Condo Tile Roof Soft Washing
The Pointe at Pelican Landing

A lake with lighted fountains lies behind the buildings. Fountain spray and morning dew keep that side damp much of the year, and north slopes on three-story roofs see little direct sun. That is where Gloeocapsa magma, the algae behind black streaks, tends to settle first.

The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association describes Gloeocapsa magma as probably the most prevalent of the algae species behind roof discoloration, most widespread in the Gulf States and favored by warm, humid weather. Owens Corning adds that it is carried through the air and collects on roofs.

Twenty-five years of Bonita Springs summers means these roofs have been through several algae cycles already. Growth left in place holds moisture against tile and mortar and can give way to lichen in the shadiest sections.

Each building rises three stories with an elevator, so the roofs sit high above the walks and the eaves are a long way from the ground. Our crew uses a low-pressure soft wash and careful foot placement, keeping tile intact and ridge mortar where it belongs.

Eagle Roofing Products, a concrete tile maker, recommends plain water for routine cleaning with pressure never above 1,200 psi, because higher pressure can change the tile’s pH and discolor it. A soft wash stays far below that.

For heavy growth, Eagle allows a cleaner only in the most diluted solution possible and only if it suits concrete, since some products can etch the tile or change its pH. After two decades of growth we extend dwell time rather than raise strength.

Eagle calls a wet tile roof difficult and dangerous to walk and advises a licensed, insured contractor with tile experience who wears fall protection. On three-story roofs our crew is tied off for the whole job.

The Pointe is one of the Phase I condo neighborhoods of Pelican Landing, a community of more than 2,300 acres bordered by Estero Bay and Spring Creek. Phase I listings show build years from 1996 to 2001, and at 160 units The Pointe is the second largest of them after Southbridge.

That size means a roof program here is several buildings, not one. We clean building by building in an order the board sets, so residents of each building get notice of their day and the rest of the property is undisturbed.

Units can be leased up to three times a year, so a building on cleaning day may hold tenants as well as owners. We ask management to pass the notice on to both and to let us know about any lanai that cannot be reached.

ARMA asks that cleaning solution be applied with care to protect both the building and the landscaping, and it notes that a cleaned roof is slippery. We keep the wand low and close to the tile so mist does not drift onto cars, screens or walkways.

Units here are three-bedroom, two-bath condos with screened lanais and one detached garage space each. Lanais below the roofline are closed and protected while we work, and garage roofs can be included in the association quote.

Fees at The Pointe cover irrigation water, grounds, pest control, insurance and reserves. Roofs and building walls are usually common elements, so the board is normally the client; the condo documents set the exact split.

Owens Corning advises thoroughly flushing the roof and the plants around it after a bleach-based clean. Lake-side plantings are soaked before treatment and rinsed after, and downspout runoff is turned away from the lake edge.

Every slope is photographed before we begin. Eagle recommends routine checks for cracked tile and drainage problems, so anything we see goes on the building record for the association’s roofer.

Before anything is sprayed at The Pointe, leaf litter is lifted out of the valleys and gutters by hand. Leaves and grit packed into a valley keep the solution from reaching the tile beneath, and they are bagged and taken away rather than rinsed onto the lawn.

Gutters and downspouts are flushed at the end of each building, so storm water moves off the roof instead of over the fascia and onto the lanai screens.

Results do not last indefinitely. ARMA states that the effect of cleaning is only temporary and that discoloration may recur, which is why each building’s record notes its condition rather than a promised number of years.

Owners have optional non-equity membership at Pelican’s Nest Golf Club, with two 18-hole courses. Owners who want their own lanai or windows cleaned can book for the same week the board washes their building.

Building roofs start from $299 per roof, tile with ridge cap treatment from $349, and larger multi-pitch buildings from $499. A full association program is quoted per building; see our HOA and property management page.

We are licensed and insured and send the certificate of insurance to the manager before the first building. Call 239-544-1165 for a per-building quote.