How to price pressure washing jobs: per square foot, a minimum, and the add-ons

Pressure washing is easy to underprice: a driveway looks like an hour, and the hour forgets the drive, the setup and the rinse-down. A formula fixes that. Price flatwork per square foot on top of a base fee, give every job a minimum, and charge soft washing and sealing at their own rates. Here is how, with our pricing engine's starter rates as the worked example.

The formula

Price = base fee + (square feet × rate), never below the job minimum.

• Base fee: getting the rig there, setting up, packing up. Our starter base fee is $90.
• Rate per square foot: $0.22 for a standard wash of concrete, $0.38 for a soft wash with treatment.
• Minimum: $180, so a small porch never costs less than the visit.

300 sq ft is a walk and a small patio, 600 a typical two-car driveway, 1,200 a long drive with a patio. These are the starter rates our quote tool uses until a contractor sets their own: a starting point to argue with, not a survey of your market.

Price each surface and service on its own

• Concrete flatwork (driveways, walks, patios): the standard rate. Oil stains and rust need treatment, priced as an add-on.
• Soft washing (painted surfaces, pavers with polymeric sand, anything high pressure would damage): a higher rate, because of the chemicals, the dwell time and the care around plants.
• Sealing after the wash: per square foot on top. Our starter add-on is $0.35 a sq ft.
• House washing is priced on wall area, not flatwork: on our starter rates, about $398 for a two-storey house with a 160 ft outline. Homeowners compare it in house washing cost.
• Roofs are soft washed and priced on roof surface: see roof cleaning leads.

Measure before you go

The formula is only as good as the square footage. A homeowner who says “it's a two-car drive” might mean 400 sq ft or 900. Measure it from a satellite map instead: the driveway or patio traced on the photo gives the area in seconds, and the quote follows. Our quote tool starts a pressure washing quote on a driveway placed from the house to the street; the homeowner drags it to fit or draws the patio and walks themselves.

1. The homeowner types their address on your website and adjusts the driveway, or draws what they want washed.
2. They pick a standard or soft wash and any add-ons.
3. They leave their details to see your price. You get the area measured and the service chosen.

Embed it with data-service="pressure_washing", or try it as a homeowner. What homeowners expect to pay is in pressure washing cost; filling the calendar is in pressure washing leads.

Common questions

How do you price a pressure washing job?

Base fee plus square feet times a rate, never below a minimum: on our starter rates, about $219 for a 600 sq ft driveway.

Should soft washing cost more than pressure washing?

Yes, for the chemicals, the dwell time and the care: $0.38 a sq ft against $0.22 on our starter rates.

What is a good minimum charge for pressure washing?

Enough to cover the trip and setup whatever the size. Our starter minimum is $180.