Tile Roof Soft Washing
The Vineyards

The oldest Vineyards neighborhoods date from the late 1980s and 1990s. Their tile has weathered for decades, the surface is more porous and the mortar on ridges and hips has aged. Growth settles into that rougher surface more readily, and a careless foot or a pressure washer can crack it.

Behind its gate on Vineyards Boulevard, close to I-75 in North Naples, the community spreads over roughly 1,375 acres. Homes have gone up from 1986 to the present, and roughly 2,700 residences now sit across its neighborhoods, from attached coach homes and condos, including mid-rise buildings, to single-family homes and custom estates.

Newer sections have tight tile that cleans quickly. The aim there is to remove the first streaks before they turn into lichen.

Across the community, mature, well-irrigated landscaping and two golf courses keep roofs shaded and damp. North-facing slopes and those under trees streak first, and they need longer dwell.

The two private 18-hole courses differ in look: the North Course by Mark McCumber plays in a Scottish-links style, and the South Course is a Bill Amick design. Homes along either one share the same irrigation spray and morning damp, and fairway-side slopes are often the first to darken.

The black streaks are mostly Gloeocapsa magma. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association names it probably the most prevalent algae behind roof stains and says it is most widespread in the Gulf States, and Owens Corning describes it as airborne, so it settles on roofs throughout the community regardless of age.

Concrete tile makers set the limits we work within. Eagle Roofing Products recommends water alone for routine cleaning, never above 1,200 psi, and says higher pressure can affect the tile’s pH and discolor it. For heavier growth it allows a cleaner only in its most diluted, concrete-compatible form.

Eagle also warns that walking a wet tile roof is difficult and dangerous, and it recommends a licensed, insured contractor with tile experience using fall protection. On two-story homes and mid-rise buildings our crew is harnessed before stepping onto the roof.

Many Vineyards neighborhoods are villas, coach homes and attached homes where one roof spans more than one owner, or where the neighborhood association maintains roofs. We quote whole buildings in those cases so colors stay even.

On the older roofs, every slope is photographed before treatment. Eagle recommends routine inspection for cracked tile and drainage problems, and those pictures let you and your roofer see the field tile and caps without climbing up.

Mortar on ridges and hips is where age shows most. Our tile with ridge cap treatment covers those lines, and loose or cracked mortar is recorded so you or your neighborhood association can decide on repairs.

With 38 neighborhoods, each with its own association and rules, the first question on any job is who owns the roof. In single-family sections the owner books directly; in many villa and coach-home sections the association does, and we quote the board for whole buildings.

Mid-rise condo buildings in the Vineyards usually have different roofs from the tile homes around them. If a building has a flat membrane roof, we follow the membrane maker’s guidance and the association’s roofer, and quote it through the manager.

Satellite pools and clubhouses inside the neighborhoods mean some homes back onto shared amenity areas. We keep spray and runoff off those decks and tell the manager which day we will be working.

Reclaimed irrigation water is widely used on the golf-course landscaping and leaves orange iron stains on pavers, walls and lower screens. That is a separate clean, and we keep roof runoff from adding grit to walls and drives that already carry those stains.

Owens Corning advises a thorough flush of the roof and surrounding plants after a bleach-based clean. Beds, lanai screens and pool decks under the eaves are wet down first and rinsed again after, and gutters and downspouts are flushed to finish.

ARMA says the effect of roof cleaning is temporary and discoloration may come back. Shaded and fairway-facing slopes show it first, and the photos in your record make it easy to see when the roof is due again.

The Vineyards Country Club clubhouse covers about 70,000 square feet with a fitness center, resort pool and restaurant, and there are 12 Har-Tru tennis courts plus satellite clubhouses and pools inside neighborhoods. Club and neighborhood association buildings are quoted separately from homes.

Next door, the 32-acre Vineyards Community Park has ball fields, courts and trails, and Crossroads Market with a Publix sits on site. Owners here are often seasonal, and we can clean without anyone home and email photos the same day.

Pricing starts at $299 for a single-story roof, $349 for tile with ridge cap treatment and $399 for two stories. Pairing the roof with a house wash is priced from $599, and villa or coach-home buildings maintained by an association are quoted per building.

We are pre-registered at the Vineyards gate, licensed and insured, and leave a written record after every job. Call 239-544-1165 to have your Vineyards roof looked at.