposed stretches take salt and driven rain, and paint and render finishes fail earlier than the manufacturer's figures suggest; those figures are not written for Shetland.
Softwashing removes the growth and the salt-held grime without stripping what is left of the finish, which buys time before a full redecoration is needed.
Croft houses, steadings and old timber
Older south mainland properties often have original structural timber that has been damp at some point in its life. Wood-boring beetle and decay both follow damp, and both continue quietly out of sight in floor voids and roof spaces.
The right sequence is always the same: stop the water, establish whether the infestation is active, treat, then repair or replace what has been weakened. Doing it in that order is what makes the fix permanent.
Holiday lets and properties left between visits
A growing number of south mainland properties are holiday lets or second homes, occupied in bursts and empty in between. Nobody is there in February to notice an overflowing gutter or a slipped slate.
Booking the exterior work on a fixed annual basis is the practical answer. It keeps the property presentable for guests, catches small faults while they are still small, and avoids the arrival of a problem in the middle of the season.
Our Process
How a Sandwick 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
Sandwick and the areas around it
We cover the Shetland Islands and Orkney from our office at 68 Commercial Street, Lerwick. If you are near Sandwick, 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
Sandwick: the things people ask first
Do you serve Sandwick?
Yes. Sandwick and the surrounding south mainland are part of our regular working area, covered from our base in Lerwick.
How quickly can you get to Sandwick?
It is a short run south on the A970, so distance is not the constraint; our workload and the weather are. We do not publish a guaranteed response time; call 01595 747045 for an honest date.
What will roof cleaning cost in Sandwick?
There is no set price. It depends on the roof size, pitch, covering, the amount of growth and how we can access it safely. We visit, look and give you a clear figure. The estimate is free.
Do you provide emergency cover in Sandwick?
Our hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm and we do not advertise an emergency service. For urgent damage, call during office hours and we will tell you what is realistic.
Water is running towards my house: can you help?
Often, yes, and often cheaply. Clearing gutters, checking where downpipes discharge and cleaning surfaces so water runs where it should solves a surprising number of damp problems. We will tell you if the cause is something bigger.
Can you clean a drive on a slope safely?
Yes. Sloping drives and steps are where algae is most dangerous, and cleaning them back to a non-slip surface is one of the most worthwhile small jobs on a south mainland property.
Do you work on croft houses and steadings?
Yes: cleaning, joinery, roofing and woodworm treatment. Older properties with a history of damp are common work for us.
Should I clean the roof or repair it?
Depends on its condition. If the covering is sound, cleaning protects it. If it is worn out, cleaning only changes how it looks. We will tell you which one you are dealing with.
Can you do everything in one visit?
Where possible, yes. Tell us the full list when you call and we will plan the visit to cover as much of it as the weather and the work allow.
Free Estimate
Get a free estimate for your Sandwick 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