SolarCleaningBossPro Blog — Quotes & Estimates

Story and Steep-Pitch Add-Ons: Pricing the Harder Solar Cleaning Roofs

Two houses with 24 panels each can be completely different days. One is a single-story ranch with a low roof you can reach from a short ladder. The other is a three-story house on a slope with a steep roof and panels on the far face. If both get the same price, one of them is overpriced or the other is a job you lose money on. Story and steep-pitch add-ons fix that.

Building on the Base Price

The core of the estimate is the per-panel price, protected by the floor covered in Setting a Minimum Job Charge for Solar Panel Cleaning. Add-ons sit on top of that. They keep your base price honest for ordinary roofs and charge fairly for the roofs that take more time, more equipment and more care.

What Changes on a Taller Roof

A second story is not just a longer ladder. It changes the whole job:

• Setup takes longer. Bigger ladders, more careful placement and more time securing them.
• Hose runs get longer. Pure-water hose has to go up higher and be managed so it does not drag across panels or gutters.
• Moving around is slower. Every trip up and down takes more time.
• Fall protection matters more. Anchors, harnesses and a careful plan take time to set up and take down properly.

A third story or more magnifies all of it. Many owners use two add-ons: one for 2-story and a larger one for 3+ story. That matches the story choices on the job itself (1-story, 2-story, 3+ story), so the estimate and the job details speak the same language.

What Changes on a Steep Roof

Pitch is its own question. A low-pitch roof on a two-story house can be easier than a steep roof on a one-story house. Steep roofs usually mean:

• More rigging and more time on anchors and lines.
• Slower, more careful movement around the array.
• More reliance on water-fed poles from a safe position, since you should never walk on the panels themselves.

Keep the steep-pitch add-on separate from the story add-on. A steep two-story roof gets both. A low-pitch three-story roof gets only the story add-on. Flat roofs, common on some homes and most commercial buildings, usually need neither, though they bring their own access questions.

Flat Add-On or Per Panel?

There are two ways to price these, and both are common:

• A flat add-on per job. For example, a set amount for a second story. Simple to quote and simple to explain, because the extra setup is mostly a fixed cost.
• A per-panel add-on. A bit more per panel on taller or steeper roofs. Fairer on very large arrays where the extra work really does grow with the panel count.

For most residential work, a flat add-on per job is easier to live with. Whichever you pick, put it on your service list and use it every time. In SolarCleaningBossPro, story and steep-pitch add-ons are lines on the service list, so they land on the estimate the same way no matter who in the office is quoting.

How to Tell Which Add-Ons Apply

You usually know before you send the estimate:

• Stories: count the rows of windows in the customer's photos or look at the shadows on satellite view.
• Pitch: ask “Could you comfortably walk on your roof?” and check a side photo.
• Doubt: if you are unsure, say so on the estimate. “Steep-pitch add-on included; removed if the tech finds the roof is low pitch.”

Customers appreciate a quote that explains itself. More on that in Writing Solar Cleaning Estimates Customers Actually Understand.

Explaining the Add-On

Homeowners do not mind paying more for a harder job when they understand why. Keep it short and practical:

“Your house is two stories with a steep roof, so the crew needs a taller ladder and safety lines to do it properly. That's the two add-ons you see on the estimate.”

Avoid making it sound like a penalty. It is simply the cost of doing a taller or steeper roof safely. Safety is part of the service, and most customers would rather pay for a crew that sets up properly.

Once the Job Is Booked

After the customer approves, the estimate becomes the scheduled job. The office enters the stories and pitch on the job once, along with the panel count, mount, extras and access notes, and they show under the address on the tech's phone on every visit: “24 panels · Roof · 2-story · Steep pitch.” The tech knows before leaving the shop which ladder and which safety gear to load.

To see how story and pitch add-ons fit with per-panel pricing and online approval, visit the solar cleaning estimate software page.