Estimate a job by surface area, type, soiling & travel — and get a defensible price range.
The surface
Add-ons & conditions
Sealing runs ~$2–$4/sq ft of the same area; gutter cleaning typically $125–$320 as a bundled line. Leave at 0 to skip.
Labor & travel
Profit & quote
This calculator turns the way pressure-washing pros actually quote into a number you can defend. It prices the job on surface area first, picks a per-square-foot rate from the surface type and how dirty it is, then layers on the costs pros routinely forget — round-trip travel labor, mileage, and per-job materials. It marks that break-even cost up to your target gross margin, applies your minimum job charge as a floor, and returns a quote range instead of a single risky number. Everything is calculated privately in your browser, free.
Rates are calibrated to 2025–2026 U.S. national averages. Each surface has a light / moderate / heavy column (USD per sq ft):
| Surface | Light | Moderate | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete / driveway | $0.18 | $0.28 | $0.40 |
| Brick or paver | $0.25 | $0.33 | $0.42 |
| Vinyl siding | $0.20 | $0.30 | $0.42 |
| Stucco or painted siding | $0.40 | $0.55 | $0.70 |
| Wood deck or fence | $0.40 | $0.55 | $0.70 |
| Composite deck | $0.30 | $0.42 | $0.55 |
| Roof | $0.45 | $0.60 | $0.75 |
Large jobs are cheaper per square foot, so the tool applies an economies-of-scale discount: 5% off above 1,000 sq ft and 10% off above 1,500 sq ft.
Homeowners and pros both want a gut-check on the total. The table below gives typical all-in price ranges by job type for a single-story home in an average U.S. market, along with the per-square-foot rate each range works out to. These are estimates — your real number depends on size, soiling, access, and your local market — but they show where most quotes land.
| Job type | Typical size | Per sq ft | Typical total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driveway (2-car) | ~600 sq ft | $0.18–$0.40 | $130–$220 |
| Driveway + sidewalk + walkway | ~900 sq ft | $0.18–$0.40 | $190–$320 |
| Sidewalk / walkway only | ~200 sq ft | $0.20–$0.40 | $100–$170 (min charge often applies) |
| Full house wash (soft-wash siding) | ~1,800 sq ft of wall | $0.20–$0.55 | $300–$600 |
| Two-story house wash | ~2,800 sq ft of wall | $0.25–$0.60 | $450–$900 |
| Deck or patio | ~400 sq ft | $0.30–$0.70 | $150–$320 |
| Wood fence (per side) | ~500 sq ft | $0.30–$0.55 | $160–$300 |
| Roof (soft-wash) | ~1,500 sq ft | $0.45–$0.75 | $400–$900 |
| Whole-home package (house + driveway + walks) | mixed | blended | $500–$1,200 |
Soft-wash jobs (siding, stucco, wood, roofs) carry a higher rate because they use detergents and slower, safer low-PSI technique, not because they take more pressure. Heavy grease, mold, oxidation, or rust push every number toward the top of its range.
Two driveways of the same size can quote $80 apart. The factors that move the number, in roughly the order they matter:
Five worked examples, priced the way this calculator does it — surface cost, then travel and materials, marked up to margin, with a ±12% range. All figures are estimates.
Plug your own numbers into the calculator above to get a tailored quote range with a full line-by-line breakdown you can copy into a proposal.
Most real quotes are the base wash plus a few line items. The calculator prices each one into break-even so your margin applies to them too — the way a profitable pro quotes. Defaults are drawn from 2025–2026 market data:
| Add-on | How it's priced | Typical market |
|---|---|---|
| Two-story / hard access | +35% on surface cost | +30–50% |
| Three-story / steep roof | +60% on surface cost | +50–75% |
| Oil / rust / grease stain removal | +30% on surface cost | +25–50% (needs degreaser + a 2nd pass) |
| Sealing / staining (concrete, wood, pavers) | $/sq ft of the same area | $2–$4 per sq ft |
| Gutter cleaning bundle | flat dollar add | $125–$320 ($0.80–$2 per linear ft) |
Height and stain surcharges raise the per-sq-ft cleaning cost, so the tool's market-band check uses your cleaning rate before add-ons — a legitimate sealing or gutter line won't trip a false "outside market band" flag.
There are three ways pros price, and good operators sanity-check one against another:
Set your hourly rate from the bottom up: total your monthly overhead (insurance, vehicle, equipment depreciation, software, marketing, admin), divide by your billable hours to get an overhead-per-hour figure, add your target take-home, and that's the rate the per-sq-ft numbers have to clear. Then apply margin with the pro formula this tool uses: price = cost ÷ (1 − margin) — the same formula Jobber and Housecall Pro teach — so a 30% target really leaves 30% gross margin, not less.
Always carry a minimum. Setup, travel, and tear-down cost the same on a 200 sq ft job as a 1,000 sq ft one. A $100–$250 residential minimum (this tool defaults to $150) keeps small jobs from losing money. The calculator applies it as a floor after margin and tells you when it set the price.
A 600 sq ft moderately-soiled concrete driveway, one tech at $75/hr, 15 minutes one-way (20 round-trip miles at $0.70/mi), $25 of equipment & chemicals, a 30% target margin, a $150 minimum, and a ±12% spread:
For a single-story home in an average U.S. market, expect roughly $130–$220 for a 2-car driveway, $300–$600 for a full soft-wash house, $150–$320 for a deck or patio, $400–$900 for a roof, and $100–$170 for a sidewalk (where the minimum charge usually kicks in). A whole-home package — house plus driveway and walkways — typically runs $500–$1,200. These are estimates; soiling, height/access, and your local market can shift them ±30–50%.
Price on surface area first (square footage × a per-sq-ft rate set by surface type and soiling), add billable round-trip travel labor and mileage plus per-job materials, mark that break-even cost up to your target margin, apply your minimum charge as a floor, and quote a range (±10–15%) instead of one firm number.
Roughly $0.18–$0.40 for concrete/driveways, $0.25–$0.42 for brick and pavers, $0.20–$0.42 for vinyl siding, and $0.40–$0.75 for soft-wash surfaces (stucco, painted siding, wood, roofs). Heavier grime pushes each rate toward the top because it needs detergents and a second pass.
Markup multiplies cost by (1 + margin) and gives a lower price; true margin divides cost by (1 − margin). This tool uses margin — price = break-even ÷ (1 − margin) — so a 30% target really keeps 30% gross margin.
Yes. Setup and tear-down cost the same regardless of size, so a $100–$250 residential minimum keeps small jobs from losing money. The tool applies your minimum as a floor after margin and flags when it set the price.
Quotes are estimates until you see the site. A defensible ±10–15% range protects your margin against hidden conditions you couldn't spot from the driveway.
Two-story or hard access adds ~30–50% to surface cost; oil/rust/grease removal ~25–50% (degreaser + second pass). Sealing/staining is a separate service at ~$2–$4/sq ft, and gutter cleaning bundles at $125–$320. Price each into cost before margin so you profit on them — this calculator does it for you.
Per square foot ($0.10–$0.80 by surface) is fastest and the default here. Per hour ($50–$160) suits unpredictable soiling or access. Flat rate ($90–$200 for a standard driveway) works once you know the surface. Many pros quote per-sq-ft and cross-check against an hourly estimate.
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