Bay-Front Tile Roof Soft Washing
Pelican Landing

Pelican Landing covers more than 2,300 acres in Bonita Springs, bordered by Estero Bay and Spring Creek. It began with a golf club in the mid-1980s and has grown into 27 named neighborhoods, from Ascot and Bay Cedar to Palm Colony, Sanctuary and Waterside.

Salt off Estero Bay and the Gulf settles on roof tile, and salt holds moisture. A damp, salty surface is a good home for Gloeocapsa magma, the algae behind black roof streaks, so bay-side homes tend to need cleaning sooner than inland Bonita Springs neighborhoods.

Pelican Landing’s landscaping has had 20 to 30 years to grow. Tall trees over villa clusters and estate lots keep north and east slopes in shade for much of the day, and leaf litter settles in tile valleys. Those shaded sections streak first and are the first to grow lichen.

Much of the community is described as cypress hammock, wetland and protected wildlife area, with tree-shaded roads. That canopy is a large part of why the place looks the way it does, and it is also why roofs under it stay damp longer after rain.

Older tile and mortared ridges need a careful hand. Eagle Roofing Products, a concrete tile maker, recommends plain water for routine cleaning at no more than 1,200 psi, warning that more pressure can change the tile’s pH and discolor it. We clean by solution and dwell time at far lower pressure.

When tile is heavily soiled, Eagle allows a cleaner only in the most diluted solution possible and only one compatible with concrete, because some products can etch the surface. Older roofs get the mildest mix that works, with longer dwell rather than more strength.

The black streaks are mostly Gloeocapsa magma. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association calls it probably the most prevalent of the algae species that discolor roofs and finds it most widespread in the Gulf States, and Owens Corning notes it is carried through the air onto roofs.

The community spans many villages, from attached villas to single-family homes and bay-front estates. Some roofs are handled by a village association and some by owners, so we quote whichever party is responsible and match the method to the roof.

Home types run from garden condos, coach homes and villas to single-family homes, estates and mid- and high-rise condos. Listings range from about 1,050 to more than 7,700 square feet, and Phase I condo listings show build years from 1996 at Sandpiper Isle to 2001 at The Pointe.

Palm Colony is a two-story coach-home neighborhood with tile roofs. Coach-home buildings share one roof across several owners, so we suggest cleaning each building whole, quoted to the neighborhood association, to avoid a clean section next to a streaked one.

Each neighborhood has its own association, and vendors work Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. We schedule inside those hours, register crews at the gate before each visit and send the certificate of insurance to the manager on request.

Eagle describes a wet tile roof as difficult and dangerous to walk and advises a licensed, insured contractor with tile experience who wears fall protection. Two-story roofs and estate roofs are worked with the crew tied off.

The beach park on Big Hickory Island is reached by boat shuttle from Coconut Point Marina, and the canoe and kayak park sits on Spring Creek. Homes nearest the bay and the creek take more salt and moisture than those inland, and we note which side of the house faces the water before setting dwell times.

Leaf litter is cleared by hand from valleys and gutters before any solution goes on, so the solution reaches the tile. Gutters and downspouts are flushed at the end so storm water moves off the roof.

Owens Corning advises thoroughly flushing the roof and the greenery around it after a bleach-based clean. Beds, lawn edges and lanai screens below the drip line are wetted before treatment and rinsed again afterward.

Before we begin, every slope is photographed and cracked or slipped tile is noted. Eagle recommends routine checks for cracked tile and drainage problems, and the photos record the roof’s condition on the day we cleaned it.

Results do not last indefinitely. ARMA says cleaning is only temporary and discoloration may recur, especially under canopy, which is why we do not quote a number of years.

Most roofs here are now old enough that the tile surface and mortared ridges deserve care. A soft wash cleans by chemistry at about garden-hose pressure, and ridges are treated with the same light touch as the field tile.

Single-story villa roofs start at $299, tile roofs with ridge cap treatment at $349, two-story roofs at $399, and bay-front estates at $499. Adding a house wash to the roof starts at $599; see tile roof cleaning for the method.

Call 239-544-1165 to book your Pelican Landing roof, or to quote a whole villa or coach-home building.