Tile Roof Soft Washing
Pelican Sound

Pelican Sound Golf & River Club is a gated, master-planned community by WCI Communities at Corkscrew Road and U.S. 41 in Estero. Around a dozen subdivisions hold estate, executive, coach and carriage homes plus condominiums, roughly 1,300 residences in all.

Every recent Pelican Sound listing we reviewed was tile-roofed, on homes built from 1999 to 2002. After two decades in Estero, tile that hasn’t been soft washed typically carries black streaking from Gloeocapsa magma and, in shaded spots, lichen.

Gloeocapsa magma is the organism the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association names as probably the most prevalent of the algae species behind roof discoloration. ARMA finds it most widespread in the Gulf States, and Owens Corning notes that it is carried in the air and collects on roofs.

The rolling, tree-lined fairways are beautiful, but slopes under or beside trees dry slowly after rain and dew. Communities with mature canopy and nearby water generally see algae return sooner on those slopes.

The 27-hole course is an Audubon-certified sanctuary, and every homeowner has golf privileges. Fairway trees and landscaped buffers are part of that setting, and the slopes beneath them are the ones we look at first.

Older tile can be brittle and ridge mortar may be weathered. High pressure can chip tile and blow out mortar. Soft wash cleans by chemistry, so the roof comes clean without that risk.

Tile makers set clear limits. Eagle Roofing Products recommends plain water for routine cleaning, with pressure never above 1,200 psi, noting that higher pressure can change the tile’s pH and leave it discolored.

For heavier growth, Eagle allows a cleaner only in the most diluted solution possible and only if it is compatible with concrete, because some products can etch the tile or alter its pH. On a roof of this age we would rather extend dwell time than raise strength.

Eagle also calls a wet tile roof difficult and dangerous to walk and advises hiring a licensed, insured contractor with tile experience who wears fall protection. Our crew follows that on every two-story building.

The River Club sits on the Estero River, part of the Calusa Blueway, with a canoe and kayak launch and a members-only boat ramp to the Gulf. Homes near the river and the lakes see more moisture, so rinse water is directed away from the water’s edge.

Single-family homes are generally owner-maintained, while condo and coach buildings are usually handled through their association. We quote whichever party is responsible and send the record to them.

Owens Corning advises flushing the roof and surrounding greenery thoroughly after a bleach-based clean. Plants under the drip line are soaked before, rinsed after, and pool equipment and lanai screens are covered or rinsed.

Every slope is photographed before work begins. Eagle recommends routine checks for cracked tile and drainage problems, so cracked or slipped tile goes on the record for your roofer.

Coach and carriage buildings put several owners under one roof. If only one section is cleaned, the line between clean and streaked tile is obvious from the street, so we price the building as a whole and work to the association’s calendar when it is the one booking.

ARMA asks that solution be applied with care to protect both the building and the landscaping, and warns that a cleaned roof is slippery. We spray low and close to the tile, keep overspray off windows and cars, and rinse each section before moving on.

Results do not last forever. ARMA states that cleaning is only temporary and that discoloration may come back, which is why each job ends with photos and a dated record rather than a promise about years.

Homes here are CBS stucco under tile, so many owners pair the roof with a house wash. Doing both on one visit means runoff from the roof is rinsed off the walls the same day.

Valleys and gutters are cleared by hand first, so the solution reaches the tile and water can drain. Gutters and downspouts are flushed at the end of the visit.

Residents also have on-site boat storage and a community water taxi to Lovers Key State Park. None of that changes the roof work, but it does mean owners are often out on the water, so we send photos and the record by email and do not need anyone home while we work.

With 11 swimming pools, a staffed tennis center and a fitness center, the community also has a number of amenity roofs. Those are association work, quoted to the board separately from private homes.

Single-story tile roofs start at $299, a tile roof with ridge cap treatment at $349, and two-story roofs at $399. Combining the roof with a house wash starts at $599; see tile roof cleaning for the full method.

Pelican Sound is gated, so we confirm registration with you or your manager before each visit. We are licensed and insured; call 239-544-1165 to book.