Roof Cleaning in Manassas, VA

Clearly Amazing provides residential and commercial roof cleaning. Manassas, Virginia, is served from our Northern Virginia office in Sterling. Estimates are free and given on site. The cleaning is low-pressure.

Call (703) 723-7770 for a free on-site estimate.

Roofs in the City’s Local Historic District

The City of Manassas’s Historic District Design Guidelines were adopted on April 19, 2022, and they spend real space on the roofs of the City’s Local Historic District. What follows describes that district only, not every roof in the city.

The guidelines say wood shingles, metal and slate were historically the most common roofing materials. They call asphalt shingles the second most popular roof cladding in the area, say roughly half of all residential roofs are covered with metal, either standing seam or metal shingles, and call slate the least common roof type in Manassas. Nearly half of residential buildings have gable roofs, and commercial roofs in the district are typically flat.

The roof sections cover repair, replacement and maintenance, and none of them addresses cleaning a roof. An appendix checklist for owners of historic buildings does put roofs on a spring-or-fall schedule, asking owners to look for “moss growth, overhanging branches, levelness of roof.” It is a list of things to look at, not a cleaning rule.

Which historic district is yours

Two different historic districts come up in Manassas. The National Register district was listed in 1988 and covers about 93 acres, with 206 contributing buildings. The City’s Local Historic District is the largest of its three historic overlay districts, at about 2.5 square miles and over 300 structures. The City’s brochure says national and state designations are primarily honorary while local historic districts are regulatory. Inside a historic overlay district, the Architectural Review Board is the body that grants a Certificate of Appropriateness for construction, reconstruction, demolition, relocation or substantial exterior alteration.

These are the rules of the City of Manassas, an independent city. Manassas Park is a separate city.

Does a Manassas roof cleaning need the City’s approval?

Three City documents touch roofs, and they do not agree about roof replacement. The guidelines’ list of work exempt from a Certificate of Appropriateness includes replacing roofing slates, tiles or shingles. Their design-review chart for replacing roofs shows a Certificate of Appropriateness for architectural or premium shingles on contributing structures. The zoning ordinance exempts maintenance and in-kind repair or replacement, with limits, while the historic district brochure names replacing roofs, along with windows and siding, in its examples of projects that need review and approval.

None of them names roof cleaning. So we cannot tell you whether a cleaning falls inside the review, and we won’t guess. The City’s Historic Overlay District page says to contact its Planning & Development Office before starting any project in the district, and lists 703-257-8247 and [email protected] for questions.

Two maintenance rules do name roofs. In the historic overlay districts, the zoning ordinance lists deterioration of roofs, among other parts, as an example of disrepair when it adversely affects the character of the district or the structure or could reasonably lead to irreversible damage to the structure. Citywide, the Virginia Maintenance Code, one of the standards the City’s property code inspectors enforce, says a roof and flashing “shall be sound, tight, and not have defects that admit rain.” Neither passage mentions algae, moss or streaks.

What roof makers say

ARMA, the asphalt roofing manufacturers’ trade association, cautions against ever using a pressure washer on an asphalt roof. Owens Corning, CertainTeed and GAF, all of whom make asphalt shingles, advise against power washing them. ARMA says the cleaning process may make a roof slippery, so it encourages the use of professionals when attempting to clean shingles. It also recommends that only trained professionals walk, climb or work on a roof. ARMA also says the discoloration may recur.

Call (703) 723-7770 for a free on-site estimate in Manassas, or request one online.

Areas we cover around Manassas

From our Sterling office we reach the City of Manassas, plus Manassas Park (a separate city) and the wider Prince William County area.

Picking a time for the roof

Mild spring and fall days suit roof work, and other months work too, with a sale, a family visit or a letter from an association as good reasons for an earlier visit. A roof does best on a routine, with the gap between visits set by how much shade it gets, much like your gutters.

Manassas roof cleaning questions

The house is inside the historic district. Must I ask the review board first?
We can’t tell you, and the City’s documents don’t say: the zoning ordinance, the design guidelines, the brochure and the review board pages all leave roof cleaning unmentioned.

Are your crews insured?
Yes, and both general liability and workers’ compensation are in place. A certificate of insurance is available upon request. Our crews are our own employees.

Could I clean my own roof?
ARMA encourages the use of professionals when attempting to clean shingles, because the cleaning process may make the roof slippery.

Clearly Amazing — Northern Virginia
43676 Trade Center Place, Suite 140, Sterling, VA 20166
(703) 723-7770

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