Pressure washing .....

R

rgp

Well-known Member
Location
Milford,OH
I am having the house , garage, and the concrete around them pressure washed today. I cannot do it myself any longer, and that green mossey stuff is accumulating here & there ... pretty heavy in some places.

The same guy that cuts my grass is doing it. He says about 3 or so hours.

What do you think is a fair price ? We [he & I] already settled on a price .... I just wonder what y'all think.
 

I am a widow but learned long ago that you need to do research before contracting for a service. Small jobs you can get a general idea of cost in your area. Big jobs, I get three or four written quotes.
 
My vote would be $150-$200 for three hours work.

I would be willing to pay more if the guy was careful not to blow the shingles, paint, and trim off of the house!

I've been thinking about having the family tombstones power washed to remove the accumulated moss, still not sure.
 
Well, ...... he was here for about four hours & a few minutes.He moved everything needed , did the house , garage & the concrete around all of it.

It looks so much better and ...... that green/black section on the patio is gone. That was a slippery spot for a cane.

$450.00
 
Well I googled it , and for my area it is about right. Actually less compared to some others. Bottom line though is the fact that I'm pleased with the result .

It just adds up so quick when you are used to doing everything for yourself. I had a low hanging limb/branch removed about two weeks ago $320.00.
 
Geezer Garage said:
Things aren't as cheap as they they were a few years ago, and with the cost of living where it is people need to make a decent wage just to make it. I was making a $100 hr over 20 years ago, so I think you did alright.
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It is amazing how things have risen in cost/price ...... in what is IMO a short period of time.
 
Yeah, Prices have exploded on everything since Covid... I think YOU did really well at $450... That price would have been prior to Covid here... It would probably cost between 6 and 700 here, depending if it was your machine or his... If it was a gas machine and his, I could see the price even being a bit higher...I'm not saying its worth it, but that is what after Covid costs now... Getting more and more expensive every day...
 
A few years ago I rented a power washer for less than a hundred dollars (you still can here.) They brought it out and set it up. I did the driveway, sidewalk and front and back porches. It took about 6 hours and I had no trouble doing it even with my cane in one hand. I just needed my son to carry it around to the back for me and do a section while I took a break.

If you can stand you can spray. I actually thought it was kind of fun.

My son makes $20 an hour at Walmart and he has to use his brain. I think handyman prices have become ridiculous.

BTW I get that green stuff off the north wall of my house with straight cleaning vinegar on a sponge. Works great.
 
mike4lorie said:
Yeah, Prices have exploded on everything since Covid... I think YOU did really well at $450... That price would have been prior to Covid here... It would probably cost between 6 and 700 here, depending if it was your machine or his... If it was a gas machine and his, I could see the price even being a bit higher...I'm not saying its worth it, but that is what after Covid costs now... Getting more and more expensive every day...
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With an exchange rate of 1.30, $450 US is equivalent to $585 Canadian.
 
Della said:
A few years ago I rented a power washer for less than a hundred dollars (you still can here.) They brought it out and set it up. I did the driveway, sidewalk and front and back porches. It took about 6 hours and I had no trouble doing it even with my cane in one hand. I just needed my son to carry it around to the back for me and do a section while I took a break.

If you can stand you can spray. I actually thought it was kind of fun.

My son makes $20 an hour at Walmart and he has to use his brain. I think handyman prices have become ridiculous.

BTW I get that green stuff off the north wall of my house with straight cleaning vinegar on a sponge. Works great.
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How well did your cane work out climbing the ladder ?
 
I didn't need to climb a ladder for what I did. I hose my one story house down every spring just with the garden hose. Power washers can lift the siding too much. I use the power washer for the three car wide drive way, walks and porches.

I was thinking about this during lunch where I know my waitress gets less than minimum wage. There are lots of people whose pay was set years ago who haven't got raises because of this "inflation." Yet we have people like this handyman -- no special skills or education -- just charging a hundred dollars an hour because he feels like it. The only supply-chain that might effect him is the water that the home owner pays for.

Teachers are striking in our area right now, their average hourly rate spread over a year is about $25. They went through four years of college, yet the handyman gets four times as much?

Prices have exploded, but for many people their pay has not changed and I think a lot of people are just charging more and blaming "inflation," when it has nothing, or very little, to do with their work.
 
Della said:
Teachers are striking in our area right now, their average hourly rate spread over a year is about $25. They went through four years of college, yet the handyman gets four times as much?
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The handyman who charges $450 for a 4+ hour job isn't really making $100 an hour.

He has to spend time marketing his services, maintaining his equipment, and driving to and from. He also likely has more paperwork than the average employee. His probably include of the equipment, a truck, any insurance he has, and the additional 7% to social security. And he gets no benefits. As a rule of thumb I always assume workers like this make no more than half of their hourly rate, so he might pocket $50/hr, if he is lucky.

I agree $25/hr is too low for teachers...
 
Della said:
I didn't need to climb a ladder for what I did. I hose my one story house down every spring just with the garden hose. Power washers can lift the siding too much. I use the power washer for the three car wide drive way, walks and porches.

I was thinking about this during lunch where I know my waitress gets less than minimum wage. There are lots of people whose pay was set years ago who haven't got raises because of this "inflation." Yet we have people like this handyman -- no special skills or education -- just charging a hundred dollars an hour because he feels like it. The only supply-chain that might effect him is the water that the home owner pays for.

Teachers are striking in our area right now, their average hourly rate spread over a year is about $25. They went through four years of college, yet the handyman gets four times as much?

Prices have exploded, but for many people their pay has not changed and I think a lot of people are just charging more and blaming "inflation," when it has nothing, or very little, to do with their work.
Click to expand...


Well ..... all the buyers/customers [myself included] can just say no .... and bring it all to a halt. If the market is there ? Why not go for it ? [The free enterprize system at work] If a person is in business, charge what ever the market will bear . As for teachers .... yes hourly would be better , IMO a salery for shortened days / shortened months ? Nah .......

"They went through four years of college, "

So, they went through four years of party class ........
 

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