FAQ

Roof Cleaning Questions & Answers

1) What are the reasons to remove moss from the roof?

1. Because it can root itself into the structure and deteriorate your roof.  Watch the show “Life After People, it shows how moss and lichen are the first organisms that start to break down our structures.

2. You may be selling your house, and you want it to look nice.  A roof cleaning job done right can bring the roof back to looking brand new.

3. Your insurance requires that you do it.

4. So that it will raise your property value. Your neighbors will thank you! 

5. Peace of mind.

2) What should I look for when getting my 3 bids for my roof cleaning or roof maintenance job?

Good Question!

1.  Make sure the person or company is licensed with the CCB.  The Oregon Contractors Board makes it really easy to check.  If you hire someone who is not licensed, you take all the responsibility.  If they get hurt, there is a good chance you will lose more than just your house.  CCB#’s require, that’s right REQUIRE, 1 million in liability and an insurance bond, for more than just your piece of mind.

2.  As a roof cleaner or a roof cleaning company, one must be licensed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture if any kind of treatment application is applied.  It does not matter what it is, even if its just hand soap that they claim to kill moss, they would still need the license.  A good phone # for the DOA to check a license is 503-986-4550.

3.  If they have employees, they will need to show workers compensation on their employees.  If they are operating as a sole proprietor and have no help, then they would not need to have workers compensation.

3) How much does it cost to get your roof cleaned in Portland, Or?

An average roof cleaning job can be anywhere from $500-$2000 depending on the severity of the problem, how extensive the cleanup will be, how much gutter you have as they will need to be cleaned out along with the downspouts flushed after your roof is cleaned. Also, a preventative treatment should be applied to the roof after the cleaning, so depending on how much treatment your roof needs is a factor as well. It is then a good idea to get on a regular maintenance plan that is either annually, semi-annually or quarterly depending on your specific situation. Some roofs only need to be treated every other year, but in the Portland Metro area that is rare. We can get your roof looking new, your house insurable and get you on a maintenance plan to avoid having to clean it again. A roof is a big investment. Add years to your roof’s life today and get rid of that moss!

971-777-5002

4) What is the best method for cleaning a roof?

Our method is a combination of brushing/low psi washing technique.  Sometimes we will brush the entire roof and sometimes we will use “soft” washing.  Whichever is best for the shingles and depending on which type of moss that you have. We use a combination of the two as the brush will not remove stains or black algae.  We have been washing roofs for over fifteen years, and in my expert opinion with thousands of roofs washed, using a soft bristle brush and then “soft” washing is safer. Also, always make sure you check if a company has an active CCB and insurance.  I can send all of my credentials with a single email if you wish to see all of my legalities, which is for your piece of mind.

5) Is gutter cleaning included with roof cleaning?

Yes!  Unless you have non functioning gutter guards where we would have to charge extra to remove them, clean the gutters and re install them.  A good working gutter guard should keep debris out of the gutter and we would include cleaning the tops of the gutter guards off.  A lot of times what we will do if you have guards is put as much time into the guards as we would have had we cleaned out the gutters.  So we will take off a few of the guards, make sure the spouts are working and clean above the spouts.  No extra charge for that service.

6) What about the debris that comes off the roof?

We clean all hard surfaces, if you want you can leave your yard debris can out for piles of moss.  We go around the house with the air blower, pressure washer and broom when we are done and will leave it cleaner then when we got there. However, we are not specialized in landscape and bid does not reflect landscape work.  We will do landscape work, via rake the needles that came off of the roof and out of the gutters from the grass, dirt, shrubs, bushes etc. but will charge an extra 75.00/hr.  Again, just to be CLEAR, the bid reflect cleaning of hard surfaces.

7) How long do you guarantee moss not to return?

I do not guarantee a specific time for Oregon moss not to return. Companies that do that are usually the start ups because they don’t know how it works yet.  We guarantee our work, so if we say that we will apply 12 gallons of treatment, then we will apply 12 gallons of treatment. I have been doing this for 15 years and have learned that if not treated correctly, northwest moss will come back quickly.   I would say that if you treat your roof once a year you should be good, some houses take more than one a year but that’s rare.  We are having the best result with 2 treatments per year.  Some people only need one treatment every 3 years to keep the moss from growing.  The key is to keep an eye on your roof and stay ahead of the problem. If you see green, let me know and I will treat it before it turns to moss.  It is the customers responsibility to keep an eye on the roof, checking for any signs of green or moss returning.  A roof will turn green under the edges of the shingles before the moss starts to grow, which is an indication that it needs to be treated.

