Pressure washing is priced per square foot in conversation and costs by the hour in reality, and the gap between those two is where the money is lost. Setup, water source, hose runs and packing away take the same time on a small driveway as on a large one, so a per-square-foot rate with no minimum underneath it will price small jobs below the cost of the van arriving. The list you publish should reflect that, and most downloaded ones do not.
What actually consumes the time
Setup and pack-down, which are fixed. Access to water and power, which can add half an hour on a property with neither. Surface type: concrete, pavers, decking, siding and roofs all clean at different rates and some need chemical dwell time that cannot be rushed. Pre-treatment and post-treatment. And the protection of everything nearby, which on a house with planting and windows is a real chunk of the job.
Building a rate from a job you have done
Take a driveway you have cleaned. Record total time on site including setup, multiply by your loaded hourly cost, add fuel, chemical and machine cost per hour of run time, add the trip. Divide by the area cleaned. That is your cost per square foot for that surface. Apply your margin by dividing rather than adding. Repeat for two other surface types and you have a defensible list rather than a copied one.
The minimum charge, and the surcharges worth naming
The minimum should be the trip plus setup plus an hour of loaded cost, and it belongs on the published list rather than being sprung on a caller. Then name the surcharges: no water on site, second storey, heavy organic growth requiring treatment and a return visit, oil staining, and anything needing access equipment where a PPE and access assessment is a genuine obligation rather than a formality.
Questions people ask about pressure washing price list
What is a typical pressure washing price per square foot?
Published figures vary by surface, region and machine, and none of them know your setup time. Derive yours from a job you have already done.
Should I charge more for a second storey?
Yes, and for the reason rather than the height: repositioning, safety equipment and often a second person.
Do I need a minimum charge?
Every pressure washing business does. Fixed setup time is the largest single component of a small job.