How to charge for power washing jobs?
Short answerPrice power washing per square foot of surface, with different rates for concrete, siding, decks and roofs, then apply a minimum job charge. Measure from the street or a photo, add a surcharge for no water access or heavy staining, and quote the total, not the rate.
The explanation
Start by listing every surface the customer wants cleaned. A flat driveway washes faster than a two story house, and wood decks need lower pressure and more care than concrete. Give each surface its own rate per square foot, and write the rates down so every quote is built the same way.
Then price what slows you down: no outdoor spigot, long hose runs, oil stains that need a degreaser, steep roofs, and gates that force a second trip. Chemicals, fuel, and truck time belong inside the rate, not as a surprise line.
Finally, set a floor. A 200 square foot patio should still pay for loading the truck and driving across town. Many owners also offer a bundle price for house plus driveway, because the setup is shared and the customer sees a clear saving.
What to watch for
- Quoting from memory instead of measuring, which makes jobs on big lots lose money.
- Skipping a water access question before the visit.
- Giving a per-foot rate to the customer and then arguing over the square footage.
In pressure washing
Pressure washing is weather and season dependent, with spring and fall rushes. Quote with a date range and a rain policy so a cancelled day does not turn into a free return trip. All pressure washing scheduling questions.
How Apex does it
Rolling out
The screen and the rules are built and tested. Saving real customer data is not connected yet. Status as of 2026-10-07; the badge shows the least-built feature involved.
Apex is designed to turn measured surfaces into line items from a price book, so each surface has its own rate and minimum. Status for each feature is shown on its badge.
- ES01Estimates / quotes builder(Rolling out)
- ES11Measurement takeoffs (sqft, linear ft)(Rolling out)
- ES02Price book / flat-rate pricing(Rolling out)
Apex Flow Scheduler is in early access. See how we label status.
Where this question comes from: owners type it, or a close variant, into search boxes. It was returned by public search suggestions (Google, Bing or DuckDuckGo) when we collected them on 2026-10-06. We do not have search volumes.