Cleaning is diagnostic as much as cosmetic
A dirty roof hides its own faults. Moss and lichen sit in the joins and hold moisture against the tile, grime fills hairline cracks so they look like nothing, and the whole surface reads as uniformly tired. Take all that off and the roof tells you the truth: which tiles are actually cracked, where the pointing has gone, and whether the surface underneath is sound or porous.
That is why cleaning is the first stage of a restoration rather than a separate service bolted onto it, and why we confirm a restoration quote after the clean rather than before. It is also why cleaning on its own is a legitimate job. Plenty of roofs we look at are structurally fine and simply filthy, and once they are clean the honest answer is that nothing else needs doing.
How we do it
Check before we start
Loose and cracked tiles found first. High pressure on a compromised tile turns a small problem into a broken one.
Protect the ground below
Downpipes diverted or capped so the runoff does not fill your stormwater with moss and grit.
Treat the moss and lichen
Moss and lichen treated rather than blasted where it is heavy. Roots in the surface come back if only the top goes.
Pressure clean in sections
Worked in sections at a pressure the surface can take, always down the fall so water is not driven up under the tiles.
Clear out and report back
Gutters and valleys flushed of what came off, then photos of what the clean surface revealed.
A clean on its own is enough when
- The roof is dirty but the tiles and pointing are sound underneath
- Moss and lichen have taken hold but the surface has not gone porous
- You are preparing to sell and want the house to present properly
- Solar panels or the roof surface are shaded and staining but otherwise fine
- You want to see the real condition of the roof before deciding anything else
Cleaning will not fix it when
- The surface has gone chalky and porous, which cleaning exposes rather than solves
- Ridge capping mortar is cracked or crumbling
- Tiles are delaminating, flaking or breaking underfoot
- The roof is leaking, which a clean can briefly make worse before it is repaired
In those cases cleaning is stage one of a restoration rather than the job itself, and we will say so before you book a clean and expect it to be the end of it.
What does roof cleaning cost in Newcastle?
Roof cleaning is priced on roof area, pitch and access, and on a standard single-storey Newcastle home it usually lands in the high hundreds to low thousands. Steep, two-storey or hard-to-access roofs cost more, and so does a roof carrying heavy moss and lichen, because that needs treating rather than simply washing.
If a restoration is on the cards, do not pay for cleaning twice. The clean is already included as the second stage of a restoration, so if you think you may go that way, it is worth deciding before you book a standalone clean.
One caution on cheap quotes: high pressure applied carelessly, or applied up the fall rather than down it, drives water under the tiles and can crack a compromised one. That is a leak you did not have this morning. It is a reasonable thing to ask about when you are comparing prices.
Common questions
Will pressure cleaning damage my roof?
It can if it is done badly. Too much pressure on an old or already cracked tile will break it, and washing up the fall drives water under the tiles. Done properly, at a pressure suited to the surface and worked down the fall, it does not. We check for loose and cracked tiles before we start rather than finding them the hard way.
How often should a roof be cleaned?
Every few years for most roofs here, and more often if you are shaded, under trees, or on a damp southern aspect where moss establishes quickly. It is worth doing before it gets heavy, because established lichen roots into the surface and is far harder to remove.
Does the moss just grow back?
Eventually, yes, but treating it rather than only blasting it off slows that down considerably. Blasting removes what you can see and leaves what is in the surface, which is why some cleans look like they did nothing within a year.
Can you clean a metal or Colorbond roof?
Yes, and it needs a gentler approach than tile. Metal roofs are usually more about grime, salt deposits and staining than moss, and high pressure on old sheeting can lift paint or force water past the laps.
Do I need to be home?
No, as long as we have access to the roof, to a water supply and to the downpipes. We will let you know what we found either way and you get the photos.
Related services
Pressure clean, re-bed and re-point the ridge capping, replace broken tiles, then a coating system. Typically buys another 10 to 15 years out of a sound tile roof.
Learn moreGutter replacement, downpipes and gutter guard. Blocked gutters are behind a surprising share of the leaks we get called to.
Learn moreA recoat or a colour change on a roof that is otherwise sound. Roof spraying is a different trade from house painting, and it is done off a clean, repaired surface or not at all.
Learn more
Thinking about roof cleaning?
We will come and look at the roof, photograph what we find and put a price in writing. Free, across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Hunter.