Roof cleaning and moss removal in Christchurch
Moss taken off by hand, a low pressure rinse, a biocide applied to the label and the gutters cleared, on every kind of Christchurch roof from concrete tile to Welsh slate.
The site visit is free and so is the written itemised quote. Thomas Hannen prices every job himself.
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Yes, we take moss off Christchurch roofs. It comes out of the laps by hand, the roof is rinsed at low pressure, and a biocide goes on to finish the job. We never jet wash a roof. The gutters and downpipes the moss has filled are cleared in the same visit, and the site visit and written itemised quote are free.
A roof clean tends to start with moss grown proud of the tiles and clumps on the path, a gutter spilling over because the outlet is packed solid, or a house going on the market.
Thomas comes out, looks at the covering, the access and what sits under the eaves, then puts a price in writing. If a roof does not need cleaning, you will hear that too. If you live in a flat, who orders the work is covered further down.
Worth doing?
When moss on a roof matters, and when it is only looks
Moss is a sponge. It keeps a tile wet, and in a frost that water opens up the face of a concrete tile a little more each winter. Grown thick in the laps, it lifts the tile above so wind driven rain gets under. Worse, storms wash it into the gutters, valleys and downpipes, and once those block, water comes down the wall.
A thin green film is a different matter. So is the flat grey lichen on an old clay roof. Scraping it off a soft handmade tile or an old slate can do more harm than leaving it, and on a sound roof we will tell you a clean is not worth paying for. Our roof checks you can do from the ground show what to look for without a ladder.
The method
Scraper and brush first, low pressure after, never a lance
Hand scraping. The bulk of the moss comes out by hand, with scrapers and stiff brushes drawn down the slope with the laps, from the ridge down, so it drops into a gutter we have already protected. It is the slow part of the day and the part that counts.
Pressure washing. On a concrete tile it strips the coloured surface and sand face, leaving a porous tile that greens up faster. It also drives water under the laps. We do not use one on a roof.
Softwash. After the scrape, a rinse at about garden hose pressure lifts the fine debris and leaves the tile surface where it was.
The roofs here
Concrete tile, handmade clay, Welsh slate and thatch: how each is cleaned
The method is set by what the moss is growing on, and Christchurch has most of the options.
Concrete interlocking tiles. About three in ten homes around the town centre were built between 1983 and 2008, and a lot of those carry concrete interlocking tiles. Concrete is porous and rough, so it holds more moss than any other covering. It takes a firm scrape well. What finishes it is a lance.
Handmade clay plain tiles. Around the High Street, Church Street and Castle Street, BCP Council's appraisal of the Christchurch Central Conservation Area lists handmade clay tiles, natural Welsh slate and Purbeck stone slates as the traditional roofing, some with Purbeck stone at the eaves. An old handmade tile can have a soft face that flakes if worked hard, so clay gets a hand scraper, a gentle rinse and more of the work left to the treatment. Stone at the eaves is brushed, never scraped.
Natural slate. The council's appraisal for Stanpit and Fisherman's Bank calls natural Welsh slate almost the only traditional roof there, on Argyle Road especially, and Purewell's plan describes its buildings as mainly brick and natural slate. Both note that many have been re-covered in concrete tiles, so in those streets it could be either, and we find out at the visit. Each slate hangs on nails, and one whose nail has rusted through slides out the moment a scraper catches it. So slate is never walked on. It is worked from a roof ladder, the joints are cleared lightly, and any slate that moves is photographed and refixed once you have agreed the price.
Fibre cement slates. Thin and brittle, and older ones may contain asbestos. Those are not scraped or washed at all. If we think that is what you have, we stop and tell you.
Flat roofs in felt or rubber. Brushed and rinsed, never scraped, because a scraper cuts rubber and strips felt. Moss there usually means standing water, which flat roofing in Christchurch covers.
Thatch. There are thatched roofs in town, including the listed cottage at No. 3 Whitehall. We do not scrape or treat thatch. That is a thatcher's job, and we will say so.
Ridges, hips, verges and valleys. Moss roots into cracked ridge bedding, so ridges and verges are worked gently. Valleys collect the most debris and are cleared first.
Treatment and drainage
The biocide, the gutters, and where the washings go
The treatment. Scraping leaves root thread and spore in the surface of the tile, and that is what greens a roof up again. A biocide kills it and keeps working after we have gone, as the dead moss browns and washes off. Algae products come under HSE's biocides regime, and its COPR page explains that moss control falls under the plant protection rules. Either way the product must be authorised and used to its label.
The gutters. Downpipes are plugged before we start, and afterwards every gutter is scooped out and proved with water. More than a clear is gutter cleaning in Christchurch, and tired boards are fascias and soffits in Christchurch.
The run-off. BCP Council describes Christchurch Harbour as the place where the Stour and the Avon meet, and Stanpit Marsh on its edge is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Surface water drains lead to watercourses, and GOV.UK pollution guidance says only clean water should go into them. So in Stanpit, Mudeford, Purewell and along the rivers, the moss is bagged and taken away, never hosed down the drive, washings are kept out of the gullies and ponds are covered.
What turns up
When the moss comes off and shows a repair
Moss hides cracked tiles, washed out ridge bedding and slipping slates. A gentle clean does not cause that damage. It only shows it.
