Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm · Closed Sat & Sun01595 747045 68 Commercial Street, Lerwick, Shetland ZE2 9EZ AboutServices Areas Our WorkReviewsContact 01595 747045Request an Estimate Home/Areas/WhalsayWhalsay, Shetland # Roof Cleaning & PropertyMaintenance on WhalsayPlanned Around the Ferry Island work needs planning, not excuses. We schedule Whalsay jobs around the ferry so the team arrives with everything needed and the work gets finished properly. Request a Free Estimate 01595 747045 17 years' property experience · Shetland-based team · Free, no-obligation estimate 17 years' experience In Shetland property Shetland coverage Shetland-based team Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm Local office hours Rated on Google Read our reviews Local Relevance ## Working in Whalsay Whalsay is reached by ferry from Laxo on the Shetland mainland, and that single fact shapes how work on the island has to be organised. A job that is half-finished because something was left in a van in Lerwick is not a minor inconvenience here. So we plan Whalsay work differently. We establish what the property needs before the visit, bring what the job requires, and schedule around the sailings and the weather. Where more than one property on the island needs work, grouping the visits keeps the travel element sensible for everyone. The island's housing is a mix of older stone and harled property, mid-century and later housing through Symbister and the settlements, and the buildings that go with one of Shetland's most significant fishing communities: harbour-side structures, sheds and stores that take constant salt exposure. Exposure on Whalsay is serious. There is very little shelter from the North Sea side, and salt, wind and driven rain are constants rather than events. Roofs, rainwater goods, external timber and paint finishes all work harder here, and maintenance that is optional elsewhere is genuinely protective on an island like this. ### Getting to Whalsay Whalsay is reached by ferry from Laxo, so we plan island work in advance rather than treating it as a call-out. We agree the scope with you first, bring the materials and equipment the job needs, and book the sailings around the work and the weather. We do not publish a guaranteed response time for Whalsay, and we would be sceptical of anyone who did: sailings and weather both have a say. Call 01595 747045 during office hours and we will tell you honestly when we can get across and what we can achieve while we are there. ### Property types we work on in Whalsay - Older stone and harled island houses - Mid-century and later housing around Symbister - Harbour-side buildings, sheds and stores - Working fishing-industry premises - Croft houses and outbuildings - Let properties and family houses maintained from the mainland ### What we are usually called for here - Heavily exposed roofs cleaned of moss and lichen - Gutters and downpipes cleared and secured - Salt-weathered render and cladding softwashed - External joinery repaired before decay spreads - Roofing repairs after North Sea gales - Woodworm treatment in older island timber Services Here ## Services available in Whalsay 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 Whalsay Moss and lichen removed from heavily exposed island roofs. View service ### Roof Coating in Whalsay Protective coating after cleaning, where a sound roof justifies the protection. View service ### Gutter Cleaning in Whalsay Gutters and downpipes cleared, checked and refixed where wind has moved them. View service ### Softwashing in Whalsay Low-pressure cleaning for salt-weathered render, cladding and paintwork. View service ### Driveway Cleaning in Whalsay Drives, paths and yards cleaned back to a safe, even surface. View service ### Joinery in Whalsay Repairs to doors, frames, facings and store or shed timber. View service ### Insulation in Whalsay Insulation work in older island housing, carried out in the right order. View service ### Roofing in Whalsay Roofing repairs after gales and for coverings past cleaning. View service ### Woodworm Treatment in Whalsay Treatment of affected timber in older island properties. View service Why Us ## Why property owners in Whalsay call us ### Island work is planned, not improvised We agree the scope before we sail, bring what the job needs, and aim to leave with the work finished rather than with a list of return visits. ### Several trades in one crossing Because cleaning, joinery and roofing are all in-house, one trip can cover the roof, the gutters and the repair underneath, which matters far more on a ferry-served island. ### We are honest about weather Some of this work cannot be done safely or well in the wrong conditions. We will move a date rather than produce a poor result, and we will tell you why. ### 17 years in Shetland property We came into this from managing property, so we know what deferred maintenance costs an owner on an exposed island site. We do not publish job counts, response-time guarantees, accreditations or warranty claims for Whalsay, 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 Whalsay property actually has ### Constant salt and no shelter Whalsay properties are exposed on a scale that mainland owners underestimate. Salt-laden wind reaches every elevation, and salt holds moisture, so surfaces stay damp far longer than the rainfall alone would suggest. The result is faster organic growth on roofs, earlier failure of paint and coating systems, and corrosion of fixings. None of it is avoidable, but all of it is manageable with cleaning and repair on a sensible interval. ### Wind