How To Price Your Power Washing Service

Are you looking for a new business opportunity or a way to add income to your existing business? Power washing could be the answer. It is a small business opportunity which can be started by an individual, for a cleaning crew, or even as part of a franchise.

Power washing is in demand for keeping parking lots, driveways, buildings, homes, and other structures clean. It can be a standalone business in many parts of the country but will have seasonable drops in business in cold regions. It can be paired with other service businesses, too. Landscapers, painters, and cleaning services can add power washing as an easy upsell their existing services.

Properly pricing your power washing services is one of the biggest challenges. Your prices will be based on local competition and if you are upselling to existing clients or selling to new clients. If you have very little competition, you can keep your prices higher. If you are facing more competition you may need to meet, or beat, their prices to gain business.

If you are upselling power washing to existing clients, you have a competitive advantage. You can bundle your power washing with your existing services providing more convenience to your clients, which allows you to charge slightly higher prices. An example would be bundling power washing the siding on a home before painting.

Pricing Strategies for Your Power Washing Business

There are several different pricing strategies you can choose, including:

• Meet or Beat Competition
• One-Time Discounts
• Service Plans
• Premium Service

Meet Or Beat – This is the most common pricing strategy used by new power washing businesses, but is not always the best idea. It positions you as the hungry new business that is willing to work cheap. It works, but may not be ideal for your business.

One-Time Discounts – A good strategy is to offer a special price for new customers. This allows you to grab their attention, build clientele, and establish yourself without maintaining extremely low prices forever.

Service Plans – You may want to offer your power washing service as an annual or periodic service. You will make less per job, but you will have more consistent work.

Premium Service – Do you have the newest and best equipment? Can you promise to leave the site cleaner? Are you willing to work nights to not disrupt business? Positioning yourself as a premium service allows you to charge higher rates.

Pricing Methods – Figuring the Cost Of Jobs

You can use several different methods to quote your power washing service, including:

• Pricing Per Hour
• Flat Rate Pricing
• Per Square Foot Pricing

Pricing Per Hour – This may be the safest pricing method, but is not usually the favorite of clients. This method guarantees you are paid for every hour you work on a project, but does not give your clients a set price they can budget for.

Flat Rate Pricing – This is the riskiest pricing model for new businesses. You quote a flat rate for a job and then stick to it. Once you have the experience, you can use flat-rate pricing. You will know approximately how long a job will take based upon past work and the total square footage you are cleaning. Keep in mind, you must account for extra time to clean areas which have excessive dirt, chipped paint, or are otherwise hard to clean.

Per Square Foot – This is a quick and simple method to give your clients a solid estimate for jobs. You measure the surface you are going to power wash and multiply it by your standard per square foot pricing. You can make minor adjustments to your per foot pricing when you are quoting hard to clean surfaces.

You can use one, or all, of these pricing methods in your business.

Average Pricing – What Is Reality In Power Washing Fees?

If you need a few guidelines for pricing your power washing service, you can start with the averages researched by Home Advisor and Thumbtack. Home Advisor reports it costs $220 to $380 to have home siding power washed. It costs $130 to $220 for an average-sized driveway, and power washing a deck costs around $250 to $420. Thumbtack reported per square foot prices averaged 16 to 22 cents, which closely mirrors the Home Advisor figures. These averages can help you determine prices for your power washing business.