Start with what needs washing
Before you call anyone, walk the yard once and write down what looks dirty. The siding on the shady side, the drive and the front walk, the back patio, the front steps and the gutters are the usual list. If you can tell a company exactly which surfaces you want on the quote, two things happen. The quote gets more accurate, and comparing it to a second quote gets easier later. A quote on "the house" without a surface list is a quote that can mean three different jobs.
If you want a sense of how a crew puts the number together once they have the list, what moves the price of a wash covers that side.
| Question to ask | Why it matters | A good sign in the answer |
|---|---|---|
| What method will you use on each surface? | Siding and roofs want low pressure; concrete wants more | The answer names a method for each surface by name |
| Where will the water go? | Baton Rouge's storm drains are not for wash water | A plan that keeps runoff off the storm drains |
| Do you need to be on the roof? | Shingle work belongs on the ground | The crew works from the ground |
| What should I do with plants, pets or ponds? | A yard needs a plan before the wash | A short walk-through before any water runs |
| What is included in the quote? | Quotes without surface lists are hard to compare | Each surface spelled out as its own line |
| Do you provide a price before you work? | A workable number comes from looking at the house | A price agreed on before the wash starts |
Ask how each surface will be washed
The most useful question is also the simplest: how will you wash each surface. A good crew answers surface by surface. Siding gets a soft wash. Concrete walks and driveways get a pressure wash. A roof gets a low-pressure wash from the ground. Brick walls usually get a soft wash with care at the mortar joints. If the answer is "we pressure wash everything the same way," that is worth a second question. One pressure for every surface either underwashes the drive or overwashes the siding, and both show in the result.
If the method talk is new to you, soft or pressure for each surface covers it in more depth.
Ask about plants, pets and the yard
A pressure washer runs a lot of water, and plant beds, pots and pet areas near the walls are all within range of the splash zone. Ask any company how they plan to handle them before the wash. The good answer is a short walk-through before the water runs. You point out the plant beds that matter, the dog's area and anything in the yard that needs covering or clearing, and the crew tells you how they plan to work around them.
If a vegetable bed sits ten feet from the back wall of the house and the siding above it is on the wash list, the plan might be to cover the bed before the pass, or to work that wall at an angle that keeps the splash off the soil. Neither answer is wrong on its own; what you want is a company that has thought about the specific feature by name rather than offering a general reassurance about the yard.
Pets are the other half of this. A gate propped open while a crew is in the back yard is one of the easiest ways for a dog to get out. A good crew will ask about pets before the wash and will plan accordingly. The same goes for a koi pond, a bird feeder station, a vegetable bed near the drip line or a toddler's play area under the eaves. Naming these when you call is enough to put them on the plan the crew brings with them. The crew usually walks the yard once more on the day of the wash to confirm what moves, what gets covered and what gets steered clear of, before any water runs on a wall.
Ask where the water goes
Water that goes down Baton Rouge storm drains is not treated at a wastewater plant; it flows straight to streams, rivers and lakes. What happens to the drive's runoff is a reasonable thing to put to any wash company before the water runs.
The City-Parish names soaps, household chemicals and even products sold as non-toxic or biodegradable among the contaminants that should not reach storm drains. The list is longer than most people expect, which is why a company's plan for the water that comes off the drive is worth asking about plainly rather than taking for granted.
Roof work belongs on the ground
If a crew says they will climb on the roof to clean it, pause. Roof cleaning is done from the ground at low pressure. A crew that insists on walking the roof, especially for streak removal, is doing it the harder way.
Second-story walls are washed from the ground too. Ask any company how they plan to handle both, and listen for an answer that keeps people off the roof and off ladders leaned against the gutter. The walls below and the roof above are often part of the same job if both are on the quote.
A price after a look at your Baton Rouge house
Any price given before someone looks at the house is a guess. A number you can plan around comes after someone stands in the yard and sees the walls, the drive and the roof. Agree on the price and what it covers before any water runs, so the quote and the work line up on paper.
If a company will not say what the price covers before working, or if the price changes once the work has started, that is a sign to call a different company before the next step. A written line-by-line list of the surfaces is one of the simpler ways to keep that straight on both sides.
What to have ready when you call
A few things worth having in mind before you call any company.
What to have in mind when you call
Four things that help any company give you a price that holds.
What needs washing
The walls, the roof, the driveway, a deck or a fence, or a few of them together.
What it is made of
Vinyl, brick, stucco, painted wood, concrete or pavers.
How tall the house is
One story or two.
The yard
Plants against the walls, pets, the gate and the outside spigot.
- The address of the house and whether you will be home.
- The list of surfaces you want washed (walls, roof, drive, walks, patio, deck, fence, gutters).
- Any surfaces you do not want washed, and why.
- Where the stains are, especially on the shady side of the house, and roughly how big a patch they cover.
- Where the outside hose bib is and whether it works.
- Any pets, ponds, raised beds, planters or special yard features that need a plan.
- A rough idea of the roof: the material, the age if you know it, and which side has streaks.
- Whether there is a sale, a party, a graduation or a paint job coming up.
Those answers help the price fit the job. The services we offer are the starting point, and if you only want the house itself, the driveway or something smaller, say so when you call.