New construction cleanup is one of the highest-margin services you can add to your pressure washing business. Builders need sites cleaned before final inspection and handover, they pay faster than homeowners, and one solid relationship with a general contractor can mean 10-20 jobs per year. Here's how to break into this market and price it right.

The Quick Answer

New construction pressure washing rates run higher than standard residential work:

Exterior concrete flatwork: $0.25 - $0.45/sq ft
Building exterior (stucco, siding): $0.30 - $0.60/sq ft
Driveways with construction debris: $0.25 - $0.50/sq ft
Paint overspray removal: $0.40 - $0.75/sq ft depending on severity
Full site cleanup (1,500-3,000 sq ft home): $400 - $1,200 average
Commercial new construction: $500 - $5,000+ per site

Compare that to a standard residential house wash at $0.15-$0.30/sq ft. You're charging more per square foot AND the jobs are bigger. That's why pressure washing for new construction is so worth pursuing.

Why New Construction Jobs Pay More

Construction sites are dirty in ways normal residential jobs aren't. You're dealing with surfaces that haven't just gotten dusty -- they've had months of active construction work on top of them.

Common new construction cleanup challenges include:

Concrete dust and splatter on siding, windows, and trim
Paint overspray on driveways, walkways, and exterior walls
Stucco splatter on foundations and flatwork
Adhesive residue from protective film left on windows and fixtures
Caulk and sealant drips on exterior surfaces
Construction debris ground into concrete from foot traffic and equipment

This takes more time, more chemical, and more skill than a standard wash. Builders know that -- and they expect to pay more for it.

How to Find General Contractors and Builders

This market doesn't come to you. You have to go find it. Here's how most pressure washers break in:

Drive Active Job Sites

Look for new construction in your service area. When you see a house going up, note the builder's sign out front. Every GC posts their company name and contact on every site -- that's a free list of warm leads.

Call the number or stop by the site office. Ask for the project manager or superintendent. Come with a one-page rate sheet and a before/after photo of previous construction cleanup work. Keep it short and professional.

Join Local Networking Groups

BNI chapters, Chamber of Commerce mixers, and local homebuilder association events are where GCs, developers, and property managers show up. One introduction to a builder who's putting up 15 homes per year can fill your calendar for 12 months straight.

Contact Property Management Companies

Apartment complexes and commercial developers regularly need exterior cleanup before tenants move in. These are larger jobs with bigger budgets and less price sensitivity than typical residential clients.

How to Price a New Construction Job

Don't price over the phone on new construction jobs. Walk the site first. Construction debris levels vary wildly -- a well-managed site might just need a heavy residential wash, while a messy site could take 3x the time.

Here's a simple formula for quoting:

Measure total surface area. Include sq ft of flatwork, driveways, and walkways plus linear footage of exterior walls.
Grade the debris level: light, medium, or heavy. Paint overspray jumps you to heavy automatically.
Apply your rate: $0.25/sq ft for light cleanup, $0.35-$0.45 for medium, $0.50-$0.75 for heavy or paint overspray.
Set a minimum: $400-$500 for any new construction visit, no exceptions.
Add a scope clause: If conditions are worse than expected on-site, you need room to adjust the price.

Real example: 2,400 sq ft of exterior flatwork and driveway at medium debris level. At $0.35/sq ft that's $840. Add $150 for chemicals and setup. Total quote: $990. That's a solid 2-3 hour job at strong margins.

Building Recurring Relationships With Builders

This is the real payoff. A residential homeowner calls you once or twice a year. A builder who's putting up 15 homes a year calls you 15 times -- or more if they're doing commercial work too.

Once you nail a job for a GC, ask for a preferred vendor agreement. Put it in writing: "We'll handle all exterior cleanup on your projects in [city] at [rate per sq ft]." That turns a one-time job into guaranteed recurring revenue with no marketing cost.

The contractors who win these relationships are the ones who show up when they say they will, do what they said they'd do, and invoice the same day the job is finished. Most GCs are used to subs who disappear. Reliability alone makes you stand out.

What to Bring on a New Construction Job

New construction jobs need more prep than standard residential work. Come ready with:

Surface cleaner attachment for wide, efficient flatwork coverage
Concrete degreaser for oil spots, adhesive residue, and cured splatter
The right nozzles for concrete vs siding vs glass surfaces
Extra chemical -- plan to use 2-3x your normal amount on heavy cleanup jobs
A camera -- take before/after photos on every job. Builders love them for their own project records, and you can use them for marketing.

New Construction vs. Post-Construction Interior Cleanup

There's a difference worth knowing. Interior post-construction cleaning (vacuuming drywall dust, wiping down cabinets) is done by cleaning crews, not pressure washers. Your opportunity is exterior -- the concrete, siding, driveways, walkways, and foundation that general cleaning crews don't touch.

Position yourself as the exterior specialist. You're not competing with cleaning companies -- you're filling a gap they can't fill.

Bottom Line

Pressure washing for new construction is one of the best niches in the trade. Higher rates per square foot, larger average job sizes, faster payment terms, and recurring relationships with builders who need you every single month. If you're doing residential-only right now, landing one GC account could significantly change your revenue picture.

When builder accounts start sending regular jobs, you'll want a fast way to turn quotes around. Try QuoteSnap for free -- it takes 5 minutes to set up and lets you send professional instant quotes from anywhere, on any job.

Pressure Washing for New Construction: High-Margin Cleanup Service (2026)