Measure each surface, put a rate on each, and see the quote, what is left after chemicals and fuel, and what the job pays per hour.
HomeGuide's pricing guide for pros, written in December 2025, puts per-square-foot rates at $0.10 to $1.00 depending on the surface: $0.10 to $0.40 for driveways, $0.15 to $0.50 for house exteriors, $0.20 to $0.60 for gutters, $0.30 to $0.80 for decks and $0.40 to $1.00 for roofs.
The same guide lists the other ways pros bill: a minimum of $150 to $400 per job, $50 to $160 an hour as a common starting range with some charging $350 an hour or more, $1 to $6 per linear foot for fences and gutters, and flat rates of $200 to $600. It suggests a profit margin of 20% to 40% and adding 20% to 40% for hot-water power washing.
On the customer side, HomeGuide's house cleaning cost guide puts pressure washing a house or its siding at $220 to $380, a driveway at $130 to $220 and a deck or patio at $250 to $420. Those are what homeowners report paying, and they are the numbers your customer has seen.
HomeGuide's flat rates for pros are $150 to $350 or more for a driveway, $200 to $600 or more per storey for a house exterior, $200 to $500 or more for a deck or patio, $150 to $200 or more for gutters and $500 to $800 or more for a roof. A two-storey house exterior at the per-storey rate is $400 to $1,200 or more.
Measure a driveway as length times width. For siding, multiply the distance round the house by the wall height and drop the big windows and doors. HomeGuide notes that some pros price a house by its floor area from online listings instead of by wall area, so tell the customer which you use.
Second storeys take longer, need extension wands or soft-wash reach, and carry more risk, which is why the flat rate climbs per storey. If your per-square-foot siding rate does not cover that, raise the siding rate for two-storey homes.
Each surface is its square feet times its rate. The quote is the sum, or your minimum if the sum is lower. What is left takes off the chemicals and fuel for the job, and pay per hour divides that by your hours on site, set-up and pack-up included.
The chemicals default is $15: three gallons of 12.5% sodium hypochlorite, the usual soft-wash chemical, at $4.95 a gallon from Sunbrite Supply in Maryland (checked November 2026). Three gallons is our assumption for a mid-size house; driveways and decks may need far less. Change both numbers to match your supplier and your mix.
Jobs for your goal divides your monthly target by what one job like this leaves you. It does not count insurance, marketing or the weeks it rains, so treat it as the floor.
Yes. HomeGuide calls soft washing the standard for roofs, siding and other delicate surfaces, and says it usually costs more than pressure washing because of the chemicals, the equipment and the extra time. Asphalt shingles and stucco should only be soft washed, and wood and vinyl siding need low pressure to avoid damage.
Price the roof as its own line, as the calculator does. A roof soft wash at $0.40 to $1.00 a square foot is the highest rate on the job and the one most often underpriced by people who only own a pressure washer.
Decks are priced by area, at $0.30 to $0.80 a square foot on HomeGuide's pricing guide, or a flat $200 to $500 or more. Wood needs lower pressure than concrete, which makes a deck slower per square foot than a driveway, so the rate is higher. Homeowners report paying $250 to $420 for a deck or patio.
Fences and gutters are long and narrow, so pros price them by the linear foot at $1 to $6, HomeGuide says. Taller fences and gutters cost more, as do shrubs in the way and materials that need a gentler method. Measure the run, multiply by your rate, and add it to the quote as its own line.
HomeGuide's list of what a new pressure washing business needs runs beyond the machine: safety glasses, gloves and hearing protection, good hoses and nozzles, detergents, liability insurance and commercial auto insurance, and in some places a business licence, a water use permit or an environmental permit.
HomeGuide's rule: if you book 100% of the jobs you bid, your prices are probably too low, and if you book under 40%, your prices are too high or your marketing needs work. Track your bids from the first week.
Raise prices when fuel, insurance or chemicals go up, and when your reviews start doing the selling. Lower the rate per square foot for very large commercial jobs or multi-building contracts if it wins a regular customer.
Add up the costs the per-job number hides. Many pros use the customer's water, HomeGuide notes, but if you bring your own or local rules require water recovery, that goes in the price. Insureon's small-business customers pay a median of $45 a month for general liability. Our pressure washing business guide covers equipment, insurance and the first customers.
HomeGuide's pricing guide for pros lists $0.10 to $0.40 a square foot for driveways, or a flat $150 to $350 or more. A 600-square-foot driveway at $0.25 a foot is $150. Set a minimum of $150 to $400 so a small driveway still covers your travel and set-up.
HomeGuide lists $0.15 to $0.50 a square foot for house exteriors, or a flat $200 to $600 or more per storey. Homeowners report paying $220 to $380 to pressure wash a house or siding. Price soft washing of vinyl, stucco or painted siding higher than plain pressure washing.
At HomeGuide's flat rate of $200 to $600 or more per storey, a two-storey exterior comes to $400 to $1,200 or more. Second storeys need longer reach, more time and more care, so many pros raise the per-square-foot rate on the upper floor or quote the house per storey.
HomeGuide puts a common starting range at $50 to $160 an hour, with some pros charging $350 an hour or more. Hourly pricing suits jobs where square footage is a poor guide, such as heavily stained or detailed surfaces. Most customers still want a total before you start.
HomeGuide's pricing guide puts typical minimums at $150 to $400. Work yours out from your hourly running costs, the time the smallest possible job takes, including the drive and set-up, and your profit margin, which HomeGuide suggests at 20% to 40%.