A pressure washing quote is only as accurate as the description behind it. Tell a company "my driveway and the house" and you will get a guess. Tell it "a 2-car drive, a 40 foot front walk, a two-story brick house with green on the north wall" and you will get something you can hold it to.
One point first. Houston Power Washing Pro does not quote. Think of it as a free switchboard: your call goes through to a separate, locally owned pressure washing business, and that business inspects, names its price and does the work. Everything below is about getting the most useful quote from the company you end up talking to, whether you found it through this line or anywhere else.
What to have ready before you call
Five minutes with a tape measure and your phone camera saves a second visit.
- A list of every surface. Driveway, front walk, back patio, pool deck, siding, fence, deck, roof, gutters. Write them down so nothing gets forgotten halfway through the call.
- Rough measurements. Length and width of the driveway and patio, length of fence and which sides need it, and how many stories the house is.
- What each surface is made of. Brick, vinyl, fiber cement, stucco, painted wood, cedar, pavers, stamped concrete, shingles or tile. Method and price both follow from the material.
- Photos in daylight. One wide shot of each surface and a close-up of the worst stain. Shaded corners and the base of walls tell a company more than the front view does.
- What the stains look like. Green film, black streaks, orange rings near sprinklers or dark oil drips. Each needs a different treatment.
- Access details. Gate width, locked gates, pets, an outdoor tap that works, cars that need moving.
- Any deadline. An HOA notice with a date on it, a listing photo shoot or a party.
What a written pressure washing quote should list
A good written quote is short, but specific. If any line below is missing, ask for it before you agree to anything.
| Line on the quote | Why you want it in writing |
|---|---|
| Each surface with its own price | Lets you drop one item, add another, or compare against a second company line by line. |
| Size used for each price | Square feet for flat areas, linear feet or stories for walls and fences. If the size is wrong, the price is wrong. |
| Method for each surface | Pressure washing for concrete, soft washing for siding, roofs and wood. This is where cheap quotes and good quotes differ most. |
| Stain treatment, included or extra | Rust, oil and heavy mildew often cost more. Better to see it now than on the invoice. |
| Plant and property protection | Wetting and rinsing beds, covering delicate plants, closing windows and protecting outlets and light fixtures. |
| Where the wash water goes | In the City of Houston only rain water belongs in the storm sewer, so ask how runoff will be handled. |
| Total, payment terms and any deposit | When payment is due and how, and what happens if rain pushes the date. |
| Company name and phone number | So you know exactly who you hired if a question comes up later. |
Questions to ask before you say yes
Pressure washing is not on the list of trades the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation licenses, which means you have no state card to check. These questions do the screening instead.
- "Do you carry liability insurance, and can I see the certificate?" Stray spray can etch glass, peel paint or flood an outlet. Insurance is how a company pays for a mistake on your property. A certificate with the company's name and current dates is the thing to look at.
- "Will you write down a price for each surface?" One lump sum makes it impossible to tell what you are paying for the driveway versus the house.
- "How will you clean the siding, the roof and any wood?" The answer you want is a soft wash: low pressure with a cleaning solution. James Hardie's care advice for its fiber cement boards rules out high-pressure washers, the Vinyl Siding Institute cautions that aiming a spray up under the laps pushes water behind vinyl, and shingle makers warn that high pressure strips roof granules.
- "What will you do about my plants and the storm drain?" Listen for soaking beds before and after, covering delicate plants and keeping runoff out of the street.
- "What is not included?" Gutter faces, the back fence, the far side of the pool deck. Clearing this up now prevents the most common disagreements later.
- For a restaurant or business: "Do you hold a Houston Health Department pressure washer permit?" Inside the City of Houston, restaurants and other grease-producing sites may only use a permitted company that captures its wash water.
Why the wood and siding answer matters most
A wood fence or deck sprayed too hard comes away fuzzy. The soft fibers between the growth rings tear and stand up, and the boards may need sanding before any stain will soak in evenly. Siding has its own problem: water driven upward or into seams ends up behind the wall.
That is why the method question tells you more about a company than its price does. A careful crew changes pressure and approach from one surface to the next, even on the same visit. Read more on fence cleaning and house washing and soft washing.
How to compare two quotes fairly
Two quotes that differ a lot are usually describing two different jobs. Before you look at either total, lay them side by side like this.
| Check | Quote A | Quote B |
|---|---|---|
| Surfaces named | "House and driveway" | House, driveway, front walk, porch, back patio |
| House method | Not stated | Soft wash |
| Rust near sprinklers | Not mentioned | Listed as a separate treatment |
| Plants and runoff | Not mentioned | Beds soaked and rinsed, drain blocked |
| Insurance shown | "Yes" on the phone | Certificate emailed |
In this example Quote A will almost certainly be lower, and it may still be the better deal if it covers what you need. But you cannot know until you ask Company A to fill in the blanks. Send both companies the same written list of surfaces and sizes, ask each to price every line, and only then compare totals. The pressure washing cost guide shows published price ranges by surface if you want a sense of scale.
Red flags on a quote
- A firm price for a whole house given without photos, measurements or a visit.
- Pressure to pay in full in cash before any work starts.
- No answer, or a vague one, when you ask how the siding or roof will be cleaned.
- A promise that every stain will disappear, before anyone has looked at them.
- No business name you can look up, or a quote that will not go in writing.
Good signs
- Questions about your surfaces, materials and stains before a number comes up.
- Separate prices and methods for each surface.
- Straight talk about stains that may only lighten, like old oil.
- A clear plan for plants, windows and runoff.
- A walk-around with you when the work is done.
Getting a quote through the free line
If you would like a starting point, call (832) 662-4107. An automated assistant answers around the clock and first asks whether you are calling about pressure washing, roofing or air conditioning, since the same number serves all three. Read it your list of surfaces and sizes, and it passes a short summary along as it puts you through to a locally owned outfit that runs independently of the line. When that outfit is tied up on a job, your name, number and request go to it for a call back. From there the quote, the date and the work are between you and the company.
How this line works: Houston Power Washing Pro is a free phone line, not a pressure washing company. It connects you with an independent local pressure washing company, which inspects, quotes, does the work and is paid by you directly. Houston Power Washing Pro never charges callers. It may be paid a referral fee by the companies it connects callers with. How it works.
Where the line takes calls
Calls come in from across greater Houston. If an HOA letter set your deadline, say so on the call. The area pages for Cypress, Sugar Land and Spring cover local details worth mentioning to a company, such as deed restrictions, storm drain rules and heavy pine shade. If your job is mostly a slab, start with driveway cleaning; if it is mostly walls, house washing.