Most pressure washing contractors copy someone else's price. Or guess based on what a neighbor charges. That works until a job takes twice as long as expected — or until fuel, insurance, and equipment hours add up to more than the quote covers. Getting the math right isn't complicated, but it requires understanding what you're actually selling.

Pressure washing is a production-rate business. You're buying time and consumables, then renting out your equipment's output. Price too low on a large driveway and your effective hourly rate drops under $30. Price by the hour on a house wash and you'll lose the bid to anyone presenting a flat number. The pricing model matters as much as the rate itself.

Here's how to build prices that hold up — whether you're quoting driveways in a subdivision or a restaurant parking lot that hasn't been cleaned in two years.

The three pricing models pressure washers use

Three models dominate, and most experienced operators use a mix depending on the job.

Per square foot is the default for residential and commercial flatwork. The client gets a clear number, you get predictable revenue per job, and quoting is fast once you know your production rate. Most residential work runs $0.20–$0.45 per square foot depending on surface type and soil load.

Hourly makes sense for jobs where scope is hard to predict — heavily stained surfaces, enclosed spaces, equipment cleaning, stone facades. Your billable hour has to cover burdened labor plus equipment time plus overhead (more on that math below). In 2026, most solo operators working hourly charge $75–$150/hr.

Flat-rate per service — a fixed price for "house wash" or "driveway clean" — is a hybrid. You've pre-calculated the per-square-foot rate for a typical job in that category and packaged it as a single number. This works well for recurring residential clients and for services where you can inspect the property before quoting.

Most operations use per-square-foot for large commercial surfaces, flat-rate packages for residential, and hourly as a fallback for unusual work. That's not inconsistency — it's the right tool for each type of job.

Rate benchmarks by surface type

These are the rates you charge the client, not your cost. The table assumes a solo operator with a mid-grade cold-water unit (3–4 GPM) doing standard work. Soft washing, hot water, or multi-story access pushes rates up from there.

Surface Typical rate Notes
Concrete driveway $0.25–$0.45/sq ft Heavy staining and oil spots at the high end
House siding $0.15–$0.35/sq ft Vinyl is fastest; brick and wood take longer
Wood deck or fence $0.30–$0.55/sq ft Often needs wood brightener ($0.05–0.10 add-on)
Concrete patio $0.25–$0.40/sq ft Similar to driveway; adjust for enclosed areas
Commercial flatwork $0.08–$0.18/sq ft Lower rate, but production triples on open concrete
Roof (soft wash only) $0.20–$0.50/sq ft Higher risk; separate liability considerations apply

A 2,000 sq ft driveway at $0.35/sq ft = $700. That's a reasonable 2026 price in most markets. If you're consistently under $450 on a job that size, work through your cost floor before the next bid.

Building your cost floor

The cost floor is the minimum you need to charge to break even on a job. Anything below it loses money whether you realize it or not.

Start with your fully-loaded hourly cost. For a solo owner-operator in 2026:

  • Burdened labor (wages + payroll taxes + workers' comp): $28–$45/hr
  • Equipment depreciation and maintenance: $6–$12/hr (a $4,000–$8,000 rig amortized over 1,500 billable hours)
  • Vehicle fuel and maintenance: $8–$15/hr
  • Liability and commercial auto insurance: $5–$10/hr
  • Business overhead (software, marketing, phone): $4–$8/hr

Add it up and a solo operator's fully-loaded cost lands around $55–$90/hr before profit. Target 25–35% net margin and you need to bill $75–$135/hr to stay there. If you're cleaning 1,500 sq ft of driveway per hour, your cost per square foot runs roughly $0.05–$0.09 — and billing $0.30–$0.45/sq ft gives you solid margin when production holds.

The trouble comes when production drops. A heavily stained surface can take two to three times longer. Tight gates, multi-story siding, and awkward access all cut your effective square footage per hour. Quote $0.25/sq ft assuming 1,500 sq ft/hr but do 600 sq ft/hr, and that job is paying $17/hr against a $75 cost floor.

The same overhead math applies across every trade — our post on calculating contractor overhead rate walks through the framework, and the logic is identical whether you run a plumbing truck or a pressure washing rig.

