A flat house-wash price feels simple until you pull up to a 3,000 sq ft two-story and realize you quoted it the same as last week's bungalow. House washing is where flat rates quietly bleed margin, and where per-square-foot pricing pays you back.
Why per-square-foot wins for house washes
Siding area scales with the home. Price off it and your quote scales too:
- A 1,200 sq ft ranch at $0.18/sq ft = ~$216
- A 3,000 sq ft two-story at $0.18/sq ft = ~$540, plus the second-story surcharge
A single flat rate can't serve both. Set it low and you lose the big homes; set it high and you lose every small one to the guy down the road.
Set the minimum, then layer surcharges
- Per-job minimum (~$175). A tiny home shouldn't price below the cost of showing up.
- Second-story access (+15%). Make it automatic on two-plus-story homes.
- Heavy soiling / organic growth (+20%). A north-facing, algae-streaked elevation is a slower, chemical-heavier job.
Soft wash is the method, not the discount
House washing is almost always soft washing: low pressure, the right mix, dwell time. That's a craft decision, not a pricing one. Price the surface and the surcharges; let the soft-wash workflow handle the how. The customer is paying for a clean, undamaged house. Price it that way and raise it with confidence next season.