It is OK to have your roof cleaned and treated any time of year, but the months that are best for doing maintenance or treatment only (after we have cleaned your roof) are March through Early July and Late August through early November.  Depending on the weather of course.

We use Safer a registered organic OMRI product which we fill is superior to other moss killing products on the market.

8) Some of our downspouts drain directly into our yard, where we grow tomatoes and strawberries. Does the Safer label specifically say it’s OK to be on food producing soil?

I have not seen grass or plant life be effected by Safer, as long as we spray down the landscape with water to be extra safe.  We keep the sprayer close to the roof, do it on non windy days and use the proper sprayers and conditions. Preventative maintenance treatments 2 times a year are going to give you the most bang for your buck.  I have never seen Safer kill any kind of plant life. The label says it is safe to use on grass, plants and around green houses. People sometimes have an idea about certain things that they may use to prevent and kill moss that could cause damage to the petroleum based asphalt shingles.  Things like bleach, or laundry detergent can hurt a composition roof.

9) Can you install zinc strips, and do they work?

No, they install with nails, so now you have more nail holes in your roof which are leak hazards.  Zinc strips are ugly, and they do not work.  I can send you photos of how they look after being installed.  They would look better if you have them installed while your roof is being installed or if you were to get new ridge caps, you could have the zinc strips laid down first before the ridge is put on. 

10) what is your availability to work?

We stay about a week to two weeks booked out usually but can sometimes work you in if you need to get something done in a hurry. We like to give estimates and reports same day or next business day.

11)  Why do you say free estimates on your site for roof cleaning but you charge for some of your roof leak estimates?

Some leak estimates are free and some are not.  If it is plainly obvious, what the cause of the leak is from the external roof, then yes the roof leak estimate is free.  The problem with bidding leaks is that sometimes I put in a few hours of work just to find the leak, then I find it, and you pass the info to someone else who can beat my price because they didn’t have to do all the work to find the leak.  It happened to me the other day where I put in an hour to find that he needed 70 feet of valley metal and he never called me back, so maybe he called around for the cheapest company to do the valley metal.

I would like a chance to talk to you and maybe we could figure out a bid over the phone based on what you know is going on.  I will give a more detailed free bid, but I wont come out and put in free work, to figure out the leak. We have a 100% success rate with fixing leaks  We bill for work that we do and or fixing leak hazards.  All work is guaranteed and photos will be sent to your email to prove that we did the work.

I am an honest contractor and want you to understand that a free bid for roof cleaning is a lot easier then bidding for a roof leak.  Roof leaks are tough, because we could come out and fix some problems that we see on the roof, but the roof still leaks. We would then need to do more work and fix more problems.  We could eventually do a whole tear off of the side that the leak is on, lay down some ice and water shield, tar paper and new shingles.  That is the worst case scenario, and my philosophy is to start out small and or cheap for you.  But I’m not going to buy your problem, and we will need to charge for whatever work we end up doing.   Most of the time, the leaks are obvious and we are able to fix them the first try, but sometimes it takes 3 or 4 trips out.  Some leaks can be very tricky.

I just want to be as honest as possible and if you called me to talk about my methods and ethics with roof leaks then you would know that my intentions are good.  Thanks for your time.

12)  If we have gutter guards, is gutter cleaning still included in the bid?

It depends.  If you have gutter guards that we have to take off, clean the gutters and re install, you should not have them and they are not working.  A regular estimate does not include gutter guard removal and re installation.  We will do the work but will charge for the extra work.  Please let me know that you have gutter guards before I come over to give an estimate.  Thanks.

13)  Question:  Can you tell me about the Safer OMRI organic?

OMRI stands for Organic Materials Review Institute. I can send you links and label info. What we have seen, is that the Safer product works much better than mainstream sulfates typically used and has a longer life expectancy. The waxes and surfactants help it bond to the roof longer, therefor keep your roof protected.

