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Every spring, the same thing happens across North Fulton: the pollen finally washes off, and underneath it your siding has gone green, your driveway has gone gray, and your deck looks a decade older than it is. Pressure washing fixes all of it in an afternoon for a few hundred dollars — which is why it's one of the highest-return things you can do to a house. This guide covers what it actually costs here in 2026, and the one technical distinction that separates a company that will clean your house from one that will damage it.
According to 2026 cost data and Angi's 2026 pressure washing report, most residential jobs run $150 to $500, with national averages landing between $275 and $311. Per square foot, expect roughly $0.15 to $0.75 depending on the surface — concrete is cheapest, roofs and wood are dearest.
Different surfaces carry different rates because they demand different pressure, chemicals, and care. Concrete takes aggressive cleaning and moves fast; wood and roofing need a slow, gentle approach:
| Surface | Typical cost | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Driveway / concrete | $100 – $300 | $0.15 – $0.40 |
| House wash (siding) | $200 – $600 | $0.12 – $0.40 |
| Deck or patio | $150 – $400 | $0.20 – $0.50 |
| Roof (soft wash only) | $300 – $700 | $0.30 – $0.75 |
| Fence | $120 – $300 | varies by material |
| Gutters | $50 – $300 | $0.50 – $2.00 / linear ft |
| Full property bundle | $300 – $800 | best value per surface |
Ranges compiled from Angi, HomeGuide, Taskrabbit, and 2026 contractor pricing data (full sources below).
Two modifiers move these numbers more than anything else. Height: two-story homes typically add 20–40% on height-affected surfaces, because reaching them takes extension equipment and real safety setup. Condition: heavy oil staining, rust, or years of embedded algae can push a price 25–50% higher — how dirty a surface is often matters more than how big it is.
Here's the thing most homeowners don't know, and the reason a cheap quote can cost you thousands. Your siding should not be pressure washed. It should be soft washed — low pressure, generally under 500 PSI, with cleaning solutions doing the actual work rather than force.
High-pressure water aimed at siding at 2,000 PSI or more can crack vinyl, force water behind the walls, strip paint, and destroy caulking. The damage often doesn't show up the day of the job — it shows up months later as a moisture problem inside a wall. Roofs are the same, only worse: professional roof cleaning is always soft washed, never high pressure, because blasting shingles strips granules and shortens the roof's life.
Concrete is the exception. Driveways and sidewalks handle 2,000–3,000 PSI comfortably, which is why they clean up fast and dramatically.
The standard advice is to wash a house annually. That advice was not written for our climate. Homes in humid climates, shaded yards, or areas with heavy tree cover often need cleaning every six to eight months, because mold and algae grow faster in those conditions — and that describes most of North Fulton and Cherokee County precisely. Humid summers, mature hardwood canopy, and north-facing walls that never fully dry are an algae incubator.
The practical read for an Alpharetta or Roswell home:
Regular maintenance is also cheaper than rescue. Buildup that's allowed to set in takes longer to remove, needs stronger chemicals and more dwell time, and lands you in that 25–50% condition premium.
In 2026, most residential jobs run $150 to $500, with national averages near $275 to $311. By surface: a driveway runs about $100 to $300, a full house wash $200 to $600, a deck or patio $150 to $400, and roof soft washing $300 to $700. Nearly every company applies a $100–$150 minimum service fee to cover drive time and setup, so one small walkway will hit the minimum rather than a per-square-foot rate.
Soft washed. Professional house washing uses low pressure — generally under 500 PSI — combined with cleaning solutions that do the actual work. High-pressure water at 2,000 PSI or above can crack vinyl siding, force water behind walls, strip paint, and destroy caulking. Concrete driveways and sidewalks are different and handle 2,000–3,000 PSI fine. Roofs are always soft washed, never high pressure. If a company proposes to blast your siding or roof at high PSI, keep calling.
Most homes benefit from annual washing, but homes in humid climates, shaded yards, or areas with heavy tree cover often need it every six to eight months because mold and algae grow faster — which describes much of North Fulton and Cherokee County. Driveways and high-traffic walkways often benefit from semi-annual cleaning. Regular maintenance also prevents buildup that becomes harder and more expensive to remove later.
Height requires extension equipment, ladders, and additional safety setup — more time and more risk. Two-story homes typically add 20–40% on height-affected surfaces versus a single-story home of similar size. Gutters follow the same pattern: roughly $50–$150 on a single-story home, up to $300 on a two-story.
Power washing adds heat. Both use high-pressure water; power washing uses hot water, which helps on grease, gum, and stubborn organic growth, and costs more per square foot. Soft washing is the third method — low pressure plus cleaning solutions — and it's what should be used on siding, roofs, and wood. The right method depends entirely on the surface.
The Cleaning Registry lists window and pressure washing companies across North Fulton and Cherokee County — with owner-claimed profiles, real Google review counts, and insurance-verified badges on premium listings, so you can confirm coverage before anyone gets on a ladder.
See pressure washing companies →The ranges here were cross-referenced across the leading 2026 national cost datasets below, then read against North Fulton conditions — a humid, heavily wooded market where algae growth drives more frequent service than national averages assume. Where sources disagreed on a figure, we used the overlapping range rather than any single estimate. Technique guidance (PSI by surface, soft washing) reflects the consensus of professional pressure-washing practice across these sources.
Figures are budgeting benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on surface area, material, condition, height, and access — always get an itemized written estimate.
This guide is general budgeting information for homeowners, not contracting or engineering advice. Improper pressure washing can cause serious property damage; confirm technique, PSI, and surface suitability with a qualified professional, and verify that any company you hire carries current liability insurance before work begins. Published by The Cleaning Registry, locally operated in Cherokee County, Georgia. · thecleaningregistry.com