Cheerful: I recently bought a Karcher 1800 PSI 1.5 GPM Electric Pressure Washer at Lowes for $159. It is the greatest thing since the wheel. We have used it on everything from the siding to the side walks. You use it with or without a cleaning agent. If you do use one; Krud Kutter (also from Lowes) works well. The pressure washer is made for the home owner and easy to use. It even did a marvelous job on my picket fencing. I have a three year old set of vinyl wicker - love seat, two chairs and a table. They had become so dark and dinghy I was going to throw them out. After using the pressure washer the furniture is sparkling white again and good for a couple of more years.! That washer has paid for itself already.

There comes a time in the life of every homeowner where they look back at the exterior of their home and say “I can’t believe I live here.” Huge black mildew streaks stretch over the expanse of the roof, with little sprinklings of greenish mold thrown in for good measure, not to mention the moss fuzz. Pollen has built up so much on the deck that the family only has to think about it to start a cacophony of sneezing. Something has to change. And that’s when smart homeowners pick up the phone and call iTrust Home Services for a thorough soft wash. Many contractors will lead their customers to assume that pressure washing is the only exterior cleaning method to make their homes healthier and more attractive. Pressure washing certainly has its place in some cases, but the process comes with a number of potential problems, such as property damage caused by the high-pressure water. Pressure pumped out of these machines equals about a hundred times the force of a typical garden hose. If used incorrectly, a pressure washer can dig into wood, corrode brick and crack mortar. It can also damage paint that wasn’t intended for removal. Lastly, this technique has a number of safety hazards attached to it, due to water velocity and the harsh chemicals used. In most cases, the same results can be achieved more safely and effectively using the Soft Wash method. Soft Washing incorporates designated low-pressure nozzles at the tip of a pressure washing gun/wand. Combined with biodegradable chemicals that remove biological elements (i.e mold, pollen, dirt, moss) and any other stains, Soft Wash cleans without causing damage to a home’s surfaces. We at iTrust use a special sodium hypo-chlorite solution to kill all mold spores, mildew and other organic material that has infiltrates exterior surfaces on the sides of the house, soffits and gutters. The utilization of high volume, low pressure application eliminates the additional damage and water penetration that traditional pressure washing processes result in. Additionally, this process is safe for animals, humans and plant life. A Soft Wash system not only cleans roofs, decks, patios and fences but it also maintains paint and masonry longer. Both soft washing and pressure washing are performed with a commercial pressure washing machine, but the main differences come from the intensity of pressure applied and the type of chemical used. A Soft Wash (or pressure wash if so desired) should preferably be completed by professionals like iTrust that have experience with how to safely and effectively achieve the best results. -iTrust Home Services is a home services company located in North Fulton, Ga. We specialize in 2 residential service areas: Automation & Electrical- Painting and Restoration. Learn more at itrusthomeservices.com. Sources- http://itrusthomeservices.com/2018/04/26/soft-wash/ https://www.angieslist.com/articles/soft-wash-better-regular-pressure-washing.htm http://www.house-painting-info.com/articles/using-a-pressure-washer/#.WtjZbi-ZO8g

Landscaping is always good, expand the bed, maybe add a few more curves so it, to do it on a budget, hostas are easy to separate and make multiple plants out of one to sort of give a formal border that can be interplanted with other lower growing perennials or annuals until the the hostas fill out some more, I would shoot for 3 out of each. Instant gratification can have the budget soaring impact so I would choose plants that are easy to get seeds from or that self seed, you can always add or expand beds if you need the space or pot up babies to give to friends that have yards, you can also buy seeds that are the same variety of perennials you buy in pots to make bigger groupings by sewing them around your potted plants. If you do not want to neutralize the brick with paint, consider flowers with warmer tones, nothing cooler than a vibant deep purple . As for paint and trim, if the diamond grills can come off the windows, remove them the Tudor diamond look really does not work well with a house that is really a simple colonial, if the shudders are vinyl and can not be painted, replace them with a color that keeps with the colonial style of your house. I would maybe consider trim in Benjamin Moore Sand Dunes 1072 if the window sashes can be painted, Shutters in Black HC-190 (I know, so basic, but neutral enough to work with any trim color if the windows can't be painted,) and Damask Gold CW-405, not red because with the red brick, the contrast color stands out more without being too much since it is a subdued yellow. I would also add trim around the garage door opening to better separate the door itself from the brick, for both the garage and the front door, I would paint them to match. If the awning must stay, paint the top to match your roof and hide the the uprights and railing with lattice work with the square openings instead of the cheaper diamond patterned stuff, Major Wheeler honey suckle would be a good option because the coloring works with everything else mentioned above, and it does not lost all its leaves in winter so you won't have totally bare lattice work plus unlike ivy, it does not hold on with little roots so if it does come in contact with the brick there is nothing to worry about. Then add accessories, planters flanking the garage door, maybe with some topiaries or an evergreen of some sort. toss in a pergola for the space between the garage and the house and maybe repeat the vine from above after painting it the trim color if it is not a nice wood like cedar.

For it to be done right. It needs to be cleaned for sure but if you have oil stains you need to draw it out with a pulpice type product or emulsifier just cleaning wont do that. Then It needs to be grinded. If oil ist removed you will have failure for sure