A guide of the process of hiring a tradesman to remove roof moss manually, including the costs of labour and materials.
Pressure cleaning would obviously remove moss and other debris from your roof. However, there is always the option of manual cleaning and moss removal as well. If you choose this route to clean your roof, you want to hire the right contractor or take the right approach if you do it yourself.
Pressure washing can cause damage to tiles, ridges, chimneys, siding, and even gutters. Therefore, you might choose to forego this cleaning route and choose to have the tiles manually cleaned. It is going to take longer, but it is also a guaranteed way to remove the moss, and avoid the potential for damaging the roof, which will end up costing far more than having the roof manually cleaned.
Basically, the roofer or the contractor will use a scaffold or tall ladder to go to the top of the roof. They will use cleaning agents, and there are possible chemical cleaning solutions they can apply to the roof, which will prevent future growth.
Cleaning using general lawn maintenance techniques is usually the approach which is taken to get the moss off the roof. Once it is removed, general maintenance, or the use of chemical agents, which will stunt and prevent future grown of moss on the roof, are some of the chosen methods homeowners take, so they don’t have to do this kind of cleaning in the future.
The main issue with cleaning moss is that of pressure washing. Yes, it is far faster and will remove the moss. But, pressure washing has been shown to damage the roof, loft space, windows, and other delicate parts of the home. Therefore, the transition to general manual cleaning is an approach which has been taken in recent years.
Future growth is another possible issue with this type of cleaning service. If you wish to prevent future growth, there is always the option to use chemical agents, cleaners, or other solutions a contractor can take, in order to not only remove the moss that is on the roof but also to help prevent it from regrowing on the roof in the future.
When cleaning the moss, you might as well do a general cleaning of the entire roof. If there is debris, dust, dirt, droppings, or other dirt, this is the time which you can clean it all. Since the contractor is already on your roof, you might as well address all of the dirty areas with general cleaning.
Cleaning the siding of the home, and removing leaves or gutter cleaning services, is another type of cleaning you might choose to conduct at this time as well. Again, you already have the professional cleaners on your roof, to remove the moss. If you choose to hire them to do full cleaning services, you are going to pay a lower quoted price, than you would, if you were to contract different companies to do each of these cleaning services individually.
There are chemical cleaning agents and solutions which can be applied to your roof, in order to prevent future moss growth. If you do not want to hire a cleaning company annually, or every few months, this is a permanent solution for you to consider. Depending on the age of the home, the type of roof, and other factors, the right cleaning companies can provide you with a few different options to get rid of the moss and guarantee it will not regrow on your home in the future.
The general labour cost to hire a contractor to clean the moss off your roof will typically run anywhere from £150-£250 for most homes. This is a flat rate you will pay, for the duration of the services. And, in most homes, the cleaning services should not run for more than 1-2 hours.
In terms of the cost of cleaning itself, a terraced roof can run up to £400-£500 in certain areas. Detached roofs might end up costing up to £800 to clean. Depending on the size of the roof, the material of the roof, and detail work on your roof, the average price for cleaning is going to differ in each instance.
And, like any other roofing project, only by comparing quotes will you find the best price, and the best contractor to do the job. So, before you choose who to hire, take the time to compare a few companies, their guarantees, and solutions they offer, to prevent future moss growth on the home’s roof in the future, so that you hire the best people for the job.
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Here is a list of commonly asked questions in regards to having roof moss removed manually.
On most homes, manually cleaning the moss off of the roof can take anywhere from 3-8 hours. Detached roofs, or roofs of larger homes, may require additional services, which will require more time to complete.
Although pressure washing is a popular method on some roofs, in other instances, it has been a cause of damage. To lofts, to windows, and even damaging tiles and other roofing materials. So, it will get the moss off, but can potentially cost you more, due to the damage it can produce on your roof.
If you hire a company which uses the right cleaning agents, you won’t have to hire them more than once. Many companies offer solutions which will completely eliminate the moss and prevent regrowth.
Cleaning itself isn’t difficult. However, the scaffolding, ladder, getting equipment on the roof, and additional work required to get on the roof is difficult. So, hiring a contractor is the best approach to manual moss cleaning.
Cleaning the roof will cost £150-200 in labour. The additional cleaning costs depend on: home/roof size, material, whether it is terraced, sloped, and the area you live. Only by contacting local companies for quotes, will you get a better idea, and full written quote, for the cost of all services they are going to perform on the roof.
