Stand in the driveway and look up. Branches overhead. Under them, a roof with dark streaks running down from the ridge. And the gutters have something growing in them again.
Kingwood calls itself The Livable Forest. The trees are the point. They’re also hard on a roof. Shade keeps shingles damp, and damp shingles grow algae. Whatever comes off the branches lands on the roof and in the gutters.
We’re C&D Roof Restoration, a father and son crew from Spring 77386. Kingwood, with its Town Center, East End Park, Lake Houston and Lone Star College-Kingwood, is at the south edge of where we work. We come over for roofs, gutters and the streaks in between.
Black streaks are algae, not dirt
Those streaks are a kind of algae called Gloeocapsa magma. It likes a warm, wet roof. The Houston area gets 51.84 inches of rain in a normal year, going by the 1991 to 2020 records at the airport. Under a canopy, a roof stays wet longer after every rain.
We take the algae off with roof cleaning done as a soft wash. That’s low pressure and a cleaning solution, then a gentle rinse. No pressure washer on shingles. It knocks the granules off, and the granules are the shingle’s sunscreen.
Cleaning is step one. If the roof is a candidate for roof rejuvenation, the treatment goes on after the wash, because it needs a clean shingle to soak into.
What the forest drops in your gutters
Leaves, needles, twigs and seed pods. They pack the gutters, then they hold water. A gutter that can’t drain spills over the front edge and drops water right along the slab.
We do gutter cleaning by hand. We flush each downspout so you know it runs, and we take photos before and after so you can see what came out. While we’re up there, we clear the roof valleys too. That’s where debris piles up and holds water against the shingles.
Roofs from the Harvey years
Kingwood remembers Harvey, in 2017, for the flooding. If your roof went on during a rebuild after it, in 2017 or 2018, it’s eight or nine years old now.
That’s inside the window Bright Green Roof gives. Start at five years, treat at ten and older. At eight or nine, a shingle usually still has most of its oils. Treating it then keeps it flexible, instead of trying to bring it back later. Our page on treating a newer roof explains the timing.
Kingwood sits at the south end of our map
From our base in Spring, Kingwood is as far south as we go. We try to group Kingwood roofs on the same day, with Porter and New Caney if we can, so ask which day we’ll be over.
On the visit, Chris gets up on the roof and photographs every slope. Under trees, he looks hardest at the valleys, the shaded slopes and anywhere a branch touches the shingles. You get the photos and his honest read. If something needs a roofer, he says so. If it’s fine, he says that too.
Book the free roof inspection, or call or text (281) 466-7436.
Common questions
How often should gutters be cleaned under Kingwood’s trees?
It depends on what grows over your house. Chris will look at the trees and the gutters, show you the photos, and tell you how often he’d clean them. Some homes are fine with once a year. Homes under heavy cover may need more. The C&D Annual Roof Checkup includes a gutter cleanout, so one visit a year is already covered.
Do branches over the roof need trimming first?
If a limb touches or scrapes the roof, yes. Rubbing wears off the granules and can tear shingles, and a treatment won’t undo that. Chris will point out any branch in contact and photograph the spot. We don’t trim trees, so you’d call a tree service before treatment day. Higher branches with clear space under them are usually fine.
What will my roof look like right after the treatment?
Darker and richer, closer to its first color. Bright Green Roof says the treatment restores the shingle’s original color. It soaks in, so there’s no shiny film on top. Under Kingwood’s trees, you’ll also notice the black streaks are gone, because the roof gets a soft wash before the treatment goes on.
