Roof washing in Old Naples.

Old Naples roofs live under a canopy. The banyans and palms that shade the lanes off Third Street South keep the sun off the north slopes for most of the day, and a roof that never dries out is a roof that grows algae, moss, and the dark streaking that reads from the street as age rather than growth. The mix of roofing here — standing-seam metal on the newer builds, barrel tile on the Mediterranean homes, shingle on the older cottages — means one method has to suit all three.

Our roof washing is that method. Low-pressure soft washing applies a solution that kills the algae and moss at the root, then rinses gently and lets the roof keep clearing over the following weeks. Nothing is pressure-washed, because pressure strips the granules off shingle, cracks and dislodges barrel tile, and forces water under metal panel seams.

On lots this tight the landscape and the neighbor's property are both a few feet away, so the beds are pre-wet and rinsed and the runoff is controlled rather than allowed to sheet wherever it likes. Where the walls and soffits have gone the same way, soft washing is the same principle applied lower down. More on the area in Old Naples.