Roof Cleaning in Culcheth, Warrington

Roof Cleaning in Culcheth, Warrington – Restoring a Heavily Moss-Covered 10-Year-Old Roof

Roof Cleaning Culcheth. It isn’t always the oldest roofs that need the most attention.

This recent roof cleaning project in Culcheth, Warrington (WA3) was a great example of just how quickly moss and organic growth can change the appearance of a relatively modern roof.

The roof was only around 10 years old, but considering its age, it had developed a surprising amount of moss.

When I originally spoke with the customer, what he really wanted was quite simple – he wanted his relatively new roof to look new again.

From the outset, though, we knew this wasn’t going to be the most straightforward roof clean.

The rear of the property had three dormers creating several different roof sections, valleys and difficult-to-reach areas. It was a job that needed experienced technicians and the right access equipment.

A 10-Year-Old Roof With Surprisingly Heavy Moss Growth

When people think about professional roof cleaning, they often picture a property with a roof that’s been untouched for 20 or 30 years.

That wasn’t the situation here.

This roof was only approximately 10 years old, yet moss and organic growth had already become established across significant areas of the tiles.

The customer wasn’t looking to replace or repair the roof. In fact, after assessing it, we didn’t identify any roof repairs that needed completing as part of the project.

His concern was primarily aesthetic.

The roof simply didn’t look anything like the relatively new roof he’d originally had, and he wanted to restore that appearance.

The before photographs – particularly those taken from the air – show just how much the roof’s appearance had changed.

Why This Culcheth Roof Was More Challenging Than It First Appeared

The really interesting part of this project was at the rear of the house.

Looking at the roof from above gives you a much better idea of what the team was dealing with.

There were three dormers incorporated into the rear roof, resulting in several separate roof faces and numerous changes in angle.

That creates additional hips, valleys and junctions that all need to be properly accessed and treated.

A straightforward pitched roof can often be worked across relatively systematically.

This was different.

The technicians needed to reach and work around each individual section while maintaining safe access throughout the project.

This is one of the reasons I chose Damo as senior lead technician for the job, working alongside Cameron.

I wasn’t personally working on the roof for this particular project. Part of my role is assessing what each job requires and making sure we’ve got the right people and equipment there to carry it out.

Because of the difficulty created by those three dormers, I wanted one of our experienced senior technicians leading the work.

Using Our CTE MP 24C Cherry Picker

The other major factor was access.

For this project, the team used our CTE MP 24C cherry picker.

This is one of the pieces of equipment that gives us considerably more flexibility when dealing with complicated or difficult-to-reach roofs.

The footage from the day shows the access platform operating from ground level, with the articulated boom extending up towards the roof and positioning the technicians at working height.

Rather than attempting to reach difficult sections from unsuitable positions, Damo and Cameron could use the powered access equipment to work systematically around the property.

It was particularly useful because of those three dormers at the rear.

Having our own specialist access equipment means we’re able to take on properties where roof design, height or accessibility makes the job more challenging.

Preparing and Treating the Roof

For this project, we used an SH-based treatment as part of the cleaning process, together with biocide pre- and post-treatment.

Roof cleaning isn’t simply about making the tiles look good for a photograph when we’ve finished.

The treatment process is important because we’re dealing with organic contamination such as moss and algae.

The roof was treated appropriately before the team worked systematically across the different sections.

Because of the property’s roof design, the team couldn’t simply start at one end and treat the entire roof as one large surface.

Each section around the dormers, valleys and different pitches needed to be approached properly.

Working Around the Three Rear Dormers

This was probably the most technically interesting part of the job.

From our aerial photographs, you can see just how much the three dormers break up the rear roof.

There are multiple individual tiled sections rather than one continuous roof face.

That means more edges, valleys, changes of direction and areas that aren’t straightforward to reach.

This is where having Damo leading the project made a difference.

He’s one of our senior technicians and has the experience to deal with a roof where access and geometry make the work more involved.

Cameron worked alongside him throughout the project.

Between the two of them and the CTE access platform, they were able to work their way around those harder-to-reach sections rather than compromising on areas simply because they were awkward.

Bringing the Original Colour of the Roof Back

Once the moss and organic growth started disappearing, the transformation became obvious.

That’s one of the things I still enjoy about roof cleaning.

You can assess a roof beforehand and know that it’s going to improve, but there are jobs where even we stand back afterwards and appreciate just how much the appearance of the property has changed.

This was one of them.

The difference is particularly clear in the aerial before-and-after photographs.

Before cleaning, there are visibly darker, weathered areas across the roof, with organic growth affecting the appearance of the tiles.

After cleaning and treatment, the colour and definition of the tiles are dramatically more apparent.

