Terms of Service

Last updated: September 2, 2026

These terms cover two things: your use of this website, and the exterior cleaning work we carry out for you. Please read them before you book. If you submit an estimate request, book a job, or use this site, you are agreeing to them.

Nothing here is meant to be a trap. Most of it exists because exterior cleaning happens on a building we did not build, and it is fairer to everyone to be clear in advance about what we can promise and what we cannot.

1. Who these terms are with

This website and these services are provided by Ryan Scott, doing business as Neighborhood Exterior Co., referred to below as "Neighborhood Exterior", "we", "us" and "our". "You" means the person or entity requesting or receiving the work, who must be the property owner or someone authorised by the owner to have the work done.

If you are arranging work on a property you do not own, for example as a tenant, a property manager or a family member, you confirm that you have the owner's permission.

2. Using this website

You may read this site, and print or save pages, for your own use in considering or arranging work. You may not copy the text, photographs or video for your own commercial use, republish them, or present our work as your own. The content, layout, images and video on this site belong to us or are used with permission.

Please do not attempt to interfere with the site, submit false enquiries, use the form to send unsolicited commercial messages, or use automated tools to scrape it.

We try to keep the site accurate and available, but we do not promise it will be uninterrupted or error free, and information here may change without notice. Service descriptions on this site are general. What applies to your job is what is in your estimate.

3. Estimates

We do not quote exterior cleaning over the phone from a description. We come out, look at the property, and give you a personal estimate based on what is actually there.

• The on-site walkthrough and the estimate are free, and there is no obligation to book.
• An estimate is an offer, not a booking. Work is scheduled once you accept it.
• An estimate is based on the surfaces, the access and the condition we saw on the day. If what we find on the work day is materially different, for example the soiling is far heavier than it appeared, the area is larger than measured, or access has changed, we will stop and talk to you before doing anything that changes the price.
• Estimates are valid for a reasonable period. If a long time passes, or the season and condition of the property have changed, we may need to look again.

The square footage you give us on the estimate request form is treated as an approximation for planning purposes only. It does not fix the price.

4. Project minimum

Professional exterior cleaning projects with us start at $250. This covers getting a crew, a rig and the cleaning solutions to your property and set up, which costs much the same whether the job is small or large. Very small jobs can often be combined with other work at the same property to get past the minimum, and we are happy to look at that with you.

5. Services and what they can and cannot do

We provide exterior cleaning services including house washing, driveway cleaning, walkway cleaning, patio and deck cleaning, roof cleaning, and window and frame cleaning, along with add-on services quoted separately.

Our method is soft washing. Cleaning solution and dwell time do the work, at low pressure, so that mortar joints, paint and sealed wood survive the process. That is the point of it.

It follows that there are things cleaning cannot do. We want to be plain about these, because they are the most common source of disappointment in this trade:

• Permanent staining stays. Rust bleed, tannin bleed from timber, paint spills, oil and tyre marks driven into concrete, and mineral staining may lighten but often will not disappear.
• Weathering is not dirt. Faded paint, chalked or oxidised siding, greyed timber and worn sealer are the surface ageing, not something sitting on top of it.
• Earlier damage is not reversible. If a previous contractor blasted mortar out of the joints, furred the timber or stripped paint, cleaning will not put it back. It may make it more visible, because the dirt hiding it is gone.
• Organic growth can return. How fast depends on shade, moisture, tree cover and how humid the season is. Treating growth at the root makes it come back more slowly than shaving it off, but nothing makes an exterior permanently self-cleaning.

We will tell you what we expect to achieve on your surfaces during the walkthrough. If we think a surface will not respond well, we will say so rather than take the work.

6. Getting your property ready

To let the crew work safely and to protect your property, please do the following before we arrive:

• Close all windows and storm windows fully, and close exterior doors
• Move vehicles, bicycles, furniture, grills, planters and anything else you would rather not have wet away from the work area
• Take down or bring in anything fragile or valuable that is mounted outside
• Unlock gates, or tell us how to get to the rear of the property
• Keep pets and children indoors while we are working
• Make an outdoor water supply available, and let us know if there is no working spigot
• Tell us where we may and may not park, and about any parking permit rules on your block

If access is not available when we arrive, or the area has not been cleared and we cannot safely work, we may have to reschedule.

7. Telling us about existing problems

This section matters more than any other, so it is worth a minute of your time.

