Pressure washing
Siding Pressure Washing Cost Calculator
Prices siding cleaning, where spraying upward under the laps is the mistake that causes damage.
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, by wall area. Siding is a soft wash: low pressure, a detergent and where needed a hypochlorite solution for organic growth, dwelled and rinsed. Material governs the detail. Vinyl is vulnerable to water driven behind the laps and to revealing oxidation. Painted timber can have paint stripped by pressure and takes up water. Fibre cement is tougher but its paint finish is not. Stucco is absorbent and damages under pressure.
What moves the number
- Siding material, which determines usable pressure and chemistry.
- Wall area and number of storeys, which affects access equipment.
- Extent of organic growth, particularly on north-facing and shaded elevations.
- Window, door and penetration detailing, where water can get in.
Where this one goes wrong
Spray downward with the laps, never upward under them. Siding is designed to shed water running down its face, and directing a jet up beneath the laps drives water into the wall cavity where it rots sheathing and framing and cannot dry. That is the single most damaging thing done to houses in this trade and it is invisible until the damage is advanced. Keep the wand below the lap line and the pressure low. Windows, doors and penetrations are the other route in, so avoid directing spray at the perimeter sealant and into weep holes. On painted timber, pressure strips loose paint, which may be desirable before repainting and is not if nobody is repainting.
Before you quote
- Always spray downward with the laps, never up underneath them.
- Keep pressure low and appropriate to the siding material.
- Avoid directing spray at window and door perimeters and weep holes.
- Agree beforehand whether loose paint coming off is acceptable.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Why should siding be sprayed downward?
Because siding sheds water running down its face, and spraying upward drives water behind the laps into the wall cavity, where it rots sheathing and framing and cannot dry. It is the most damaging common error in this trade and the damage stays hidden until it is advanced.
Will washing strip the paint from my siding?
Pressure can lift loose or failing paint on timber, which is useful if the house is about to be repainted and a problem if it is not. Establishing that beforehand matters, because a customer expecting a clean house and getting a patchy one has a reasonable complaint.
Which siding materials need the most care?
Stucco is absorbent and damages under pressure, painted timber can lose paint and take up water, and vinyl is vulnerable to water behind the laps and to revealing oxidation. Fibre cement is the toughest substrate but its paint finish still is not. All of them want low pressure.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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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.