Comparing three roof cleaning quotes without guessing
Collecting three quotes is good advice that most people follow and then struggle to use, because the numbers are rarely for the same work. One includes gutters, one is treatment only, one is a jet wash dressed up as a clean.
Here is the method we would use ourselves, and it works whether or not we are one of the three.
Line the quotes up on these points
- Method: hand clearing, softwash, or pressure washing. This changes the outcome more than the price does.
- Scope: which elevations, and whether gutters, valleys and downpipes are included or extra.
- Treatment: is biocide included, and is it applied to the whole roof or the visible slopes only?
- Waste: is collection and removal in the price, or is the moss simply left where it falls?
- Guarantee: length, what it covers, and whether it is in writing.
- Protection: ground sheeting, planting protection and clear-down at the end.
The cheapest quote is often the smallest job
A lower figure usually means less work rather than better value. Treatment only, front elevation only, or clearing without gutters are all legitimate pieces of work, but they are not the same as a full clean and they should not be compared to one.
Write the scope next to each number before you look at the numbers again. Most of the time the ranking changes.
Warning signs in the wording
Vague scope, no mention of waste, a guarantee with no period attached, or a price offered before anyone has seen photographs or the property are all reasons to ask more questions.
So is a quote that avoids naming the method. If a company will not tell you whether they intend to pressure wash your tiles, assume they intend to.
What our quote will tell you
What we are cleaning, how, what is included, what we will do with the waste, and what the guarantee is. Full roof cleans include the written 24-month biocide guarantee and are carried out by our own uniformed, fully insured team.
If a competitor's quote covers more than ours for less, we would rather you took it than felt misled, and we will tell you if we think a job is not worth doing at all.
Our own photographs
Images from Sky Scrapers Ltd work showing the methods described on this page.
Where this applies locally
Towns where this comes up most often on our patch:
- Hand Roof Cleaning in FlitwickBedfordshire · MK45
- Hand Roof Cleaning in BedfordBedfordshire · MK40
- Hand Roof Cleaning in HitchinHertfordshire · SG4
- Hand Roof Cleaning in Milton KeynesBuckinghamshire · MK1
- Hand Roof Cleaning in BicesterOxfordshire · OX25
- Why two quotes for the same roof can look nothing alikeBuyer guide
- How to read a roof cleaning quote properlyGuide
- When we would tell you not to bother cleaning your roofHonest advice
Questions we get asked
Why do quotes for the same roof vary so much?
Because they are usually for different work. Method, scope, treatment, waste and guarantee all vary, and each of those changes the cost significantly.
Should I always take three quotes?
It is sensible for a job of this size. Just compare scope first and price second, otherwise the smallest job wins by default.
Is a written quote necessary?
Yes. Anything agreed only in conversation is impossible to hold anyone to, including the guarantee.
Do you price match?
We price the work properly rather than chasing a number. If another quote is genuinely better value for the same scope, we will say so.
Add an honest quote to your list
We will set out the method, the scope and the guarantee in writing so you can compare it properly against the others.
Sky Scrapers Ltd · info@sky-scrapers.co.uk
In short
Write the scope beside each price, check method, treatment, waste and guarantee, and only then compare figures. The cheapest quote is usually the smallest job.