Please tell us before we start about anything you know of that water could find, including:

• Loose, missing or crumbling mortar, and cracked or spalling brick
• Peeling, blistering, chalking or previously damaged paint
• Windows, doors, skylights or sills that leak, stick or do not seal
• Torn or missing insect screens
• Rotten, soft or insect damaged timber
• Loose siding, trim, flashing or gutters
• Previous water intrusion, damp or interior staining
• Damaged or lifted roofing, or a roof near the end of its life
• Exterior electrical fittings, lighting or cameras that are not weather sealed
• Anything a previous contractor damaged

We inspect what we can see during the walkthrough and we take reasonable care throughout. We are not building inspectors, and we cannot see inside a wall. We are not responsible for damage or water intrusion that arises from a pre-existing defect, from deferred maintenance, or from a condition that was not disclosed to us and was not reasonably visible during the walkthrough. If we spot something concerning while we work, we will stop and tell you.

8. Plants and landscaping

We take normal precautions around planting, including pre-wetting and rinsing down, and we choose solutions and dilutions with the surroundings in mind. Even so, some plants are sensitive, and drought stressed or newly planted material is more vulnerable. We cannot guarantee that no plant will be affected. If you have specimen planting you are particularly attached to, point it out before we start so we can protect it or work around it.

9. Scheduling, weather and rescheduling

Exterior cleaning depends on the weather. We may need to move your appointment for rain, wind, freezing temperatures or an unsafe working surface. We will tell you as soon as we can and offer the next workable slot. Weather delays are not a breach of these terms by either of us.

Timings we give you are estimates. Most medium projects finish within two to four hours, but a job can run longer once we can see the surface properly.

If you need to cancel or move your appointment, please tell us as far ahead as you reasonably can, so the slot can go to someone else.

10. Payment

Payment terms, the amount and any deposit are set out in your estimate. That is the document to rely on.

No payment is taken through this website. There is no checkout here, and we will never ask you to send card details through the estimate form or by email.

Prices quoted do not include any applicable tax unless the estimate says otherwise. If an invoice goes unpaid, we may suspend further work and recover reasonable costs of collection where the law allows.

11. If something is not right

If you are not happy with the work, tell us promptly, while we can still see what you are describing and act on it. Contact us at ryan@neighborhood-exterior.com or 301-265-5946 and we will arrange to come and look at it.

Where the issue is with our workmanship, we will put it right. This does not extend to the limits described in section 5, to new soiling or growth that has appeared since we finished, or to pre-existing conditions covered by section 7.

12. Insurance and licensing

Neighborhood Exterior is licensed, registered and bonded, and carries commercial general liability insurance. A certificate of insurance is available to view on request. Ask us and we will send it.

13. Limits on our liability

To the fullest extent the law allows:

• Our total liability arising out of any job is limited to the amount you paid us for that job.
• We are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, such as lost rent, lost income, loss of use, or the cost of alternative accommodation.
• We are not liable for damage arising from pre-existing defects or undisclosed conditions, as described in section 7.
• We are not liable for failure or delay caused by events outside our reasonable control, including severe weather, utility failure, restricted access and public emergencies.

Nothing in these terms limits any liability that cannot lawfully be limited, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so parts of this section may not apply to you.

14. Photographs of your property

We may photograph or film the exterior before, during and after the work, to record its condition, plan the job and show the result, and we may use those images as examples of our work. We do not publish your name, address or street number with them. You can ask us not to photograph your property, or not to use the images publicly, at no cost. This is covered in more detail in our Privacy Policy.

15. Your information

How we handle the details you give us, and how to ask us to stop contacting you, is set out in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these terms.

16. Which document controls

Your signed or accepted written estimate governs your specific job. If anything in that estimate conflicts with this page, the estimate takes precedence. These terms cover everything the estimate does not.

17. Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the District of Columbia, without regard to conflict of law rules. Any dispute will be brought in the courts of the District of Columbia, and both of us consent to that jurisdiction.

Before starting any formal proceedings, please contact us directly and give us a fair chance to resolve the matter. Most problems in this trade are solved by someone coming back out to look.

18. General

If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest continues to apply. Our not enforcing a term on one occasion does not waive it. You may not transfer your agreement with us to someone else without our consent.

19. Changes to these terms

We may update this page. The version that applies to your job is the version published when you accepted your estimate. Changes are not applied retroactively to work already agreed.

20. Contact us