Pressure washing
Fence Pressure Washing Cost Calculator
Prices fence cleaning, where the area is both sides and the timber is fragile.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus chemicals and the call-out. The area is the length times the height and then doubled if both sides are being done, which is the first thing to settle because it halves or doubles the job. Technique follows timber rather than concrete: low pressure, a wood cleaner with dwell time, and a brightener. Pickets with gaps mean edges that take time, and a long run of fence is more area than people estimate from looking at it.
What moves the number
- One side or both, which is the largest single variable.
- Fence height and length, which together are more area than they appear.
- Timber condition, since old softwood fencing damages very easily.
- Overspray exposure, particularly on a boundary fence next to a neighbour.
Where this one goes wrong
Fence timber is usually thinner and more weathered than deck timber, so it damages at lower pressure than a deck does, and old fence boards can be driven apart or split by a careless wand. Low pressure and distance matter more here than anywhere except a roof. On a boundary, overspray is a liability rather than a nuisance: hypochlorite solution carried onto a neighbour's car, plants or washing is a real claim, and masking, wind awareness and talking to the neighbour beforehand are worth the few minutes. If the fence is to be stained afterwards, it needs to be genuinely dry first.
Before you quote
- Settle whether both sides are included before quoting.
- Use lower pressure than on a deck, since fence timber is thinner.
- Manage overspray on a boundary, and speak to the neighbour first.
Questions
About this calculator
Does fence cleaning include both sides?
Only if agreed, and it doubles the area and roughly the price. Many jobs clean only the owner's side, which is a legitimate choice but should be explicit in the quote. The neighbour's side also raises access and permission questions worth settling in advance.
Can a fence be damaged by pressure washing?
More easily than a deck, because fence boards are usually thinner and more weathered. Too much pressure splits boards, raises the grain and can drive sections apart. Low pressure with the right cleaner is the correct method, with the chemistry doing the work.
What about overspray onto next door?
It is worth real care, because hypochlorite carried onto a neighbour's car, plants or laundry is a claim rather than an annoyance. Masking, watching the wind and letting the neighbour know beforehand costs minutes and prevents the most common complaint on boundary work.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
Put this calculator on your site
Free to embed. Paste this where you want it to appear. It stays up to date automatically because it loads from BDEVY.
Please keep the attribution line. It is the only thing we ask in return.
How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 3 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $35.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 3 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $95 |
| Parts and materials | $35 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $415 |
| Labour | $285 |
| Before tax | $415 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $415: $285 of labour, $35 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $48 | $274 |
| $71 | $343 |
| $95 example above | $415 |
| $143 | $559 |
| $190 | $700 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 3 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $35.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.