How to Price Pressure Washing Jobs: The Complete Costing Formula
Learn the exact mathematical formulas professional exterior cleaning operators use to quote driveways, houses, and roofs on a defensible margin.
Ready to calculate your exact job price?
Skip generic guessing. Plug your job surface area, labor rate, and target margin into our free calculator to get an exact quote and printable estimate.
Open Free Job Price & Quote Generator →The 3-Step Job Costing Formula
Step 1: Calculate Direct Expenses
Add up every out-of-pocket dollar required to complete the job:
Overhead Reserve = Labor Hours × Equipment Reserve Rate ($10/hr)
Total Direct Cost = Labor + Chemicals + Fuel + Overhead Reserve
Step 2: Apply Margin on Selling Price
Do not multiply by markup. Divide by (1 − Desired Margin):
Step 3: Enforce the Minimum Charge Floor
Compare the target price against your minimum visit floor:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an acceptable profit margin for a pressure washing business?
There is no universal number — it depends on your market and costs. A common planning band is 40% to 55% gross margin on residential jobs and 35% to 45% on recurring commercial maintenance. Pick a target, price to it, and verify each job against it with a job costing worksheet.
How do I quote jobs when I don't know the exact square footage?
Use Google Earth or satellite measuring tools to measure driveways and roof footprints, or estimate standard home siding area as 1.2× to 1.5× the living square footage.