Residential vs. commercial — different rules

Residential and commercial pressure washing are different businesses that happen to use the same equipment. Worth treating them separately when you price.

Residential jobs are smaller and faster to close, but you need volume. A full day of driveways and house washes might generate $800–$1,400 in revenue. Clients call once a year or not at all, so you're constantly refilling the pipeline.

Commercial is different. A 20,000 sq ft parking garage generates $1,600–$3,600 per visit at commercial rates. Sales cycles are longer, bids are competitive, and you'll often work nights or early mornings. But your production rate triples on flat, open concrete — and five recurring commercial contracts at $300/month is $18,000/year in revenue you don't have to re-sell every month.

The trade-off is equipment. Most commercial work demands a hot-water unit ($8,000–$15,000+) and higher-volume machines that residential jobs don't justify. Price your equipment costs into commercial bids explicitly, or you'll slowly fund the client's cleaning on your own margin.

Minimum charges and add-ons that work

Set a minimum charge or you'll spend half your week on $60 jobs that cost more in drive time and setup than they pay. Most markets support $125–$200 minimums in 2026 for residential. State it on the quote — clients understand minimums and they rarely kill a deal.

Add-ons that price well:

  • Concrete sealing after washing: $0.30–$0.60/sq ft on top of the wash price
  • Soft washing (low pressure + detergent for roofs, siding, wood): 15–25% premium over standard pressure wash
  • Multi-story surcharge: $50–$100 per additional story on house washing
  • Degreaser or chemical treatment: $25–$50 flat on grease-heavy commercial jobs
  • Rust or efflorescence treatment: $0.10–$0.20/sq ft additional

Add-ons are where flat-rate pricing pays off. Once you've won the job with a competitive driveway price, a sealing upsell at $0.40/sq ft is high-margin and doesn't require a second sales conversation. For how to structure these extras formally, the approach in our guide on contractor change orders applies equally here.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I charge for pressure washing a house?

A typical 2,000 sq ft home runs $300–$600 in 2026, depending on story height, siding type, and how dirty it is. Vinyl on a single-story home is the fastest category. Two-story brick with heavy mold or oxidation can take twice as long — price accordingly or you'll regret the quote.

Is per-square-foot or hourly better for pressure washing?

Per-square-foot works best when you know your production rate for that surface. Hourly is safer on unknown jobs — heavily stained concrete, surfaces you haven't washed before, or anything with unusual access. Most contractors default to per-square-foot and switch to hourly when a fixed rate carries too much risk.

What's a good profit margin for a pressure washing business?

Target 25–40% net margin. New solo operators often start at 15–20% while they're figuring out real production rates. Once you've got 50–100 jobs tracked and know your actual cost per hour by surface type, you can price confidently enough to hit 30–35%.

How do I price commercial pressure washing contracts?

Commercial flatwork typically runs $0.08–$0.18/sq ft — lower per square foot than residential, but the volume per job is much higher. Calculate your cost floor first (fully-loaded hourly cost ÷ production rate per hour), then add your target margin. And get a quote on commercial liability insurance before bidding your first contract — premiums vary significantly by market.

Do I need a minimum job charge?

Yes. Most markets support $125–$200. A job under your minimum costs more in setup, drive time, and admin than it earns. Many contractors set a 1-hour minimum billed at their effective hourly rate, which arrives at roughly the same number. Either way, write it on the quote.

Should pressure washing quotes have an expiration date?

Yes — 30 days is standard. Fuel prices, chemical costs, and your labor rate can all shift. For the expiration language that protects you without putting clients off, see our guide on how long a contractor quote should be valid.

The bottom line

Pricing pressure washing well comes down to two numbers: your cost floor and your production rate by surface type. Every other decision — model, per-square-foot rate, minimum charge — flows from those two.

The contractors who undercharge aren't usually wrong about their rates. They're wrong about production. They estimate two hours; the job takes four. The fix isn't to lower expectations — it's to track actual time per surface type and build that reality into every quote going forward.

If you're quoting manually or from memory, PRISM handles the math automatically. Paste a client message describing the job and surfaces, and it returns a priced, line-item estimate ready to send. Worth trying before your next round of bids.