Once again...Pricing!

[FL PowerWash 14]

I know that there have been many threads regarding pricing, but unfortunately in the many that I have been through, I have yet to find one regarding roof washing. We have purchased an existing business and are trying to give a customer a price without any idea how to quote his roof. The information that I do know is that it is covered in moss and must be done for insurance reasons. Please help!

[CCPC 26]

how many interior sqft is the home?

what is the roof made of i.e. asphalt shingles, tiles, aluminum?

what is the roofs pitch?

what part of the country do you live in? your info say NY, but your name says FL powerwash.

These questions would really help you or anyone else on these boards to help with some idea of pricing.

[Mike Williamson 198]

Another thing to consider when pricing is the method by which you're going to clean the roof (Chlorine, sodium hydroxide, etc. Are you going to apply from the roof or the ground...How are you applying your chems? Xjet, shur-flo, downstream, pump up, etc)

Also, is the roof one story, or more? Is it a fairly complicated roof, or pretty simple? (Meaning are there lots of different angles, valleys, etc, or is it a pretty simple 2 or four sided roof?

[Aplus 525]

There are so many variables that it's almost impossible to help you with pricing. Fact is, you're going to have learn the hard way, unless you can get them to go with a time & materials arrangement.

[RyanH 14]

Here is a rough scale for how I charge on roofs:

Minimum charges:

For a single-level, ranch style home under 2000 sq. ft.: $150

Two-level, simple style roof (including split level) under 200 sq. ft: $200

Wierd roof geometries (multiple angles): $225

If the roof is over 60 degree incline: $250 - $275

These prices are for "normal" coverage of algae. This means that there are streaks, but not consistent coverage, i.e., you can still see the roofs original color on about 70% of the roof.

For severely nasty roofs, I add approximately $40 for each additional pass (primarily to cover the additional cost of the chemical) I did a roof recently where I had to put three coats of bleach on to completely brighten it.

If you have moss growing on it, man that's rough. I've put the Clorox Outdoor bleach directly on moss before and it chewed it up after about 20 minutes. I would spray the mossy areas with this several times and rinse with low pressure. Follow this with another application of regular chlorine/bleach and let it dwell.

But, these are just the prices *I* charge. I have no idea what others charge in other areas. It all comes down to what's it gonna cost for you to get up on a roof and monkey around for awhile.

[Pams Pressure & Clean 64]

Ryans pricing is about right in this area.

Although you might be well advised in this case to get a roofing contractor to determine whether the roof can actually be cleaned or whether or not the roof needs to be replaced.

If there is substantial moss accumulation, there is a good chance that the shingles or roof sub structure are shot and quite possibly leaking...or both...

It might also be advisable to get some kind of waiver in advance due to the poor condition of the roof, especially now that you know an insurance company is involved.

[Paul B. 523]

In my opinion, moss on asphalt shingle is the most difficult to bid as the number of passes and time to detach can greatly vary. In majority of the cases you have to get on the roof to rinse and detach.

I cleaned a moss covered roof a couple of years ago on a ranch home and it took several (3-4) passes, and even then about 30% remained attached. It took about 2 weeks for all of the moss to detach and the subsequent rains helped to rinse it away. The roof is still free of moss, mold and mildew.

I would develop a system to calculate square footage of the roof, as going by the square footage of the home can be deceiving. By roof square footage you will also develop a good method for calculating (pricing) the cost of your materials (chemicals). You will develop experience on how many passes to make as you do each job. Keep notes for the first couple of months and review the information, making adjustments as necessary.

Just off the top, and assuming fairly heavy moss accumulation on the roof in question, I would use Ryan's numbers but 2X - 3X it.

Our normal coverage rate for applying sodium hypochlorite at 5-6% dilution is about 100 sq foot per gallon, per pass or about $1 per gallon (diluted). For example: on a 2300 sq ft roof, your material cost would be about $46 per pass. Of course if you use other chemicals, your costs will be different.

[FL PowerWash 14]

CCPC,

For this particular job, I am not sure what the square footage of the house is. I know that the roof is made of wooden shingles and there is a large amount of moss on it, which the homeowner states has been there for about 5 years! I live in NY, in the Finger Lakes (hence FL Powerwash).

Oneness,

The house is 2 story and bleach was what we planned on using and following with a colored sealer to cover the lightened areas. The bleach would be wanded on from the roof and then we have a roof wheel to rinse. The roof has several angles and valleys.

RyanH and Pam's Custom Clean,

Thank you for the information, that gives me a rough idea so that I can let the customer know and then fine tune the pricing for later!

Paul B,

What is the difference between bleach and sodium hypochlorite for removing moss? Would it be safe to use on wood shingles? Will it discolor the shingles as we are sure that the bleach will do?

I now have the original builders name and plan on contacting him for his input into this situation. I know that the homeowner has previously hired someone to do this same job, but it was not completed to the homeowner's satisfaction.

Thank you all for your responses. I look forward to hearing more as we take yet another venture into entrepreneurship!

[Pams Pressure & Clean 64]

FL,

Howdy.. Born and raised just outside Ithaca.. Will be home for about a week over the labor day holiday. Going to stay near my brother's house in Watkins Glen.

Anyway,

Now that you let us know it's a wooden shingle roof, this changes the game significantly. Your price MAY (depends on some different factors) have just gone up exponentially...

Cleaning agents, brighteners, sealers, and methods all change quite a bit with wood shingless vs. asphalt shingles. Having never done a shake roof I cannont comment on the exact and proper method, but I have read a ton on this bbs and others and they all seem to tell me that it's a big time different game altogether.. I do not mean in any way to slam your abilities, but you might be well advised to bring in someone with experience in wooden roofs as a consultant/advisor/mentor. Pay them their fees and keep a cut for your self, then stick to them like a shadow to learn all you can.

That's my 2 cents worth anyway...

Oh yeah, bleach and sodium hypochlorite are the same thing. one is the proper name for the other. FWIW, the bleach you get in the store is anywhere from 4-6% sodium hypochlorite and the pool chlorine, sodium hypochlorite, shock, or whatever else it is called by just about all of us runs anywhere from 10% to 15 %. Same stuff, just WAY stronger...