Waterway-Safe Roof Soft Washing
Isles of Collier Preserve

The Isles of Collier Preserve is a Minto community at 5445 Caribe Avenue, just off Tamiami Trail East and about four miles from downtown Naples. Of its 2,400 acres, more than 1,300, about 54 percent, are natural habitat and preserve linked by trails and blueways.

It borders Rookery Bay National Estuarine Reserve, Naples Botanical Garden and Dollar Bay. That is the reason runoff control gets as much attention on this page as the cleaning itself.

Minto organized the Isles around canals and lakes that residents paddle and cruise by electric boat. Homes along the waterway, and those backing onto preserve, sit in steady humidity. Roofs dry slowly after rain and morning dew, and the slopes facing water or habitat grow algae first.

The architecture takes its cues from Old Naples, with coastal cottages, villas, coach homes and single-family homes. Coastal Cottage homes run about 1,204 to 1,466 square feet, villas 1,565 to 1,862, and single-family homes 2,016 to 4,327, so roofs range from compact single-story to large and complex.

Black streaks are the visible part. Underneath, the algae holds moisture against the roof surface, and over time it can give way to lichen in shaded corners. Cleaning as soon as streaks return keeps each visit quick, and ARMA is candid that any roof cleaning is temporary, with the discoloration liable to come back.

The black streaks are mostly Gloeocapsa magma, a cyanobacterium. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association says it is probably the most common of the algae species that discolor roofs and is most widespread in the Gulf States, where warm, humid conditions suit it.

Owens Corning says the organism travels through the air and settles on roofs, and that green algae and moss are separate species. Because airborne spores keep arriving, a clean roof here will eventually streak again.

Roof materials vary across the Isles’ home styles. Whatever your roof is made of, the approach is the same: low pressure, a dilute solution matched to the roof, and careful foot placement. Metal roofs get a method suited to metal; see our metal roof cleaning page.

We confirm the material on each home before quoting rather than assume it from the collection name or the house next door. Concrete tile, shingle and metal each have their own cleaning guidance, and the method follows that guidance.

For concrete tile, Eagle Roofing Products, a tile maker, recommends water only, at no more than 1,200 psi, and says higher pressure can affect the tile’s pH and discolor it. Where a roof is heavily soiled, Eagle allows a cleaner only in the most diluted solution possible and only if it is compatible with concrete.

For shingles, ARMA recommends household bleach and water mixed to the shingle maker’s directions, left on 15 to 20 minutes and rinsed with a gentle spray. It warns against power washers, brushes and brooms, which loosen granules.

For metal roofs, we follow the panel maker’s guidance and keep to low pressure. Our metal roof cleaning page covers the method in more detail.

Every drop of runoff here eventually reaches the waterway, so the chemistry matters. We keep the solution as dilute as the roof allows, direct downspouts away from the water’s edge and rinse plantings before and after.

On waterfront lots, we look at where each downspout empties before we begin. Where one discharges toward a seawall or lake, we turn or extend it toward the lawn for the day and put it back afterward.

Plantings near the drip line are soaked with fresh water before treatment and rinsed again after. Owens Corning’s guidance for bleach cleaning is to flush the roof and nearby greenery thoroughly, and we apply that on every roof type.

Wet roofs are slippery, and Eagle calls walking on a wet tile roof difficult and dangerous. Our crew works with fall protection and places each step on sound tile, away from the edges.

The Isles keeps community appearance standards across its preserve setting. Our written record, with date, surfaces, method and our Florida license number, is something you can keep for HOA files.

ARMA states that roof cleaning results are temporary and discoloration may return. The cycle in the FAQ below is our recommendation for waterway and preserve lots, not a promise of how long a clean will last.

Every slope is photographed before we start, and cracked or slipped tile is noted. Eagle recommends routine checks for cracked tile and drainage problems, and our photos give you a dated record of the roof’s condition before cleaning.

Single-story roofs start at $299, two-story roofs at $399 and larger waterfront roofs at $499. Mortared tile ridges start at $349, and roof with house wash at $599.

We are pre-registered at the gate, licensed and insured, and email photos and a written record the same day, so you do not need to be home. Call 239-544-1165, and ask about the dock and seawall while we are there.