New to pressure washing, need help

Hello,

I just started up my residential window cleaning business this season (Sept. 09). I have a customer now that also wants their driveway and porches pressure washed, in preparation for a contractor that will be coming out to fill in cracks - the driveway is a few years old and some settling has occurred.

I don’t know ANYTHING and would much appreciate some help:) – how should I price it, what kind of pressure washer to rent, what cleaning agent to use (some of the driveway is concrete, some is a poured stone type, some of it is paver). How long should the job take?

Customer has apprx 3500 sq. ft of driveway / porch / paver.

I uploaded pictures of the job, if that helps anyone in helping me :slight_smile:
They can be found here:
MobileMe Gallery

Many thanks in advace

You might want to pass on that job. Sub it out to someone that know how to do it right. If you take it on and screw something up then you just lost a window cleaning customer. Its not going to be worth the trouble I promise.

I would be in the .08 to .10 a square foot for that job. I would use my regular house wash mix or a light degreaser mix just to help suspend the dirt, there doens’t look to be anything really dirty.

As far as equipment… it depends on what you can rent and how much it cost to rent it. I would definatly consider a surface cleaner and a 4 gpm pressure washer at the least.

With my 28 inch surface cleaner and pressure washing rig I could clean that easily within a hour and a half.

You may come out better by subcontracting the job out to a pressure washing contractor who already has the equipment…

This is exactly how I would do it also (except I would charge $.15 per sq ft here in CT :))

But I agree with the other guys. Get someone else to do it. Pressure washing is not something that you just go and rent a machine and everything comes out great. Much damage can be done with a pressure washer. Another good source of info on pressure washing is at PT State - Index.

Hello Stringchopper. I have only been doing this for about a year an 1/2, im not to far away–about a hour west of E-ville.
When does this job need to be done? Maybe able to help out if it fits into my schedule.

learn how to do it so i can pass my power washing requests to you…