Estate Tile Roof Soft Washing
Quail Creek

Quail Creek is a gated community of 640 acres off Immokalee Road, just east of I-75 in North Naples. It is fully built, with about 291 custom single-family estates, many on lots of around an acre, and most with views of a course or a lake.

A large custom roof has more of everything that algae likes: more shaded slopes, more valleys, more overhang. Quail Creek’s mature trees add shade and drop leaves into those valleys, and the two courses and their lakes keep the air humid. North-facing and tree-covered slopes streak first.

The two championship courses, Quail and Creek, were both designed by Arthur Hills. Listed homes here were built from 1983 to 1992 and range from about 2,900 to more than 18,000 square feet, so roofs vary from a simple hip to a complex roof with many valleys.

Because the community is established, many roofs have been cleaned before, some of them by pressure washing. We can’t reverse wear that is already there, but a soft wash cleans without adding to it.

The black streaks are mostly Gloeocapsa magma. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association calls it probably the most prevalent of the algae species behind roof discoloration and says it is most widespread in the Gulf States, where warm, humid conditions favor it.

In an Owens Corning technical bulletin it is identified as a cyanobacterium, spread on the wind, that settles and grows on roof surfaces; green algae and moss are different organisms. Lake air and fairway trees around Quail Creek give it plenty of shade and moisture to work with.

Eagle Roofing Products, which makes concrete tile, recommends plain water for routine cleaning at no more than 1,200 psi, warning that higher pressure can change the tile’s pH and discolor it. That sets a ceiling; our soft wash stays well under it.

For a heavily soiled roof 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 surface. On roofs of this age we lengthen dwell time instead of strengthening the mix.

On a roof this size, method matters for safety as well as results. Our crews work from ladders and safe walk zones with trained foot placement, plan rinsing so runoff does not land on stone or glass, and finish large roofs in one planned visit.

Eagle describes walking a wet tile roof as difficult and dangerous and advises a licensed, insured contractor with tile experience who wears fall protection. On two-story and multi-level estate roofs the crew stays tied off.

Every slope is photographed first, and cracked or slipped tile is noted. Eagle recommends routine checks for cracked tile and drainage problems, so your record shows the roof’s condition on the day it was cleaned.

Many estates have private pools, and runoff from a large roof can travel a long way. Pool equipment is covered, the deck is rinsed, and Owens Corning’s advice to flush the roof and surrounding greenery thoroughly after a bleach-based clean is followed on every job.

Large roofs are planned in sections by pitch and valley before any solution goes on. Skylights, natural stone, copper or painted trim and glass below the eaves are noted, and the rinse is planned so runoff does not land on them or pool on a motor court.

ARMA asks that solution be applied carefully to protect the building and landscaping and notes that a cleaned roof is slippery. With big estate plantings under most eaves, beds are soaked before treatment and rinsed again after.

Leaves from the mature trees settle in valleys and gutters, so those are cleared by hand first. The debris is bagged and removed, and the gutters and downspouts are flushed once the roof is rinsed.

Guest houses and detached garages are priced as separate roofs, so we can include them in the same visit without overcharging for a small structure.

The result is even color across the whole roof, which is what you see from the fairway and the street.

Results are temporary. ARMA states that the effect of cleaning is only temporary and discoloration may recur, so we do not quote a number of years; shaded and lake-facing slopes will show it first.

The private club has a 44,000-square-foot clubhouse, more than a dozen Har-Tru tennis courts, a pool and a fitness and spa center. Club buildings are quoted separately from homes.

Two-story roofs start at $399, guest houses and garages with ridge cap treatment at $349, and most estates at $499 as large or complex roofs. A roof plus house wash starts at $599; see tile roof cleaning.

We are registered at the Quail Creek gate before each visit and are licensed and insured. Call 239-544-1165 for an estate roof quote.