Having Your Roof Pressure Washed and Treated for Fungus and Moss:

When I first moved up to Portland, Oregon I bought a house out in the suburbs and didn't think much of the roof since it was only about 7 years old. As the months went by I kept getting flyers at my door and in the mailbox for pressure washing & roof restoration services. I had lived in California my entire life and thought that roofs were supposed to last 25 years. To my surprise, up in the Northwest, if you don't treat your roof periodically and clean it, the life of your roof could be drastically reduced. All the rain and wind can really damage a roof over the long run as fungus and moss builds up slowly deteriorating the shingles and eventually leading to water leaks. I decided I should look into this roof cleaning and treatment service that was offered by several contractors in my area. I got a few estimates by having the contractors come out to my house and do a quick measurement of the roof and the prices weren't that bad considering this would give my roof a longer life if otherwise not done.

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The process takes a few days total. The first day on the roof is where the professional gets up there and pressure washes the entire roof. They do a very thorough job on each and every shingle spraying off moss and any fungus build up over the years. It's certainly not a job for the faint of heart as you are literally walking on a wet roof with ropes attached to your body so that you don't fall off the edge. It is dangerous work and I now understand why these guys get paid a decent amount to be up there. The pressure washing of the roof takes hours to do (total time depends on your house) and then there is a shake replacement process where they replace shingles that are either badly cracked or so far damaged they could lead to water leaks. If you need ridge caps replaced they will do those to at a cost. I was lucky that my roof was in pretty good shape and needed few replacement shingles (2 bundles) and no ridge caps. While they are up on the roof they will also check your roof vents and pipe flashings to make sure they are in good working condition. The power washing of the roof can be done in sunshine or wet conditions, so expect them to show up even if it's raining that day. As for the roof preservative and treatment they tend to use something called M-Gard. This is an oil base cedar shake preservation and it is not harmful to plants, humans, or domestic animals. The M-Gard solution also doesn't harm flashings, gutters, or valleys in or around the roof line. By spraying the M-Gard onto the shakes it gets absorbed into the wood protecting it from rainy, wet, and sunny weather conditions. Many people think that just damp climates can ruin a roof but prolonged sun exposure can also crack and damage shingles. For my roof, I was concerned with the build up of moss and fungus and this would eliminate that from happening for 5 years. The two treatment types are zinc naphthenate or copper naphthenate. The copper solution will definitely lighten up the look of your roof and make it look newer, although both types protect pretty much the same. The roof preservative has to be sprayed on when there is no wind and it should be a day without rain so that the solution can effective soak into the shake and give you that protective layer on your shingles. When the guys did my roof they power washed one day and then came back a week later to spray on the treatment.

How much is roof restoration?:

Ok, we know what everyone wants to find out - How much does roof restoration costs? The price to power wash and treat your roof for moss, fungus and other debris is going to be from $700 to $1250. My house is 3300 square feet and the price to get the roof restoration was $1165. To completely pressure wash the roof was $475. This took about 40% of the time involved with the process. The cost to spray the roof preservative and treatment for fungus and moss was $450. The additional charges were $240 for 2 bundles of shingles that had to be replaced due to damage beyond repair. I feel like the $1000+ was well spent with the guarantees that I was given. You get a 5 year guarantee against moss and fungus growth and a 5 year leak guarantee on repaired areas. I know that the life of my roof in the Northwest will not be as long as compared to living in California because the weather is harsher up here. When you throw in the price of a new roof ($30,000+) it makes economic sense to have your roof cleaned and treated every 5 years or so to prolong it's life.

Finding a contractor to pressure wash and clean your roof:

As I mentioned above, I didn't have to go find a roof restoration expert, they came to me. Perhaps you have seen the flyers left on your doorstep or maybe even seen ads in your local newspaper. When I had my roof done Craigslist.org and Angies List were not nearly as popular as they are today. I would use those 2 websites as a source to find 2 or 3 competent companies to come out and give you an estimate on the cost to power wash your roof and treat it. Ask your neighbors as well if they have had this service done to their roofs. Since I had my roof treated many of our neighbors are starting to do theirs as well and several of us have used the same company since they do a good job for a reasonable amount of money. Get the estimate in writing and make sure the final invoice shows a breakdown of what kind of treatment was sprayed on the shingles. A guarantee is only worthwhile if the company will be in business years from now so look for a solid roof restoration company that has been doing this for at least a decade.

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