Stop Underpricing Render and Roof Cleans

Mark Cave

If-if-if you are out there quoting two quid a square metre for render cleaning because you saw some lad on a Facebook group say that's what he charges... you are actively paying the customer to let you wash their house. I-I-I mean it. You are losing money on chemical costs and setup time before you even unpack your lances. It drives me absolutely mental seeing guys fall into this trap. They just hear a number online, think, "Oh, that sounds easy enough," and then they wonder why they can't pay their diesel bill at the end of the month. Render isn't concrete. It's a finished, delicate building surface. And if you treat it like a generic flat slab, you're going to get bitten. Hard.

Mark Cave

Let's look at the actual maths. Now, I'm dyslexic, as a lot of you know, so I don't like numbers spinning around in my head, but this is simple enough if we build it step-by-step. The standard coverage rate for a diluted softwash solution on render is about four to five square metres per single litre of mix. So, let's say you've got a typical semi-detached elevation, let's say it's... uh, a hundred square metres of render. At four to five square metres per litre, you're going to need around twenty to twenty-five litres of diluted solution to do that properly. Maybe more if it's heavily soiled and needs a second hit. Now, if you're mixing at a one-to-six ratio—that's one part sodium hypochlorite to six parts water, which is the sweet spot for render—plus your Clever Wash surfactant... those chemical costs add up. If you only charged two hundred quid for that hundred-square-metre job, by the time you pay for your SH, your surfactant, your travel, and your setup time... well, you've basically worked for free.

Mark Cave

A realistic, professional benchmark for a hundred-square-metre render job in the UK should be between five hundred and eight hundred pounds. Yes, five to eight quid a square metre. If that makes you nervous, you need to change your mindset. You aren't just spraying water; you are applying specialist chemistry safely, managing runoff, and preserving a delicate silicon-based render. And you cannot lump everything into a flat rate. Render type, access challenges, and moss pre-treatment—they all have to be separate, transparent line items. If you have to spend two hours scraping heavy moss or setting up towers because of a tricky conservatory, that is a premium preparation cost. Put it on the quote. Let the client see what they are paying for, and stop giving your labor away.

Mark Cave

Now, let's talk roofs. A three-bedroom semi-detached roof is not just... um, "a roof." I hear guys pricing roof cleans over the phone all the time. "Yeah, mate, three-bed semi, call it eight hundred quid." How? How can you price it without knowing the pitch, the access, or how many tons of moss are sitting on those tiles? The cleaning method you choose, and how much prep work is involved, can literally make a thousand-pound difference in your quote. If you don't have a solid pricing matrix, you are guessing, and guessing is how businesses go bust.

Mark Cave

Let's break down the actual industry standard pricing for a standard three-bedroom semi-detached roof. If you're doing a manual scrape and a softwash—using non-metal scrapers on extendable poles to clear the bulk, then treating with a one-to-three SH mix or a biocide like Soft Wash Pro 50—that job should sit between nine hundred and fifteen hundred pounds. Now, if the client wants a full pressure wash and softwash, that price jumps to twelve hundred to eighteen hundred pounds. Why? Because pressure washing a roof is a massive, complex operation. The cleanup alone takes hours. You're dealing with immense mess, water management, checking laps, and the wear and tear on your high-pressure pumps. If you're charging scrape prices for a full pressure wash, you're cheating yourself out of hundreds of pounds.

Mark Cave

And whatever you do, do not throw in the moss scraping for free. Manual scraping with specialized non-metal tools is heavy, exhausting, and highly skilled work. It is a premium preparation service, not a freebie. You also have to dynamically adjust your quote based on the pitch and the physical access of the property. If there's a tight driveway with no room for a tower, or a steep pitch that requires specialized harnesses and anchor systems, that has to be reflected in the final number. Otherwise, you'll find yourself hanging off a roof in the freezing rain, realizing you're working for less than minimum wage. Protect your margins, use a proper matrix, and value your expertise. Right, that's enough waffling from me today. Have a great day, take care, and I'll catch you on the next one. Bye-bye for now.