How to quote a pressure washing job

Pressure washing is quoted by the square foot for anything flat and by the unit for anything that is not, and the mistake that costs money is applying the first to work that needed the second. A driveway is an area; a house is a set of elevations with soffits, gutters and windows in them.

Decide which surfaces are areas and which are units

  1. Measure flatwork as area

    Driveways, patios, walkways and pool decks are straightforwardly length by width, and they are the surfaces where a per-square-foot rate genuinely works.

  2. Price a house wash per elevation or per storey

    Siding is broken up by windows, lights, vents and landscaping to work around. Elevations are the honest unit, and a single area figure over the whole envelope always undercounts.

  3. Price fences and decks by their own measure

    A fence is linear feet and it has two sides. A deck has rails, spindles and stairs that take longer per square foot than its floor does.

  4. Identify the surface before the rate

    Concrete, pavers, wood, composite, brick and painted siding each take different pressure, different chemistry and different time, and some of them cannot take pressure at all.

Soft washing is a different job with the same name

Organic growth on siding and roofs is removed with chemistry at low pressure, not with pressure, and treating one as the other either fails to clean or destroys the surface. Say on the quote which method each surface is getting — it explains the price, and it is also what protects you when a neighbour's contractor did the opposite.

Water and access are prerequisites, not details

What moves a washing number up

  • Working height beyond a ladder, where extension wands, lifts or roped access come into it
  • Heavy organic growth, rust, or oil that needs a dedicated treatment and a second pass
  • Wastewater capture, where local rules do not allow runoff to reach a storm drain
  • Landscaping and delicate plantings that have to be wetted, covered and rinsed
  • Sealing or staining afterwards, which is a separate service with its own drying window

Hold the price for thirty days

Valid for 30 days, and tie it to what was measured at the walkthrough. Outdoor surfaces keep growing: a patio quoted in early spring can carry noticeably more algae by the time the work is booked, and a quote that says it covers the surfaces as seen on the day makes re-measuring an expected step rather than a dispute.

Start from the pressure washing quote template

Common questions

Should a house wash be quoted by the square foot?
Rarely. Siding is interrupted by windows, vents, lights and planting, so elevations or storeys are the honest unit. A single area figure across the envelope consistently comes out under.
What is the difference between pressure washing and soft washing?
Soft washing removes organic growth with chemistry at low pressure. It is the correct method for siding and roofs, where high pressure would drive water behind the surface or strip it, and it should be named on the quote.
Does the quote need to mention water supply?
Yes. The price assumes a working outdoor tap with usable flow, and if there is none the job needs a tank and a supply trip. A crew arriving to a dry site loses the visit entirely.

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