Keeping your roof clean is a crucial aspect of home maintenance and remains a great way to retain home value over time. Cleaning your roof can also help to preserve the integrity of the surface, remove any contaminants that may be causing damage, and increase the overall aesthetic appeal of the home.
When cleaning a roof, it is important to use the right materials and techniques to prevent damage to the roofing materials, but all of these things come at a cost. It can be hard to budget effectively for roof cleaning without knowing the ins and out of the process.
Luckily for you, this article will equip you with helpful advice as you look into budgeting for a roof cleaning. With these tips, you will have a better understanding of the prices of material and labor costs associated with roof cleanings.
Five Factors That Affect Roof Cleaning Costs
1) Roof Size
As you could most likely guess, the size of the roof has a substantial effect on cleaning costs. When it comes to roof size, the key measurement you should be looking at is the total surface area represented in square feet.
The average residential roof in the United States has a surface area of 1,700 square feet, and the average cost per square foot is $0.20 to $0.60. The price varies based on other factors we will discuss. Knowing the surface area of your roof is a great first step to approximate cleaning costs.
2) Roof Shape and Slopes
While measuring your roof to determine its square footage, you may have noticed that roofs are not flat and they have various shapes and slopes. These shapes impact the cost of roof cleaning, so it is important to pay attention to these factors when preparing to clean your roof.
Steep slopes and difficult-to-manage roof shapes could add about $0.15 per square foot to cleaning costs. As you are preparing for your roof cleaning, survey your roof for hard-to-reach places or precipice areas.
3) Number of Stories
A multi-level home may be many people’s dream come true, but they are not all sunshine and roses. Houses with multiple stories are typically charged more per square for roof cleaning services. This upcharge usually costs homeowners about $0.10 extra per square foot of roofing.
There are actually a few good reasons why services may include additional fees for multi-level homes. Homes with more than one floor typically feature roofing that is elevated higher off the ground, making the work more challenging and dangerous. This adds to the time and labor costs of the job, which explains the additional expense.
4) Roofing Material
The type of material used to construct your roof will affect the way it is cleaned and, therefore, will affect the cost. Many different materials are used for roofing in North America, including metal, asphalt, wood, and other materials. What is important to understand when it comes to the material of your roof is that the material often determines the method of cleaning.
This is key because the method of cleaning has a big effect on the cost of services. Wood or asphalt shingles will require a much more gentle wash than a more durable surface like metal. These differences affect labor costs and equipment expenses.
5) Cleaning Method
When it comes to selecting a cleaning method, professionals have a plethora of options at their disposal. They will make their decision based on the roofing material, budget, the roof's condition, and the desired result of the client.
For example, a roof covered in fungi would require a different type of cleaning than a roof suffering from debris buildup. Some of the methods professional cleaners may employ include: a roof blow, Zinc Oxide application, chemical wash, high pressure and low-pressure washing, power washing, and soft washing.
The cost associated with each method varies depending on the service provider, but jobs like a roof blow typically cost less than something like a soft wash. Before finalizing your roof cleaning plans, take a look at all of the options available to you so you can pick the best choice for you and your roof.
Let’s Get Cleaning!
Equipped with these facts, you can now make a more informed budgeting decision before your next roof cleaning. As discussed, many factors affect the cost of roofing, from the material and condition of your roof to the cleaning method, the number of stories, and more.
While thinking about the prices may seem daunting, cleaning your roof is actually really important to not only the aesthetic of your home but also its value. A well-maintained roof can help add to or retain your home’s value.
With spring storms looming on the horizon, roof cleaning is more necessary than ever. To learn more about why roof cleanings are so important prior to spring, check out this article. Until then, good luck with your roof cleaning. Reach out to Mobile Magic for more information about roof cleaning in the Asheville area.