This is where it helps that we are roofers. We stop, photograph it, show you and price it in writing before anything extra is touched. A slipped tile can be refixed while the ladders are up once you say yes. A ridge to rebed or a valley to reline is its own job, done to BS 5534, on roofing in Christchurch. If a roof is past cleaning, with tiles flaking and battens gone soft, we say so.
Coating after a clean. On sound concrete tiles a coating brings the colour back. It repairs nothing, it wears, and done badly it clogs the laps a roof breathes through. It is not for clay or slate, and in Christchurch it has a planning side, set out below.
How the day runs
Getting up there safely, and the order of the work
Every roof clean is work at height. A bungalow can often be done from a mobile tower and a roof ladder hooked over the ridge. A two storey semi or terrace usually wants a tower or scaffold along the eaves with edge protection. A three storey house, a steep roof or one over a conservatory wants scaffold, and some blocks suit a cherry picker. HSE guidance on roof work is why access is a priced line on the quote, never improvised on the day.
On the day, beds are wetted and sheeted, ponds and conservatory roofs covered and downpipes plugged. Then the scrape, the rinse, the gutters and the biocide. Paths are swept, the moss leaves with us, and you get photographs of what we found. How long it takes depends on the size, the pitch and the depth of moss, and the quote says. Work stops in wind, frost or heavy rain, and you have one person to ring throughout.
What it costs
What decides the price of a roof clean
Access and how much moss comes off by hand decide most of the price. A small, steep, heavily mossed roof with nowhere to stand a tower can cost more than a large open one, so there is no rate per square metre here.
After that it is the covering, since slate, handmade clay and fibre cement take longer than concrete. Then the storeys, any conservatory or extension roof below, whether the gutters are included, and where we can park and stand a tower. A bungalow with a drive, a slate roofed cottage in Stanpit with no side access and a block of flats over a shared car park price nothing alike. Each goes on its own line, and how we price a job explains the rest.
Comparing quotes? Ask: is the roof jet washed? Is a biocide applied, and what is it called? Are the gutters cleared and proved? Does the moss leave with them? What happens if a tile breaks? See what a roofing quote should include.
Before it gets worse
Moss already blocking a gutter or a valley
Moss is not an emergency, but a blocked gutter in a wet spell can become one. If water is pouring over a gutter or coming in at the eaves, ring us. Please do not go up a ladder with a pressure washer in the meantime. A photograph of the roof and gutter from the garden tells us most of what we need. If someone knocks and says your roof is dangerous, read what to do when someone knocks first.
Scheduled work Mon to Fri, 8am to 6pm. Something urgent? Ring, and if we miss you we call back.
The one local thing
Conservation areas, listed roofs and coatings in Christchurch
BCP Council lists conservation areas all over the old borough, among them Christchurch Central, Purewell, Stanpit and Fisherman's Bank, Mudeford Quay and Burton. A clean does not change how a roof looks. A coloured coating does, and the town centre appraisal names concrete tiles and artificial slate as doing nothing for the area's character.
So before a coating is even priced, check your street on the council's map, and inside a conservation area talk to BCP first. On a listed building, such as the Grade II cottages at Nos. 6 and 8 Scotts Hill Lane in Purewell, a change to the roof's look can need listed building consent, and the Planning Portal page on roofs is the place to start. On handmade clay, slate or stone we do not coat at all. We clean it by hand, treat it, and leave it looking like the roof it is.
Who you are dealing with
The company cleaning your roof
Christchurch is 2.7 miles east of our base in Boscombe. We clean roofs in the town centre, Purewell, Stanpit, Mudeford, Somerford and Burton, and out to Highcliffe.
On a flat, the freeholder orders the work. Nearly four in ten homes around the town centre are flats. The roof of a block belongs to the freeholder, so the instruction comes from them or their managing agent, and we quote the whole block to them.
Thomas Hannen owns the business and prices every roof himself. We are Bournemouth Roofing & Building Ltd, company number 15471719, with a verified 10 out of 10 on Checkatrade. The site visit is free, and so is the written itemised quote.
Questions
Questions about roof cleaning in Christchurch
How much does it cost to have a roof cleaned in Christchurch?
Access and how much moss comes off by hand matter more than roof size. Then the covering, the storeys, what needs protecting underneath, and whether gutters and treatment are included. The visit is free and the written price lists each item.
Is it worth having moss removed from a roof?
Yes, when moss stands proud in the laps or drops into the gutters. A thin green film or grey lichen on a sound roof is mostly cosmetic, and if yours is like that we will tell you.
What time of year is best, and how often does a roof need doing?
Spring or autumn in a settled spell, because the treatment wants a dry roof and a dry day after. Frost stops the work, and an active bird nest, gulls included, is protected by law. How often depends on shade, trees and aspect.
I live in a flat in Christchurch. Can I book the roof clean myself?
Usually not on your own. The freeholder, the residents' company or the managing agent instructs work on the roof of a block. You can still ring us, and we will photograph what we find for them.
Our house is in a Christchurch conservation area. Do we need permission to clean or coat the roof?
A clean does not change how the roof looks. A coloured coating does, so check with BCP Council first, and on a listed building expect to need listed building consent.
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Find out what is under the moss before you pay to clean it
Send a photograph of the roof from the garden, and one of the gutter if moss is dropping into it. Thomas comes out, looks at the covering, the access and what sits under the eaves, and puts a written itemised price in front of you.