Price a house wash, driveway, or parking lot from the hours it really takes – and see how your number compares with what the market charges.
Published residential rates run from $0.08 per square foot for cold-water pressure washing of concrete to $0.77 for hot-water power washing, with most companies charging about $0.40 (HomeGuide, 2026). The per-square-foot number falls as the job grows: small jobs are priced by the minimum, not by the foot.
| Surface | Per sq ft | Typical job |
|---|---|---|
| House siding (per sq ft of living area) | $0.15 – $0.25 | $170 – $360 |
| Driveway or concrete | $0.25 – $0.35 | $100 – $260 |
| Deck or patio | $0.35 | $120 – $240 |
| Fence | $0.30 – $0.50 | $180 – $300 |
| Roof | $0.15 – $0.70 | $250 – $600 |
| Gutters | $0.50 – $1.25 per linear ft | $55 – $160 |
Source: HomeGuide, Pressure Washing Prices (April 2024). Fixr puts soft washing at $0.25–$0.35 and pressure washing at $0.30–$0.80 per sq ft.
A 2,000 sq ft single-story house costs about $191 to wash and prices at $273 at a 30% margin. Two stories add 30% to the time and bring the price to $340; a 3,000 sq ft two-story house is $492. HomeGuide's range for a house wash is $170–$360, Fixr's for a 2,000 sq ft house $600–$1,600 – the spread is the difference between a rinse and a full soft wash with roof and gutters.
A 600 sq ft driveway takes 45 minutes with a surface cleaner and costs $73 with travel; at a 30% margin that is $105, so the $150 minimum applies. A 1,000 sq ft driveway costs $105 and also lands on the minimum. That is why driveways are flat-rate jobs: HomeGuide's range is $100–$200 per driveway, $0.25–$0.35 per square foot.
The calculator turns square feet into hours with production rates contractors publish. Hot water and a surface cleaner each add about 30% to the speed on concrete; wood is slower because it is washed with a wand at low pressure.
| Surface and method | Sq ft per hour | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete, wand, cold water | 600 | Contractor productivity table |
| Concrete, wand, hot water | 700 | Contractor productivity table |
| Concrete, surface cleaner, cold water | 800 | Contractor productivity table |
| Concrete, surface cleaner, hot water | 1,000 | Contractor productivity table |
| Open commercial concrete, 4 GPM and 20" cleaner | 1,500 | Contractor reports, PWRA forum |
| House wash, soft wash | 800 | HomeGuide: about 2.3 hours per house |
| Roof, soft wash | 650 | HomeGuide: about 3 hours per roof |
| Deck or fence, wand | 300 | Fixr: 500 sq ft deck in 1–2 hours; Angi: 500 sq ft fence in 2–3 hours |
Sources: Pressure Wash Productivity Estimates (contractor table); PWRA forum, Square feet per hour; HomeGuide, Pressure Washing Prices; Fixr, Cost to Pressure Wash Deck; Angi, Cost to Pressure Wash a Fence.
Chemicals are the smallest line on the receipt. A house wash uses about 5 gallons of 12.5% sodium hypochlorite mixed 50/50 for a 2,500 sq ft house (PWRA contractor forum); bulk SH costs $1.79–$2.00 a gallon in Florida and up to $6 in Nevada (PoolDial, 2026). At $3 a gallon that is $8 of chemical on the default house. A 4 GPM gas machine burns about 1 gallon of fuel an hour.
| Line | Default house wash | How it is built |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | $78 | 3 crew hours × $26 (BLS janitors and cleaners $17.71 × 1.44 burden) |
| Machine | $30 | 2.5 hours × $12 (fuel, wear, depreciation – your number) |
| Chemicals | $8 | 2,000 sq ft × $4 per 1,000 sq ft |
| Overhead | $75 | 3 crew hours × $25 per billable hour |
| Job cost | $191 | labor + machine + chemicals + overhead |
| Price at 30% margin | $273 | cost ÷ 0.7 |
Labor and overhead are 80% of the cost. The way to earn more per job is faster production, not cheaper bleach.
Commercial work is priced lower per square foot and higher per job: basic flatwork $0.10–$0.35 per sq ft, heavy grease or graffiti $0.40–$1.00, hourly $50–$150, and monthly contracts of $100–$600 (HomeGuide, Commercial Pressure Washing Prices, October 2025). The default 10,000 sq ft lot prices at $651 with a surface cleaner, $0.065 per sq ft – below the published range, which is why commercial bids are usually quoted per square foot and won on frequency.
| Surface | Published rate |
|---|---|
| Sidewalks and walkways | $0.10 – $0.30 per sq ft |
| Building exteriors | $0.15 – $0.90 per sq ft |
| Parking garages | $0.10 – $0.25 per sq ft |
| Parking lots | $8 – $20 per space |
| Dumpster pads | $0.75 – $1.00 per sq ft |
| Monthly service contract | $100 – $600 per month |
Source: HomeGuide, Commercial Pressure Washing Prices, October 2025.
In Tofu a monthly contract is one recurring job: the visits go on the schedule and the invoice goes out each month without rebuilding it.
The receipt above is the estimate. Here is the default job as the customer sees it:
| Line item | Price |
|---|---|
| House wash – soft wash, 2,000 sq ft, single story | $273 |
| Driveway – 600 sq ft, surface cleaner | $150 |
| Gutters – clean-out, 120 linear ft | $90 |
Build it in the free estimate generator, or send it from Tofu as an estimate the customer approves on their phone. Take the before and after photos on the job – they attach to the visit and go out with the invoice.
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