What's growing on your walls?

Green algae, red algae staining, moss and dark marks below the gutter line all turn up on rendered and pebble dash walls in Wexford, and each one behaves differently. Send one photo of your wall and this free tool will tell you what is on it, how much it covers, and what it means if it is left. No sign-up and nothing to pay.

A free render and wall check for County Wexford homes. No sign-up, nothing to pay.

Add a photo of your wall

Take one now, or use one you already have on your phone.

Photograph the house on its own. If someone is in the shot, or a car registration or house number can be read, we can't use it — you'll simply be asked for another photo. Nothing you send is ever linked to your name or address.

How to get the best result

Daylight, and stand back far enough to get the whole wall in
Fill the picture with the wall, not the sky
The shaded side usually shows more than the sunny side
Keep the sun behind you — shooting into it washes the photo out

A few quick questions

These change what we'd recommend, so they're worth a moment.

What are your walls finished in?

Trees or tall hedging close by?

Near the coast or inland?

Nearest town (optional)

Only used to compare your roof against others in the same area.

Having a look

ÉireShine

089 949 1525

Your wall photo with the growth marked up

Your wall report

What we found

How your walls compare

Your walls—

Local average—

County Wexford average—

Measured as the share of visible wall carrying growth.

If left, this usually gets worse

Want a price for sorting it?

Send your Eircode and we'll come back with a price. No call-out charge to get one.

This tool can get things wrong. It describes what it can see in one photo, so treat it as a starting point and give us a call before acting on it. T&Cs apply.

Curious why coastal walls carry red algae? Read the guide.

ÉireShine · Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford

You've reached today's limit of 3 free checks

If you'd like a proper look at the walls, send your Eircode and a couple of photos and we'll come back with a price.

Call 089 949 1525

What grows on County Wexford walls

Five things account for almost everything we find on rendered and pebble dash walls in this county. They look different, they behave differently, and they are not treated the same way — which is why identifying the right one matters before anything is done.

Green algae

Surface algae

A thin flat green film across render or pebble dash, heaviest on north-facing and shaded elevations that stay damp through the winter months. It is the most common thing we find on Wexford walls.

Red algae

Trentepohlia

Reddish, orange or rust-toned staining across the wall surface, more common on coastal and exposed elevations. It discolours broad areas rather than appearing in distinct patches.

Black staining

Gloeocapsa magma

Dark grey to black tonal staining, often heaviest below sills, gutters and downpipe runs where water tracks repeatedly down the same line of the wall.

Moss and lichen

Bryophyta and crustose lichen

Moss appears as raised cushioned growth where render stays wet, usually at the base of walls and on sills. Lichen forms flat crusted patches bonded tightly to the render surface.

Working out what is growing on a Wexford wall

Rendered and pebble dash walls tell you when something is wrong long before a roof does, because you walk past them every day. A gable that has gone green over one winter, a rust-coloured tint spreading across a bright wall, dark tracking below a gutter run or a sill. What is harder to work out is which of those you are looking at, and whether it is growth on the surface or water finding a path it should not be taking.

The conditions here suit all of it. Prevailing south-westerlies drive rain onto exposed elevations, north-facing walls hold damp through the winter months, and properties nearer the coast pick up red algae staining that inland houses rarely see to the same degree. Smooth painted render, K-Rend and traditional pebble dash all hold moisture differently, and what is safe on one finish is not necessarily safe on another. That is why identification comes before method, and why pressure alone is so often the wrong answer.

Send one photograph of the elevation taken from the garden and this tool will name what it can see, mark it onto your own picture, and estimate how much of the visible wall each type covers. It will not quote you or tell you the wall needs doing. It tells you what is growing there, which is the part most people are guessing at.

How the check works

You send a photo

Taken from the ground, in daylight. We never ask for your name, email or phone number.

We take a proper look

We mark what we can see straight onto your photo, and work out roughly how much of the wall it covers.

You get a straight answer

What's growing, how your walls compare to others around the county, and what happens if it's left. Free, and yours to do what you like with.

Questions about the render check

What can the render check identify?

It identifies the growth types most commonly found on County Wexford render and pebble dash: green algae, red algae, black staining, moss and lichen. It reports which are visible and roughly how much of the visible wall each one covers.

What happens to my photo?

The location data phones attach to photos is removed the moment yours arrives, and the picture is never linked to your name or address. We hold on to a small number of recent photos, anonymously, so we can check the tool is getting things right, and they are deleted automatically as newer ones come in. If a photo has a person, a car registration or a house number in it, you'll be asked for a different one and that photo is not kept.

How accurate is it?

Good enough to tell you what you're looking at, not good enough to replace someone standing in your garden. It errs on the side of caution — if it isn't sure, it says so rather than guessing. The finish, the condition underneath and how exposed the wall is all change what should actually be done, and those need seeing in person.

Does using the tool commit me to anything?

No. The result is free and you are not asked for your name, email or phone number to see it. If you want a price afterwards you can ask for one, but nothing about the check obliges you to.

What sort of photo works best?

Daylight, taken from the ground, standing back far enough that the wall fills most of the frame. The shaded or north-facing elevation usually shows more than the sunny side.

Why is there a limit on how many checks I can do?

Three per day, per device. It keeps the tool available and responsive for everyone. If you have several properties to check, call or WhatsApp us on 089 949 1525 and we will look at them properly.