Rotating Tile Roof Program
St. Croix at Pelican Marsh

The community sits beside a large lake, and that moisture is why lake-side roofs and walls go green first. Shaded slopes under eaves and trees streak next. On tile that has weathered since 1999, those slopes are the first ones residents notice.

The condominium sits near Immokalee Road and Livingston Road in North Naples, ZIP 34109. Two-bedroom units run about 940 to 1,045 square feet and three-bedroom units about 1,200 to 1,300, which makes for many modest roofs rather than a few large ones.

For a 360-unit association, cleaning every roof in one season is a large single bill. A rotating program avoids that: the board pays a fixed cost per phase, and the dirtiest buildings go first.

The dark streaks are mostly Gloeocapsa magma. Of the several algae that stain roofs, ARMA, the asphalt roofing trade group, believes this one is the most common, and it reports the heaviest spread along the Gulf States. An Owens Corning bulletin adds that the organism drifts in on air currents and builds up on roof surfaces.

Each roof is soft washed from ladders and the roof edge at low pressure with a dilute solution and trained foot placement, so the 1999 tile is not cracked.

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

For heavily soiled slopes, Eagle allows a cleaner only in the most diluted solution possible and only if it is compatible with concrete, since some products can etch the tile. On 1999 tile we would rather add dwell time than strength.

Eagle describes walking wet tile as difficult and dangerous and advises a licensed, insured contractor with tile experience using fall protection. That is why most of the work here is done from ladders and the roof edge, and why the crew is harnessed whenever they step onto a two- or three-story roof.

Buildings range from one to three stories, and some units have attached one-car garages. Taller buildings take longer and are priced accordingly, which is why the board sees a per-building figure inside each phase.

Owens Corning advises a thorough flush of the roof and the greenery around it after a bleach-based clean. Lawn maintenance here is shared, so beds are soaked before treatment, rinsed after, and downspout runoff is turned away from the lake.

Every roof is photographed before work begins. Eagle recommends routine checks for cracked tile and drainage problems, so anything we see is added to that building’s record for the association’s roofer.

Gutters and downspouts are flushed as each building is finished, and the walls and walks below are rinsed so residents do not come home to drip marks.

Results are temporary. ARMA says the effect of roof cleaning does not last and discoloration may recur, which is why a rotation suits a large association: the buildings that streak again first can move up the list.

Many units are rented seasonally or annually, so notice goes to the manager to pass on to owners and tenants alike. Valet trash and parking are worked around rather than interrupted.

ARMA asks that cleaning solution be applied carefully, with the building and plantings protected, and it notes that a cleaned roof is slippery. With residents coming and going through breezeways, we cone off the area under each roof edge being treated and rinse it before reopening.

A phase plan also gives the board a simple record over time. Each building’s sheet shows the date it was cleaned, the slopes that carried the heaviest growth, the method used and our Florida license number, with photos, so the next phase can be ordered from evidence rather than guesswork.

Valleys and gutters are cleared by hand before any solution goes on, because leaves packed into a valley keep it from reaching the tile. Debris is bagged and removed rather than rinsed onto the lawn.

Residents may keep up to two pets, under a 40-pound limit, and we ask that pets stay indoors while their building is being treated and until the rinse is dry. Ground-floor patios are checked for pet bowls and toys before the first spray.

Shared amenities include a heated outdoor pool, spa and cabana, a clubhouse and a fitness center. Those roofs can be folded into any phase of the program.

Smaller one-story buildings start from $299, tile roofs with ridge cap treatment from $349, and each phase is quoted as a fixed group price. See HOA and property management for how we work with boards.

We are licensed and insured, registered at the Pelican Marsh gate, and send the certificate to management first. Call 239-544-1165 to plan a St. Croix rotation.