The cost to pressure wash a commercial building varies based on a number of factors, including the exterior materials you'll be cleaning, whether any water sources are available on-site and the time frame you have in which to complete the work. Therefore, creating a pressure-washing bid template for your business requires you to gather some information to accurately calculate the base cost of your materials and labor. Once you know how much the job will cost you to complete, you can add a profit-margin markup to satisfy your business goals.

Which Cleaning Chemicals and Equipment?

The type of cleaning chemical you bring to the job site depends on the material you're cleaning. For example, a block building will require a more powerful cleaning substance than a material like vinyl. Once you've selected the type(s) of chemicals, make sure you also correctly estimate the amount needed based on the square footage you'll be covering. Make note of whether you need to rent any specialty equipment like bucket trucks or cherry pickers to reach the building's full height.

Is Water Available On-Site?

Your estimated cost to pressure wash a commercial building usually does not need to take into account the cost of water. It's wise to clearly state in your contract that the property owner is responsible for paying the water bill and to give an estimate of how much water your machines will use during the cleaning project. This little detail can set you apart from the competition in terms of professionalism and customer care.

However, it's possible that you may be asked to bring your own water tank. If you're able to do so, great. If not, you need to find out quickly so that you don't waste any more of your time bidding for a job that you can't complete.

Finally, locate the water sources on the property in order to bring the proper length of hose to reach all areas.

What's the Expected Schedule?

When does the client expect this work to be completed? Can you do the work as a team of one, or do you need all hands on deck? Keep in mind that you'll need to do the bulk of your work when the commercial property doesn't have much traffic, which means early in the morning or on weekends.

What's the Total Square Footage?

Finally, you need to know exactly how big of a project you're handling. If you're submitting a proposal based on an RFP or a bidding site, the linear footage or square footage may be supplied by the client. Otherwise, you'll need to visit the property yourself to take some measurements. This information will allow you to determine how much cleaning equipment and manpower you'll need in order to get the job done on schedule.

Cost to Pressure Wash a Commercial Building

With all of the information that you've gathered, create an itemized list of the materials, equipment and labor that you'll need to get the job done. Then, you need to add your profit margin so there's money left over to reinvest in your business, to pay business taxes and to pay yourself.

If you're new to pressure washing, you may need to research your competitors to find out what their profit margins are so your bids stay competitive. For example, if you want a profit margin of 50% and your base labor and materials cost $500, you'll charge your client $1,000 so that 50% of that revenue is profit.

Note that many pressure-washing companies express their rates in terms of square footage or linear footage, but due to the numerous variables that affect each project, it can be helpful to calculate the overall costs first and then break it down into a square footage rate for your commercial pressure-washing proposal template.