Facade, Windows and Roofs. Oh my.
The building envelope, or shell, is made up of a lot of different materials. Let the experts figure out the best way forward.
Four parts of one shell
Everything from the roofline down to the pavement. Pick a part, or read the whole thing.
The Face
A building’s facade is its face. It is the first thing anyone sees, and it is doing sales work for you whether you maintain it or not.
Cleaning a facade is maintenance, not decoration. Algae, grime, oxidation and exhaust residue hold moisture against the surface and quietly degrade the material underneath it. Left alone, that buildup is what turns into repointing, recoating and replacement.
Brick, stone, masonry, stucco, siding and coated metal all age differently, and each one has its own limits for the pressure and chemistry each material can safely tolerate, so the surface is studied before it is touched. Regular cleaning costs a fraction of what deferred maintenance eventually bills you, and it keeps cracks, rust and failing seals visible while they are still small.
Common facade materials, and why they need our attention
Brick & masonry
Brick and masonry are porous, allowing moisture and organic growth to take hold. Cleaning removes surface buildup and helps reveal cracks, worn mortar, and other signs of deterioration that may need attention.
Natural & cut stone
Stains, lichen and pollution film etch into stone the longer they sit. Caught early, the finish stays the finish.
Vinyl & painted siding
Mildew and green algae take hold on the shaded sides first. Cleaning keeps the color even and stops the finish chalking years early.
Stucco & EIFS
Hairline cracks collect dirt and hold water. Clean stucco shows you where the water is getting in, before it gets in further.
Coated & clad metal
Pollutants and salt attack the coating itself. Keeping it clean is what keeps the color, and the warranty, intact.
Concrete & precast
Carbon staining, rust streaks and efflorescence make a sound structure look neglected. Regular cleaning keeps it reading as maintained.
Any and all glass within our reach
Exterior only. Punched windows, storefronts, skylights and full curtain wall, cleaned from the outside.
Clean glass is the difference between a building that lets in full natural light and one filtering it through a season of film. Mineral deposits, pollen, exhaust and, on Long Island, salt do not just dull the glass. Left long enough, they etch it.
We do not go inside to remove screens or clean sills. That focus is deliberate. It is what lets us specialize in the hard-to-reach exterior glass that most companies either skip or price out of reach.
Every pane on the outside
Residential glass
Ground floor to third story, including the panes nobody has reached in years.
Skylights
The ones most companies skip, because they are the hardest to get to safely.
Office & storefront
Entrances, storefront glazing and signage surrounds, on a rotation that fits your hours.
Curtain wall
Full glass elevations, where every streak shows from the street.
Glass at height, our specialty
Glass at height is where we are at our best. Under 200 feet, nothing on the elevation is out of reach.
Pitched roofs, of all types
Roof cleaning is one of the most overlooked forms of exterior maintenance, and one of the most valuable.
The black streaks on a roof are algae. Moss and lichen follow. All of them hold moisture against the material underneath, and a roof that is cleaned regularly lasts years longer than one left to accumulate buildup on its own.
We will never pressure wash a roof. Force strips the protective granules off shingles, drives water where it does not belong and can void a manufacturer’s warranty outright. Done right, a roof keeps its warranty and its lifespan.
What we look after, and why it pays
Asphalt shingle
The most common roof on Long Island, and the one where buildup shortens life fastest. The granules are its UV protection, and they stay on.
Slate
Durable but brittle, and lichen holds moisture in every joint. Clean slate drains the way it was laid to.
Clay & concrete tile
Porous, and shaded by its own profile, so growth takes hold in the pan. Cleaning keeps the tile breathing.
Metal & standing seam
Coatings chalk and oxidize under grime and salt. Keeping them clean keeps the finish, and the warranty.
Cedar shake
Organic, and the first to fur up with moss. Clean shake dries out between rains instead of rotting.
Everything at ground level takes a different kind of beating
Driveways, walkways, patios, decks and parking areas are the most used surfaces on any property, and the first to become unsafe.
Flatwork absorbs foot traffic, vehicle traffic, oil, salt and whatever the weather adds, and the organic growth that comes with all of it is what turns a walkway slick. On a commercial property that is a slip-and-fall claim waiting to happen. At home it is the step everyone has learned to avoid.
Concrete and pavers, wood and composite each take a different kind of care. The surface looks flat either way, but it is not the same job, and reading it correctly is what keeps the finish on a deck and the sand in the paver joints.
The surfaces people actually walk and drive on
Driveways
Oil, tire marks, rust staining and growth, on the first thing a visitor walks across.
Patios & pool decks
Slick algae on the surfaces people walk on barefoot, which is exactly where a fall hurts most.
Walkways & entrances
The highest slip risk on most properties, and the route every customer and employee takes.
Wood & composite decking
Moisture in the grain is what rots a deck. Clean boards dry out between rains.
Loading docks & aprons
Grease and oil soak in and spread. Caught early, they lift. Left, they stain for good.
Parking structures
Deck levels, stair cores and entry ramps, where growth and grime are the public face of the building.
The building, the glass, the roof, the ground
Tell us what you have and we will tell you what it needs. Every quote starts with eyes on the property.