You price pressure washing by area, but tiny jobs still cost you a trip. Quote the greater of square footage times your rate or a flat minimum, and small jobs stay worth doing.
An 800 sq ft driveway at $0.20 is $160, comfortably above a $150 minimum, so the quote is $160. A tiny patio would snap up to the $150 floor.
The example
Three jobs with an area, a per-square-foot rate, and your minimum charge.
| A | B | C | D | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job | Sq ft | Rate | Minimum | Quote |
| 2 | Driveway | 800 | $0.20 | $150 | $160 |
| 3 | House wash | 2,000 | $0.15 | $150 | $300 |
| 4 | Small patio | 300 | $0.20 | $150 | $150 |
The formula
MAX picks whichever number is larger:
How it works
The formula protects you on small jobs:
B2*C2prices the job by area — square feet times your rate.D2is the flat minimum a job must clear to cover your time and travel.MAX(…)returns the larger of the two, so the quote never dips below the floor.
Surfaces differ — keep separate rates for concrete, wood, and soft-wash siding and reference the right one per job.
Try it: interactive demo
Enter the area, your rate, and a job minimum.
Variations
Add a soft-wash surcharge
Add a fixed charge for chemical soft-washing on top of the area price.
Pitfalls & errors
Putting the minimum inside MIN instead of MAX caps your price at the floor — the opposite of what you want. Use MAX.
Measure area in the same units as your rate. A rate per square foot needs square feet, not square yards.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
How do I set my minimum?
Different rates for different surfaces?
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