14.  Does Castle Exterior Services clean windows and skylights?

If they are glass we can clean them, but will need to use your Windex and paper towels.  It would just be labor.  Half hour and up.  We are not set up for window washing, and we do not get the skylights dirty with our treatment.  We treat close to the roof to avoid over spray and it gets more treatment onto the roof and less into the air.  We do clean glass skylights, but we do not touch plastic skylights. Also, we need to use the customers supplies and just charge for labor only.  We do not stock window cleaning supplies in the van as we specialize completely on roof care.  Unless of course, you just had your skylights cleaned, then we will clean your skylights based on the mess we made free of charge and use our own supplies.  Im am fair, honest and easy to get along with

15) Why should I have permanent roof tie offs installed on to my steep roof?

The permanent tie offs are for these reasons.

1.  Safety for my employees and I. Required by law.

2.  So that we do not have to poke holes in your roof and reseal the holes every time we are up there.

3.  Its less wear and tear on your ridge caps.

4.  Its less labor in the long run, because we do not have to set a tie off each time we do work.

5.  Its better for you for liability reasons, it shows that you are responsible and care about the safety of your roofing contractor.

My employees and I are always properly tied off and fully safe.  If we do multiple jobs on your roof on a regular basis it is a very good idea to have them.   Permanent tie offs are small and not noticeable  They are 150.00 each and install under the ridge.  I do not recommend that anyone other then us use the tie offs.  We are not responsible for the safety of others who use them as there are a lot more safety factors then just having a tie off.  If you absolutely do not want them we can do temporary anchors.

16) Can moss be harmful if left alone?

Yes Because it can root itself in to the structure and deteriorate your roof.  Watch the show life after people, it shows how moss and lichen are the first organisms that start to break down our structures to pave the way for the larger organisms.  Also, it retains water which you don’t want.  Roofs are sloped for water, because you want water off of your roof as fast as possible which is why the steeper roofs last a little longer.  Also, it can lift and separate shingles.  Some of the more worst case scenarios is that it will root into the structure through the shingles and into the wood.  I’ve seen it.  The only time that you should leave moss on your roof is if you have an old roof which a cleaning would not be good for it and you would be just wasting your money.  Just go ahead and put that money towards a new one.

Appointments

We are coming to your home, here are some important instructions.

The three most important things to do to make this experience go well are –

Have the water spigot closest to the front of the house parking area available for water use

Unlock gates

Close all windows

The above three points are the most important things to do to prepare for us to arrive and work. If you can please do just those three things then you do not even need to be there while we work. Here are some optional or recommended instructions for customers, specifically for when we are coming to your house to clean your roof, gutters and or treatment application. We want to make this experience for you as convenient as possible, so it would be very nice to get the same treatment in return. Please do not leave animal droppings in the yard as we run our hoses through the grass and walk around a lot in the yard and up and down ladders. Very unsanitary and disrespectful to us working. We keep the treatment on the roof and have never had a problem, plus we spray down the foliage with water before and after the treatment for good measure. Also, we use an organic non caustic treatment application. Safety first though, so please take all animal dishes inside, keep people inside or away when we are working, and anything else you can think of to help keep everyone as safe as possible.

First, please know that this is a messy job and there will be debris.

Please move or cover anything that you do not want to get dirty, cars, ponds, fountains, lawn chairs and furniture, shoes, shoe racks, bbq’s, dogs, floor mats, etc. Have your driveways, walkways and any ground hard surfaces cleaned up as we will not clean up the hard surfaces that already have foliage and debris on them. We will only clean up CLEAN surfaces that were already clean before the roof cleaning process. If this is you, please hire a good landscape company to come through after we have done our work. We do a good job with cleanup and we will go around the house with the pressure washer and leave the house cleaner then when we got there – The debris out of the yard and garden is just compost that falls from the sky naturally and will compost out and the lawn mower is great for picking up dead moss. The bid does not reflect mowing your yard or raking the gutter debris out of the landscape as we are not setup for that. The bid does however, reflect cleanup of all hard surfaces and I guarantee you will be happy with our cleanup. If you want you can leave a yard debris can out for us to use and put most of the stuff into at no extra charge. If you want us to take debris with us (that is rare), please let me know so that I can add to the bid for extra labor and the trailer dump fee. I will let you know the cost up front as long as you let me know up front so that way there are no surprises for either party. This type of work can be a very messy job which requires pressure washing for cleanup. We need to go around your house with the washer or hose to rinse so please move anything that you do not want to get wet or dirty.