Roof Guys! a little help?.....

[ogetnom27 14]

Just finished up a deck job for a great customer. Well, deck came out great, so she asked if I could do a few other things around the property. One of them is this roof. I have done some other roofs in the past, but I haven't encountered something this bad. Any suggestions on how to tackle this one? Thanks, Mike

Edited July 31, 2009 by ogetnom27
added

[814jeffw 71]

Hi Mike, ideally that roof should just be replaced,...but we don't live in an ideal world. Not much you can do with that roof in the way of physically removing the growth. I would tell her all you can do is kill it and it will fall off over time. You may also want to explain to her that the gutters are most likely in need of cleaning out,...simply because off the amount of granules that are likely to be in them.

always sell a job for what it is, don't sugarcoat it.

Jeff

[TNRoofCleaner 16]

Wow that is the worst lichen infestation I have seen. I did a search for roof cleaners in cape cod and all use the incorrect methods. Call me and I can help with what I can. You might also do a search for Roof Cleaning Institute of America and get signed onto that forum.

[John Orr 206]

If that roof is anywhere near the deck you just finished, I would recommend against cleaning it.

[TNRoofCleaner 16]

WOW I just looked at it again and I didn't notice that there were no gutters the first time. You are right John about skipping the roof cleaning. You would have to have 2 fire hoses hooked to a hydrant up to keep the deck from losing color. Maybe do this before the next deck maintenance.

[814jeffw 71]

Yea, I'm so used to gutters here in Pa that I didn't even realize there were none. So my gutter cleaning recommendation,....well,...THERE AREN"T ANY!!!

Jeff

[CALLTODD 15]

Can't tell what she has growing on that there roof. But a nice dose of Zinc Sulfate

will probably kill it.

[TNRoofCleaner 16]

What is growing there is Lichen.

Maybe she could stake out a couple of Caribou and have them clean it for her.

After looking at the pictures for the 3rd time I have to agree with Jeff and John. Ever heard the phrase "Run Forest Run"? LOL Those shingles in the middle picture look really bad and if you clean them then she just might develop leaks because the lichen is now missing. Just tell here it would be a waste of money to have them cleaned now and may do more harm than good. Better to do that then loose a customer because something went wrong. She needs to start saving now for a new roof.

[All Surface 24]

Time to replace it!!! I doubt there is much Shingle Granuals left under all that mess.

[CALLTODD 15]

That's some crazy stuff. Better start saving for a new one.

[CCPC 26]

I wouldn't touch that roof.

[ogetnom27 14]

Well, must be the Irish in me but I was determined to get this roof clean. I took home some samples of the moss, algae, lichen and whatever else was growing up there and did a little chemistry experiment. I came up with a mix that killed this stuff pretty effectively. Went to the house and sprayed,waited overnight,next day rinsed with a garden hose to get top layer off, did same procedure again, then a third. Went up on roof with a 40 tip and what you see is what you get. There were some spots where the "organism" had eaten a bit into the shingle but nothing to really compromise the integrity of the shingle. Customer is very happy and I will be doing more work for her on another property she owns next week.

Edited July 31, 2009 by ogetnom27

[814jeffw 71]

Good to see you got it done.

Jeff

[ogetnom27 14]

Thanks, maybe too stubborn for my own good..

[plainpainter 217]

That roof came out a million times better than I would have expected. But a good job doesn't necessarily deserve praise. There is a lot that can go wrong with a roof, and by accepting that job you took on a lot of culpability had things gone wrong - and there was high probability of things going on with a roof like that. Next time let the homeowner shell out the clams for replacement - going up there 3 times is unacceptable - you put yourself at risk.

[TNRoofCleaner 16]

Lots of granule loss but that was to be expected. Some was from the Lichen ahd the rest was from the pressure washer.

[dcoronado 19]

Wow, I would have ran...but does look better than what I would have expected. Nice job and way to stick with your gut feeling, you won that gamble :).

[ogetnom27 14]

That roof came out a million times better than I would have expected. But a good job doesn't necessarily deserve praise. There is a lot that can go wrong with a roof, and by accepting that job you took on a lot of culpability had things gone wrong - and there was high probability of things going on with a roof like that. Next time let the homeowner shell out the clams for replacement - going up there 3 times is unacceptable - you put yourself at risk.

Dan,

I was able to use the back side of the garage as the "test kitchen" which was the worst infestation and I could check there first for effectiveness and leakage. Otherwise, I would not have done the house. I didn't have to go up on the roof 3 times. I sprayed from the ground

[plainpainter 217]

Ok - that's good, just with the photo of the ladder up on the roof - it made me think you climbed it.

Just remember with that much granule loss - there is little left between rain water from getting into the home - if you ever see a roof like that, it takes very little to disturb it. I know from experience - I have had friends go up on a 23+ yr. old roof to paint the dormers. Supposedly after they were done - they had damaged the roof - and were blamed for water intrusion. They had not seen any damage they had done - but the roof was old and crappy.