Updated October 2026
How This Pressure Washing Calculator Works
Each surface on the quote is priced from its size. Chemical cost is a rate per square foot (or per linear foot for gutters), and labor time comes from a cleaning pace:
Chemicals = area × chemical rate
Labor hours = area ÷ pace (× story multiplier for houses)
Quote = (chemicals + labor hours × hourly rate) × (1 + overhead/profit %)
These are the built-in rates:
| Surface | Option | Chemicals | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driveway / concrete | Standard | $0.04/ft² | 600 ft²/hr |
| Stain removal | $0.09/ft² | 350 ft²/hr | |
| Chemical wash | $0.13/ft² | 300 ft²/hr | |
| House exterior | 1 / 2 / 3 stories | $0.03/ft² | 600 ft²/hr × 1.00 / 1.35 / 1.70 hrs |
| Deck / patio | Wood / Composite / Concrete | $0.08 / $0.06 / $0.04 per ft² | 250 / 300 / 350 ft²/hr |
| Roof soft wash | — | $0.12/ft² | 200 ft²/hr |
| Gutters | — | $0.30/linear ft | 80 ft/hr |
The story multiplier reflects how much slower it is to work at height: extension wands, ladders, more setup, and more care around windows and fixtures.
Choosing Your Settings
Hourly rate
Unlike most trades, a pressure washing business has a lot of money tied up in equipment: pressure washer, surface cleaner, soft-wash system, hoses, reels, water tank, trailer. The machine wears out every hour it runs. Account for that somewhere, either in this hourly rate or in your overhead percentage, along with fuel and your crew's pay.
A simple way to fold equipment in: take the total cost of your rig, divide by the hours you expect it to run before it's replaced, and add that to the hourly rate. A $15,000 rig that lasts 3,000 working hours costs you $5 for every hour on the job.
Calibrate the paces
The paces assume typical equipment for each job: a surface cleaner on flatwork, a soft-wash setup for siding and roofs. Your speed depends on your machine's flow rate (GPM matters more than PSI for speed), how dirty the surface is, and how much you have to move around. Time your next few jobs and compare against the calculator. If you're consistently faster or slower, adjust with a Custom line, or raise or lower your hourly rate so the totals match what your jobs actually take.
Worked Example: House, Driveway, and Deck
A common package: soft-wash a 2-story house with about 2,400 ft² of siding, clean an 800 ft² driveway (standard), and wash a 300 ft² wood deck. All settings at their defaults ($65/hr, 20% overhead/profit).
| Surface | Chemicals | Hours | Line cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| House, 2-story, 2,400 ft² | $72 | 2,400 ÷ 600 × 1.35 = 5.4 | $423 |
| Driveway, standard, 800 ft² | $32 | 1.3 | $119 |
| Deck, wood, 300 ft² | $24 | 1.2 | $102 |
| Subtotal | $644 | ||
| Overhead / profit (20%) | $129 | ||
| Quote | $772 | ||
Check the house line against your own speed. The house is about two-thirds of this quote, and most of it is labor time. If your soft-wash setup does a house like this in much less than 5.4 labor hours, your cost to do the job is lower. You can then decide whether to pass that on in price or keep it as margin. The calculator tells you what the job costs you. What the local market will pay is a separate question, and it's worth knowing both.
Measuring the Job
- House siding: measure the perimeter and multiply by the wall height to the eaves (roughly 9–10 feet per story). For gable ends, add half the base times the peak height. Don't subtract windows, because you still have to work around them.
- Driveways and patios: length × width. For odd shapes, split them into rectangles and add those up.
- Roofs: roof area is larger than the footprint because of the pitch. Many satellite measurement tools give roof area directly.
- Gutters: walk the eaves and measure the linear feet.
What This Calculator Doesn't Include
- Job minimums and travel. A small patio job still means loading the trailer, driving, setting up hoses, and breaking down. Most washers set a minimum charge. Add a Custom line for it, or for mobilization.
- Water. If you bring your own water or pay for it, include it. If you use the customer's spigot, say so in your terms.
- Plant protection and wash-water rules. Wetting down and rinsing landscaping takes time when you're using chemicals. Some areas restrict wash water running into storm drains. Check your local rules, and price any reclaim or containment work if it's required.
- Sealing and staining. Deck and concrete sealing are separate, profitable add-ons. Price them as Custom lines with your product cost and labor.
- Hard access and risk. Steep roofs, three-story walls over landscaping, and anything that needs fall protection deserve more than the standard multiplier. Follow the roofing manufacturer's guidance on cleaning methods, and make sure your insurance covers roof work.
Markup vs. Margin
The overhead/profit field is a markup on top of costs. Margin, which is profit as a share of the final price, is always lower: a 20% markup is a 16.7% margin, a 25% markup is a 20% margin, and a 50% markup is a 33% margin. If you have a margin target, convert it before you enter it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I charge per square foot or per job?
Customers want one price for the job, and many washers quote that way. Working from square footage, as this calculator does, is how you make sure that price covers your time and chemicals. Track your per-square-foot cost across jobs and you'll be able to quote quickly and accurately.
How do I estimate the square footage of a house?
Multiply the perimeter of the house by the wall height. A 40×30 ft two-story house has a 140-foot perimeter. At about 18 feet to the eaves, that's roughly 2,520 ft² of siding before adding any gable ends.
Should I charge more for two- and three-story homes?
Yes. Working at height is slower and riskier. The calculator adds 35% labor time for two stories and 70% for three. If your setup handles height better or worse than that, adjust with a Custom line.
What's the difference between pressure washing and soft washing?
Pressure washing uses high pressure to remove dirt from hard surfaces like concrete. Soft washing uses low pressure with cleaning solutions to kill and remove organic growth. It's the usual method for siding and roofs, where high pressure can cause damage. The house and roof lines in this calculator assume soft-wash chemicals.
Is my quote saved or sent anywhere?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser and nothing you enter is sent to a server. Use Copy Estimate or Print / Save PDF to keep a copy.