There are many benefits to living in Portland Oregon but speaking from experience I can tell you that exterior home maintenance is not one of them. Because it moist, humid, relatively temperate and rains all the time moss builds up quick. If you do not stay on top of top of it then mosswall will quickly eat up your roof, walls, and foundation (including driveway). It is very important that you stay on top of it and remain proactive instead of reactive. I can also tell you from experience that replacing or re-shingling your roof is not cheap and if you have to get it done nobody will be getting the Christmas presents they want that year in your household.
In every city there are companies that offer a service to deal with this. You can find them by searching for “moss removal, gutter cleaning or pressure washing” and they all do essentially the same thing. They remove debris from your water delivery system and remove excess moss.
So you know how to look for them, now, you need to know how to pick them. The following are some suggestions you can use:
Ask For References
Pretty simple, yet far too many people do it. All you have to do is ask for one or two past customers they have done work for. Ask for their names and telephone number. Call them and ask how the job went. It does not have to be a long conversation, just enough to make sure the person you are about to hire did a good job for his past clients.
Ask How Much They Charge
The standard price for this type of work is at least $65/hr. I would be leery of anyone who charges less. They may not be properly insured or have to right tools to get the job done.
Bonded and Insured
Make sure the person who is coming to your house in bonded and insured. You would not believe how many people do not have this. Believe me, you do not want somebody coming over your home, climbing on your roof or doing any other work like that without insurance. If something happens you want to make sure you are covered.
These are three basic things you can follow to make sure you get the job done by a responsible and ethical moss removal company. No matter who you go with make sure you get it done on a regular (yearly) basis otherwise start saving up money in a slush fund because you are going to have bigger, more expensive problems in the future.
