Moss on roof

ljonski

Moss grows on north facing roofs. All you have to do is alter the direction of the roof ! Q>E>D.

DigForVictory

I'd clear the guttering and make sure that's up for whatever the coming winter throws at us.
For me, cleaning a roof is a high summer activity where the hoped for heat dries the greenery & makes it easier to brush down (again, ensuring drainpipes are not affected) but the last roof I helped clear was a farm barn.

moneyistooshorttomention

Grenage wrote: »

The self-proclaimed experts will tell you that moss holds water in tile gaps, which expands when it freezes, and !!!!!!s up the roof.

It sounds reasonable, but I don't think I've ever heard of a roof that actually failed due to moss. My roof is completely covered in it.

Quite frankly - I'd be glad if moss did cover my roof totally - as it's concrete tiles (rather than slate). I think those tiles are ugly - so it would be all the better if they were hidden.

As for moss in the guttering - I think the birds seem to be dealing with that perfectly adequately - as they're forever digging around in it for food for themselves and in the process they toss it out of my gutters for me. I frequently find little clods of moss chucked down onto my garden by them. Suits me..

gardner1

hivoodoodoll wrote: »

When I had my survey before purchasing my house the survey recommended removing the moss from the roof. As yet I have not done this but with Autumn nearly upon us I was thinking it might be something I should think of.

Obviously I'm going to get a variety of quotes but was hoping someone could give me a rough idea on what the cost might be to remove moss from a roof and then coat the roof to prevent regrowth?

You could always get a quote from your local Irish handyman:D...........about £2k should be about right

In all seriousness though just leave it if it's not causing any problems

Hoploz

We have lots of moss, esp on one side of our roof which has lots of free cover near to it and faces north. Some on the other faces too.

Interesting to read that the birds knock it off - my patio always has a load of moss chucked down onto it but I assumed it was just the rain washing it off.

We are always having to rake out the gutters as we have so many trees but that's not a bad job as we are a bungalow so it's easy

moneyistooshorttomention

Hoploz wrote: »

Interesting to read that the birds knock it off - my patio always has a load of moss chucked down onto it but I assumed it was just the rain washing it off.

I've seen them at it - peck and throw and repeat peck and throw. I think they're looking for insects to eat or something. Can be quite disconcerting sometimes to look out a window and see a little tail poking out over the edge of the nearest gutter:rotfl: - but I just grin a bit and think "Obviously it's lunchtime".

levelspirit

I am appalled about the things that are said on this forum. This is meant to be a money saving forum!! Why are you considering spending money on something that is very unlikely to be necessary or beneficial?
It is true that moss can retain moisture on the surface of a roof which can subsequently freeze and cause damage to the roof surface where this is tiling of certain sorts. Usually there is a time of year when birds will peck at it to find grubs thus loosening the moss. Moss will then roll down the roof and probably end up in the gutters. This is what causes the most problems; so clear your gutters regularly.
Over-spilling gutters is really one of the biggest problems for buildings. The symptoms are often mistaken for 'leaking gutters' or even rising dampness. So don't come back in a year or so asking how much it should cost to inject a damp proof course (DPC).Save money by doing the necessary maintenance in a timely manner.

jblessing

Another vote for not removing moss, as advised by a roofer. Just make sure you clear out the gutters.

andrewf75

levelspirit wrote: »

I am appalled about the things that are said on this forum. This is meant to be a money saving forum!! Why are you considering spending money on something that is very unlikely to be necessary or beneficial?
It is true that moss can retain moisture on the surface of a roof which can subsequently freeze and cause damage to the roof surface where this is tiling of certain sorts. Usually there is a time of year when birds will peck at it to find grubs thus loosening the moss. Moss will then roll down the roof and probably end up in the gutters. This is what causes the most problems; so clear your gutters regularly.
Over-spilling gutters is really one of the biggest problems for buildings. The symptoms are often mistaken for 'leaking gutters' or even rising dampness. So don't come back in a year or so asking how much it should cost to inject a damp proof course (DPC).Save money by doing the necessary maintenance in a timely manner.

I would also advise not to bother removing moss

But to be fair the forum has evolved into much more than just saving money outright and the question here is related to what a fair price is for moss removal - which is fair enough. I think the moneysaving aspect should not be taken too literally, otherwise you'll be going on the holiday section and telling people not to have a holiday at all ;-)

Hoploz

My neighbour has lived there for over 40 years. She said about 5 years ago they decided after all that time to get up there and remove all the moss. Apparently it looked lovely and clean but for a very short time as the moss was back a few months later. She said they won't be bothering again.