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To preface this, I believe in good wages, and I understand some work is seasonal, and small businesses/contractors have all kinds of costs and they have to run their business themselves. I totally get that. I called a roofing contractor to come out and write a bid to have our roof cleaned. It's getting some moss up there and has seasonal debris.
We have a 2800sqft ranch-style (one story) home with a cement tile roof, so, remember, in a ranch-style home, the roof "size" is roughly double that of a 2-story home of the same square footage, so I can see how costs can easily double. The roof medium (tile) is very uncommon here in the rainy Pacific Northwest. As such, there are few contractors who specialize and have knowledge about tile rooves. Because there is specialized knowledge. I suppose that might add to the cost when it comes to specialty work.
The bid.....was $6500.... $650 of that is tax. Another $1000 is to fix a broken seal in a roughly 2x2 skylight. The rest of the money goes towards "applying environmentally safe bleach to kill moss," brooming/brushing of all debris, and cleaning out roof valleys, which involves moving the tiles in the valley aside to clean because of the shape and stack of the tiles, stuff builds up under there.
As time goes on, I don't think I'll stay here forever. What's a composite roof cost these days? In 2 years of cleaning a tile roof I could arguably put on a cheap composite and sell the house down the road with a new roof good for 20 years.
Thoughts? I'm in a market of constraint. He's the only shop around who touches tile rooves, because he installs them. Other outfits? Say tile roof and they'll say they don't work on those and hang up.
We have a 2800sqft ranch-style (one story) home with a cement tile roof, so, remember, in a ranch-style home, the roof "size" is roughly double that of a 2-story home of the same square footage, so I can see how costs can easily double. The roof medium (tile) is very uncommon here in the rainy Pacific Northwest. As such, there are few contractors who specialize and have knowledge about tile rooves. Because there is specialized knowledge. I suppose that might add to the cost when it comes to specialty work.
The bid.....was $6500.... $650 of that is tax. Another $1000 is to fix a broken seal in a roughly 2x2 skylight. The rest of the money goes towards "applying environmentally safe bleach to kill moss," brooming/brushing of all debris, and cleaning out roof valleys, which involves moving the tiles in the valley aside to clean because of the shape and stack of the tiles, stuff builds up under there.
As time goes on, I don't think I'll stay here forever. What's a composite roof cost these days? In 2 years of cleaning a tile roof I could arguably put on a cheap composite and sell the house down the road with a new roof good for 20 years.
Thoughts? I'm in a market of constraint. He's the only shop around who touches tile rooves, because he installs them. Other outfits? Say tile roof and they'll say they don't work on those and hang up.
Same as composite rooves. I'd get up there myself if it was composite, and I could keep it clean and healthy year-round. Tile rooves....there is no plywood sheathing underneath the tiles. The tiles overlap each other and the only thing between them and the roof trusses is a thin waterproof membrane. They can shift or crack when walked on, and that can permeate the membrane -- so there is real skill in just getting on top of, walking on, a tile roof. I'm not a frail guy, I'll put it like that. I shouldn't be walking on a tile roof.
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