How to Measure a Driveway, Roof or House From the Satellite Map

Driving out to measure a driveway takes 30 to 60 minutes and a gallon of gas, and half of those quotes never turn into jobs. A satellite map gets you within about 5 to 10 percent in two minutes. Here is how to measure every common pressure washing job from your desk, or your truck.

The basic method

1. Type the address and switch to satellite view
2. Zoom in until the edges of the surface are sharp
3. Click around the edge of the area, one corner at a time
4. Close the shape and read the square footage
5. Add separate areas for separate surfaces, so you can price them differently

Driveways and flat work

Start at the street edge and trace up to the garage door. Then add separate areas for:

• The front walk to the door
• The public sidewalk along the street, if the customer wants it
• Side paths, the apron, a parking pad

Measuring them separately lets you show the customer the price with and without the extras. A standard two-car driveway usually measures 450 to 650 square feet. If you get 1,400, check that you did not include the lawn.

Watch for: trees covering part of the concrete (follow the visible edges and connect them in a straight line), carports and covered entries that hide concrete, and cars in the photo that make the edge hard to see.

Pool decks and patios

Trace the outer edge of the deck, then subtract the pool itself by tracing it as a second shape and taking the difference. In Florida, many pool decks sit under a screen enclosure; the screen shows up as a gray haze over the deck, but the deck edges are usually still visible.

Fences

Fences are priced by the linear foot, not the area. Use the distance tool and click along the fence line, corner to corner. Ask whether the customer wants one side or both; the neighbor's side doubles the work and needs the neighbor's permission. A typical backyard fence runs 150 to 250 linear feet.

Roofs

Trace the roof outline including the overhangs. That gives you the footprint, not the real roof surface. Steeper roofs have more surface than their footprint:

• Low slope (4/12 pitch): multiply by about 1.05
• Typical slope (6/12): multiply by about 1.12
• Steep slope (8/12): multiply by about 1.20
• Very steep (12/12): multiply by about 1.41

Count the stories in street view while you are there, and look for skylights, solar panels and tile breaks you will need to work around.

House washes

For a house wash, the easiest measure is the footprint. Trace the roof line. On a one-story home, the footprint is close to the living area, which is how most companies price house washes. On a two-story home, double it.

If you price by wall area instead, measure the perimeter of the house and multiply by the wall height: about 9 to 10 feet for one story, 18 to 20 for two. A 50 by 40 foot house has a 180 foot perimeter; at 10 feet high that is about 1,800 square feet of wall before you subtract windows and doors.

When the satellite image is wrong

Satellite photos can be one to three years old. A new paver extension, a pool or a second driveway may not appear. Check street view, which is often more recent, and ask the customer one question: "Has anything changed out front in the last couple of years?"

Quote a range, confirm on arrival

Because the measurement is within 5 to 10 percent, quote a range, not a single number: "Your driveway measures about 600 square feet, so cleaning runs $230 to $260." When you arrive, walk it. If the real area is more than 10 percent off, tell the customer before you start. Nobody gets angry about a surprise they heard before the work.

Let the customer measure it

The fastest quote is the one you never make. With an estimate calculator on your site, the homeowner types the address, outlines the driveway or the house on the satellite map, and sees your price for those square feet. You get the lead with the measurement already done. Try it on the free pressure washing cost calculator.

Once you have the square feet, the price comes from your rates. See how much to charge for pressure washing.