· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Junk Removal
We price a job by how much of the truck it fills and the labor it takes to load it, and both depend on what happens before we arrive. Our post on how junk removal is priced covers the volume side. This one covers the time before the truck arrives, which can change both the price and how long the crew is at your house.
Should everything be gathered in one place first?
Put everything that is going in one place, ideally the garage or the driveway. A crew loading from a single pile goes straight from the pile to the truck, while a crew working through four rooms spends part of the visit just walking between them.
Take furniture apart where you can and flatten the boxes. You are paying for space on the truck, so an intact wardrobe costs more than the same wardrobe as a stack of flat panels. If a piece is too heavy to move or won’t come apart, leave it where it is; carrying sofas, dressers and appliances out of a house is what our furniture and appliance removal is for.
Separate what is not going
Anything staying should be physically apart from the pile or clearly marked. Mix-ups happen when it isn’t obvious what is going, and finding one box again in a loaded truck is a lot harder than leaving it out in the first place.
Walk the pile with the crew leader before loading starts, and say plainly what is not included.
Pull out anything hazardous before we arrive. EPA’s page on household hazardous waste counts leftover products that can catch fire, react or explode, or that are corrosive or toxic, and names paints, cleaners, oils, batteries and pesticides among them. EPA lists pouring them down a drain, onto the ground or into a storm sewer as improper disposal, says many communities run collection programs for them, and advises keeping each one in its original labeled container and never mixing leftovers. Our post on what junk removal will not take goes through the usual exceptions, and if you aren’t sure about something in the garage, ask us when you book.
- Consolidate into one location
- Break down furniture and flatten boxes
- Separate or mark anything staying
- Set paint, cleaners, oils, batteries and pesticides aside for a hazardous waste collection
- Clear a path and a parking space for the truck
Access
Clear the route from the pile to the truck, and think about where the truck can legally park close by. NDOT parking officers and Metro police patrol curbside parking, loading zones, fire hydrants and other restricted areas, and NDOT’s parking enforcement page says fines vary with the violation. The temporary permit on NDOT’s parking permit page is a downtown pilot that lets service vehicles use loading zones for up to two hours while they work for downtown businesses, so it doesn’t help at a house. A clear driveway is usually the answer, and on a narrow street it is worth telling us about when you book.
Mention stairs, a basement or a long carry when booking as well. All three add labor, and we would rather build them into the quote than find them on the day.
When is the final price confirmed?
We confirm the price once we see the pile. If the photos you sent showed all of it, the figure should land close to the estimate.
Get that confirmed figure before loading begins, not after the truck is full. If you are ready to start with photos and a description, ask us for a free estimate.
Sources
- U.S. EPA, Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) — What counts as household hazardous waste (paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, pesticides); improper disposal; community collection programs; original containers, never mix leftovers
- Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure, Parking Enforcement — Officers patrol curbside parking, loading zones and fire hydrants; fines vary based on the violation
- Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure, Apply for a Parking Permit — The Downtown Temporary Service Business pilot: service vehicles in loading zones for up to two hours, downtown businesses only
FAQ
Getting Ready for a Junk Removal Visit — questions
Should I move everything outside before they arrive?
Gathering everything into one place, the garage or the driveway, cuts down the labor we price and makes the pile easy to size up. If items are heavy or you can’t move them, say so when booking. Carrying things out of the house is part of the work we do, and we include that labor in the quote.
Does breaking down furniture save money?
It can, because we price by the space a load takes up on the truck. A taken-apart wardrobe takes up far less room than an intact one, and flattened boxes stack the same way. On a load that is close to the next size up, that can be the difference between the two.
How do I make sure they do not take the wrong thing?
Set anything staying apart from the pile, or mark it clearly, and walk the pile with the crew leader before loading starts. Mix-ups happen when it isn’t clear what is going, and getting one item back out of a loaded truck is much harder than keeping it out to begin with.
Is junk removal expensive?
The price follows how much of the truck the load fills and how much carrying it takes, and both are partly in your hands. One pile in the garage or driveway, furniture taken apart and boxes flattened can bring a load down a step, and mentioning stairs or a long carry keeps the quote from changing on the day.