cedar roof and cedar siding

Can anyone give me advice on cleaning and restoring a cedar roof and cedar siding of a house. I have the opportunity to quote on this job but have never cleaned either(roof and siding).
I need to know about potential problems, proper order of operation between tasks, pricing, etc. any and all opinions appreciated. Here Are some features of the house . First, the roof has alarge growth of moss on it. By the looks of it , it's been growing for some time. The cedar boards on the house are multi color. Some are just weather gray, some are almost solid black, some have a cedar semi-transparent stain, and some have a heavy dark stain mosltly under the eaves, where it was protected from the sun.

are you a contractor or a homeowner?

He's a contractor. This type of job can be pretty intense. It's probably something you should do in the spring rather then now........its 27 degrees as I'm typing this.......not conducive to getting a cedar home sealed up.......


Do they want it sealed, or just cleaned?

Mike, the customer wants a quote now and the work to begin in the spring. He's looding to have things cleaned and sealed. Can you or should you seal a roof? What's a good product for the roof>

have him sign a contract and put half down, non refundable.
27 degrees, man I thought it was worse here in Ohio, it is 53 here.

Sure, you can seal a roof. I've never done one, however. Maybe someone else can chime in here.......

I do a lot of cedar shake roofs.

First, you need safety equipment.

Bid the roof per sqft for wash and seal - I charge between $ .90 & $1.25 (Cost of Sealant is not included - Sold to customer at cost).

Now where you can loose money - You will need to inspect the cedar shakes for replacement. A square of shakes (covers about a 10ft by 10ft of area) is approx. $800.00 in my area. You need to put this in your cost. Also, you may need to replace some portions of the ridge caps. You will need to consider any caulking and the cost of anti-corrosion sealant for the copper/metal.

A lot of contractors spray, seal, and go - if you are truly going to restore a roof - the above is the way to go.

For an average size home roof, I get about $3000.00 to $4500.00 - for about 25 hours of work.

You need to have a good sales pitch - most home owners would rather replace their roofs with asphalts.

I did a mail-out last spring to a specific target marget - Mailed 96 Cedar Shake Restoration Packages in a radius of 150 miles. Gave estimates on 53 roofs and sold 27 roofs. Its not what you say, but how you say it. If you got nice hand-outs, pictures, and some examples -- it helps.

I used a percarbonate cleaner - brighten with oxalic acid - sealed with Ready Seal. Your time is in the replacement of shakes.

First -- Wash
Second -- replace shakes, ridgecap, etc
Third -- Seal
Forth -- Caulk


**if you would like to discuss further, shoot me a email -- for some reason, I do not get notified when someone replys to a thread, that I have replied too.