The roof looks much more uniform, and that original red/orange colouring has returned.

For a roof that’s only around ten years old, that’s exactly what the customer wanted.

He wanted his newer-looking roof back.

Post-Treatment With Biocide

Once the main cleaning work had been completed, the roof received its post-treatment, including biocide treatment.

This is an important part of the process.

We’re not interested in simply producing a quick cosmetic improvement.

The post-treatment helps deal with remaining biological contamination and helps inhibit the return of moss, algae and similar organic growth.

Professional roof cleaning should be considered as a process rather than simply trying to make dirty tiles look cleaner as quickly as possible.

The Customer Couldn’t Believe the Difference

The customer’s reaction at the end of this project was brilliant.

He couldn’t believe how well the roof had come up.

He was also extremely complimentary about Damo and Cameron and told us how hard they’d worked.

For me, that’s important.

Obviously, we want the finished roof to look fantastic, but I also want customers to have a good experience with the people representing Just Clean at their home.

The customer had started the process wanting his roof to look new again.

Looking at the finished photographs, particularly from above, I think the transformation speaks for itself.

Then I Received a Phone Call From a 92-Year-Old Neighbour

One of my favourite things about this particular project actually had nothing to do with cleaning the roof.

There was a 92-year-old lady living nearby.

While Cameron was working at the property, he’d noticed her bins and took them in for her and helped her out.

She hadn’t asked him to.

He’d apparently just seen an opportunity to help and did it off his own back.

Afterwards, she actually phoned me personally.

She wanted to tell me what Cameron had done and said that he was a credit to my company.

I love things like that.

We can train people in cleaning methods, equipment and processes, but how somebody conducts themselves when they’re representing your business matters just as much.

Cameron didn’t do it because anybody was watching him or because he’d been asked.

He just helped somebody.

For a 92-year-old neighbour to then go to the trouble of finding our details and phoning me to tell me about it meant a lot.

Another Neighbour Saw the Roof – And Booked Their Own

We actually picked up another roof cleaning job directly from this project as well.

While Damo and Cameron were working, another neighbour came over and took a photograph of one of our vans.

They’d been watching what was happening and were interested in having their own roof cleaned.

We received a phone call from them that same day.

I went out to look at their property, provided a quotation and they booked their roof clean with us.

For me, that’s one of the best recommendations a company can receive.

They hadn’t clicked an advert or just read something we’d written online.

They had physically watched our team working at a neighbouring property.

They could see the equipment we’d brought with us, how the lads were working and, most importantly, what was happening to the roof.

What they saw was enough for them to ask us to do theirs.

The Finished Roof

The aerial photographs probably demonstrate the finished result better than anything I could write.

Looking directly down onto the property, you can appreciate both the complexity of the roof and the scale of the transformation.

The different roof sections surrounding the three dormers are clean, the tiles have regained far more of their original colour and the entire roof looks considerably more uniform.

Importantly, no roof repairs were required.

This was about professionally cleaning and treating an otherwise serviceable roof and restoring an appearance that had been lost surprisingly quickly to moss and organic growth.

And that is exactly what the team achieved.

What This Culcheth Roof Cleaning Project Shows

There are a few things I think are worth taking from this particular job.

Firstly, a roof doesn’t have to be particularly old to develop substantial moss growth.

This roof was only around ten years old.

Factors such as moisture, shade, roof orientation and the surrounding environment can all influence how quickly organic growth develops.

Secondly, every roof is different.

Those three rear dormers completely changed the access requirements for this property. Having experienced technicians and our own specialist powered access equipment meant we could plan the work around the property rather than trying to make the property fit a standard cleaning method.

And finally, a successful job isn’t just about how the roof looks afterwards.

The customer was delighted.

A 92-year-old neighbour took the time to phone me because of how one of my team had treated her.

And another neighbour saw the work being carried out and subsequently booked us to clean their roof.

For me, that’s a pretty good result all round.

Culcheth Roof Cleaning Project – At a Glance

Location: Culcheth, Warrington, WA3
Service: Professional roof cleaning
Roof age: Approximately 10 years
Main problem: Heavy moss and organic growth affecting the appearance of the roof
Main challenge: Three rear dormers creating difficult-to-access roof sections
Access equipment: CTE MP 24C cherry picker
Cleaning/treatment: SH-based treatment with biocide pre- and post-treatment
Senior lead technician: Damo
Technician: Cameron
Roof repairs: None required
Result: Moss and organic growth removed with a significant restoration of the roof’s original appearance
Customer response: Extremely pleased with the finished roof and complimentary about the team
Additional outcome: A neighbour who saw the team working subsequently requested a quotation and booked their own roof clean

This Case Study was created in partnership with Mutatio Change Group Ltd, our digital partner

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