damage to rainwater goods It is not only the roof covering that gets moved. Gutter brackets work loose, joints open, and downpipes come away from the wall, then water runs down the face of the building for months before anyone notices. When we clear gutters on an exposed island property we check the fixings and the falls as well, because on Whalsay the gutter being clear is only half the requirement. ### Deferred repairs become bigger repairs The logistics of getting a tradesman to an island naturally encourage waiting. The trouble is that the weather does not wait, and a repair that was a morning's joinery becomes a structural job over two or three winters. The economical approach on Whalsay is to deal with several things at once, slightly earlier than you would on the mainland, rather than making a separate crossing for each problem as it becomes urgent. ### Old timber with a damp history Older island housing frequently has structural timber that has been wet at some stage. Decay and wood-boring beetle both follow, and in a roof space or floor void they continue unnoticed for years. We establish whether an infestation is active before treating, deal with the moisture source, then treat and repair. Treating timber while it is still getting wet is money spent on a problem that will return. ### Getting materials to the island Everything a job needs has to cross on the ferry with us. A missing length of timber or the wrong fixing is not a ten-minute detour here, it is another day and another sailing. That is why we take the scope seriously before we travel: what the roof covering is, what the gutters are made of, what condition the timber is in. The more accurately we know that in advance, the more of the work gets finished in one crossing. Our Process ## How a Whalsay 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 ## Whalsay and the areas around it We cover Shetland from our office at 68 Commercial Street, Lerwick. If you are near Whalsay, we almost certainly cover you too, ask. LerwickBraeScallowaySandwick Full service detail is on our cleaning & property maintenance services pages, and you can reach us any time through the estimate form below. Questions ## Whalsay: the things people ask first Do you serve Whalsay?Yes. Whalsay is within our working area. Access is by ferry from Laxo, so we plan island work in advance rather than treating it as a same-day call-out. How fast can you get to Whalsay?It depends on the sailings, the weather and our schedule, so we do not publish a response time. Call 01595 747045 during office hours and we will give you a realistic date rather than a guess. Does working on Whalsay cost more?Travel and ferry access are part of what a job involves, and we account for them in the estimate. Grouping work into one visit, or coordinating with neighbours who also need work, is the practical way to keep that element down. What does roof cleaning cost on Whalsay?There is no fixed price. The roof's size, pitch, covering, condition and access all matter, as does the crossing. We give you one clear figure before the work starts, and the estimate is free. Is there emergency cover on Whalsay?We work Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm and do not advertise an emergency service, and ferry access makes out-of-hours attendance unrealistic. Call during office hours and we will be straight with you about what is possible. Can you do several jobs in one trip?That is exactly how we prefer to work on Whalsay. Give us the full list when you call, roof, gutters, walls, timber, and we will plan the crossing around all of it. What happens if the weather turns while you are there?Some work cannot be done safely or to a standard in the wrong conditions. We would rather rearrange than rush it, and we will tell you clearly where a job stands if the weather cuts a visit short. Do you work on sheds, stores and harbour-side buildings?Yes. Working buildings get the same cleaning, joinery and roofing services, and on Whalsay they are often the structures taking the worst of the exposure. Can you look after a property for an owner living away?Yes. A good deal of our work is for owners who are not on site. We agree access, report on what we find and price anything additional before doing it. Free Estimate ## Get a free estimate for your Whalsay property Tell us everything the property needs and we will plan the crossing around it: one visit, one clear price, and an honest answer about the weather. 01595 747045 property@arthurandsimpson.com68 Commercial Street, Lerwick, Shetland ZE2 9EZMon–Fri, 9am–5pm · Closed Sat & Sun 17 years' property experience · Shetland-based team · Free, no-obligation estimates Exterior cleaning and property maintenance for homes and property owners across Shetland. ### Services - Roof Cleaning in Shetland - Roof Coating in Shetland - Gutter Cleaning in Shetland - Softwashing in Shetland - Driveway Cleaning in Shetland - Joinery in Shetland - Insulation in Shetland - Roofing in Shetland - Woodworm Treatment in Shetland ### Areas Covered - Lerwick roof cleaning & property maintenance - Scalloway roof cleaning & property maintenance - Brae roof cleaning & property maintenance - Sandwick roof cleaning & property maintenance - Whalsay roof cleaning & property maintenance - Bressay roof cleaning & property maintenance ### Get In Touch - 01595 747045 - property@arthurandsimpson.com - 68 Commercial StreetLerwick, Shetland ZE2 9EZ - Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm · Closed Sat & Sun - Read our Google reviews © 2026 Arthur & Simpson Ltd. 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