"I'll do your drive for £80" is how a lot of pressure washing businesses quote — and it's how a lot of pressure washing businesses lose money on the jobs that turn out to be twice the size or twice the mess they looked like from the pavement. Pricing by square footage and surface type, not by eye, is what separates a sustainable business from one that dreads its biggest jobs.
If you're getting quotes rather than pricing your own jobs, most UK traders charge per square metre rather than a flat "per driveway" fee, adjusted for surface type and how dirty it is. Translated into typical total costs for common driveway sizes:
| Driveway size | Approx. area | Typical total cost |
|---|---|---|
| Single car | ~15m² | £15–£30 |
| Two cars | ~30m² | £30–£65 |
| Three cars / block paving | ~50m² | £55–£110 |
| Large / wraparound | ~70m²+ | £75–£180 |
Block paving and natural stone cost more per square metre than plain concrete (more passes needed to clear joints, more careful edge work), and heavy moss, algae or oil staining typically adds 30-60% on top for pre-treatment and extra passes. A quote well outside these ranges in either direction is worth asking about — either the trader is pricing blind, or there's something about the surface or soiling level that isn't obvious from a quick look.
The industry-standard approach is a base rate per square foot (or square metre), adjusted by surface type and soiling level. As a general planning range:
| Surface | Typical rate | Why it varies |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete driveway, light soiling | £0.80–£1.40/m² | Fast, flat, forgiving surface |
| Block paving, moderate soiling | £1.40–£2.20/m² | More passes needed to clear joints; often needs re-sanding after |
| Patio (natural stone/slabs) | £1.60–£2.60/m² | Slower work around edges/furniture, risk of surface damage if pressure is wrong |
| Heavy moss/algae or oil staining | +30–60% on base rate | Pre-treatment, extra passes, possible chemical treatment needed |
These are planning ranges, not fixed prices — local labour costs, water/chemical costs, and competition all shift the number. The point isn't to memorise a rate card, it's to price consistently from measured area rather than a glance at the drive from the car.
Two driveways that both "look like a driveway" can differ 2–3x in actual square footage, and differ again in surface type and soiling. A flat price averaged across your typical job means you're underpricing your biggest, hardest jobs and overpricing your smallest, easiest ones — the opposite of where you want your margin to sit. Measuring (or getting an accurate estimate from a site visit or photos) before quoting removes this guesswork entirely.
Larger jobs (multi-day, or high material cost like sealant application) are worth a deposit before work starts — it protects cash flow and filters out non-serious enquiries. Tracking which jobs paid deposits, which invoices are outstanding, and photo evidence of completed work (a before/after log) protects you in the small number of disputes that come up in any service business.
Multi-surface sq ft/material pricing, a deposit tracker and a compressed before/after photo log — all in one offline tool. Quote faster, prove your work, get paid on time.
See DriveWash Pro — £19 →