Integrity Pro Washers Team
Professional pressure washing and soft washing specialists serving San Diego County.
Last updated: 2026-06-10
Last updated: June 2026
How much does it cost to pressure wash a two-story house in San Diego?
Pressure washing or soft washing a two-story San Diego home runs $500 to $1,400. Most stucco or fiber-cement homes between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet land at $750 to $950. Coastal exposure, painted wood siding, and tile roof access add cost. Hose-only DIY rinses miss algae roots and rebound within ninety days.
We washed 47 two-story homes between February and May across San Diego. The pricing pattern was consistent enough that after a short FaceTime walkaround we could usually quote within thirty dollars.
Two-story work is not priced by the hour. It's priced by surface area, siding type, ladder access, and how rooted the algae is.
Pressure Wash vs Soft Wash on Two-Story Homes
| Approach | Common Surface | San Diego Cost Range | Result Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure wash (1,200-2,000 PSI) | Concrete walks, driveways, paver patios | $180-$420 add-on | 12-18 months |
| Soft wash (under 500 PSI) | Stucco, fiber-cement, painted wood | $650-$1,100 base | 18-24 months |
| Mixed wash (most two-story jobs) | House plus flatwork combined | $850-$1,400 | 12-18 mo flatwork, 18-24 mo house |
How does siding type change the price?
Stucco is the most common two-story siding in San Diego. We don't pressure wash it. The aggregate is brittle and pressure cuts the surface. Soft washing with a 1.5 percent sodium hypochlorite solution lifts algae without etching.
Painted wood siding on older Mission Hills and Kensington Craftsmans runs higher. We rinse at 200 PSI maximum. We test paint adhesion on a back panel before we touch the front.
Fiber-cement (James Hardie) sits on most San Diego homes built since 2005. We stopped pressure washing it three years ago. The factory finish chalks under direct pressure. Here's what we do instead.
What about ladder access?
A 28-foot extension ladder reaches the second-floor soffit on most San Diego homes. On steeper lots in La Jolla, Mt Helix, or Mission Hills we run a 32-foot or use a telescoping wand from stable footing. That adds $75 to $150.
Tile roofs add complication. We don't walk concrete S-tile. Each broken tile is $40 to $70 in replacement and labor, so we plan our wand reach to avoid the field entirely.
Real two-story jobs from this spring
North Park, 1,950 sq ft Craftsman, painted wood: $785
Kensington, 2,400 sq ft stucco with detached garage: $920
Point Loma, 3,100 sq ft fiber-cement on a bay-view lot: $1,180
Mission Hills, 2,200 sq ft stucco on a slope: $1,050
Carlsbad, 2,600 sq ft stucco, two-story: $880
The Point Loma job ran higher because the front face overlooks the bay. Morning mist had bonded algae under the eaves. We needed two passes.
Why DIY pressure washing usually fails on two-story homes
Hose attachments top out around 40 PSI. That's enough to visibly displace dirt. It's not enough to kill the biological growth causing the streaking. Within ninety days the algae returns because the roots are still in the stucco.
Rented gas pressure washers cause the other common failure. We've quoted four homes this spring where owners blew out paver grout or fuzzed stucco trying to reach the second floor from the ground.
What's actually included in our two-story quote
- Pre-rinse of landscaping and shrubs near the wash zone
- Soft wash of siding with biodegradable solution
- Rinse and treat of soffits, eaves, and trim
- Spot pressure wash of front walkway or driveway entry
- Final plant rinse to flush any residual solution
For homes within a mile of the coast we add a salt-removal rinse. Inland in Escondido or Poway we run a dust-knockdown pre-rinse so the wash water actually has somewhere to take the grime.
And if your quote feels low compared to ours, ask what's included. Most low quotes are walls-only with no soffit work and no plant protection. Those jobs cost less and look it.
For more on the work itself see our pressure washing service page or the soft washing guide. If we washed your home in your neighborhood, we'd appreciate a Google review mentioning your area.