Basements are where things go to be forgotten. The treadmill. The box of holiday decorations from 2017. The furniture that did not make the last move but somehow made it down the stairs. A Billerica homeowner texted us photos of her basement on a Saturday morning. She had a flat quote back within the hour, and the whole thing was gone by Tuesday.
You text us photos of the basement and your town. We send back one flat price within 24 hours. No appointment to get a quote, no guy walking the space and finding reasons the number should go up. The crew shows up, loads everything, hauls it away, and sweeps the floor. That is the whole job.
What a basement cleanout actually costs
We price by volume — how much space the stuff takes in the trailer. A basement with some boxes, old furniture, and a few appliances is usually a half trailer at $425. A packed basement with years of accumulated stuff, shelving units, and heavy items lands at a full trailer for $650.
Those numbers include everything: the labor, the loading, the hauling, and the disposal. We do not charge by the hour. Hourly haulers are paid to be slow — a slow afternoon costs them, not you. With us, the price is set before we touch anything.
Quotes carry about plus or minus 15 percent until we see the job in person. We say that out loud instead of surprising you when the truck is already in the driveway.
| Basement situation | Typical volume | Flat price range |
|---|---|---|
| Few boxes and a piece or two of furniture | 1–2 items | $90 |
| Half-full basement with furniture and boxes | Truck load | $250 |
| Typical basement with furniture, boxes, appliances | Half trailer | $425 |
| Packed basement, floor to ceiling | Full trailer | $650 |
What we take from a basement
Almost everything. Old furniture, boxes of stuff, broken appliances, shelving units, mattresses, exercise equipment, electronics, and that dehumidifier that has been running since the Clinton administration.
The only things we cannot take are hazardous materials: wet paint, asbestos, chemicals, medical waste, and propane tanks. If the basement has those, we will tell you up front and point you to the right disposal option. Most towns in our service area have hazardous-waste collection days — we can tell you when the next one is.
Old concrete, brick, and heavy masonry are fair game but they hit the weight multiplier. Mention it when you text the photos and we will include it in the number.
How the cleanout works
You text us photos of the basement and your town. We send back one flat price within 24 hours. Once you say yes, you pick a two-hour window, same day or next.
When the crew arrives, here is what happens:
- We confirm the price matches the photos. If the basement is fuller or heavier than what the photos showed, we tell you before we touch it.
- We load everything onto the trailer. Shelving units get broken down if needed. Appliances get disconnected if you have not already done it.
- We sweep the floor. The basement should be cleaner than when we arrived.
- Payment happens after the job, only when you are happy. Cash, check, Venmo, Zelle, or card. No deposit up front.
Where the stuff goes
Usable items get donated locally. Goodwill, Savers, and Habitat ReStore all take furniture, appliances, and sporting goods in our service area. If the old couch still has life in it, it does not belong in a landfill.
Metal and electronics go to licensed recyclers. Old appliances, wiring, broken tools — all of that has scrap value and gets sorted. Only true waste heads to the transfer station. We sort it as part of the job, not as an upsell.
How fast can the basement be empty
Most basement cleanouts take the crew one to three hours on site. A half-full basement is usually done in under two hours. A packed basement with heavy items might take three hours.
Booking happens within 24 to 48 hours. Same-day is often available in Billerica and the surrounding towns. You pick a two-hour window and we confirm a precise ETA the morning of.
That is what the timeline looks like for most jobs — photos in, price back, gone by next week.
Basement cleanout versus garage cleanout
The pricing is the same — we charge by volume, not by room. A half-full basement costs the same as a half-full garage: $250 for a truck load, $425 for a half trailer.
The difference is access. Basements usually mean stairs, and stairs add to the price. One flight of stairs adds $40. Two or more flights add $80. A walkout basement with ground-level access is the same as a garage — no stair charge.
The other difference is what we find. Basements tend to have heavier items — old appliances, concrete-block shelving, water heaters, and furniture that was too heavy to get back up the stairs. Garages tend to have more volume but less weight. Mention the heavy stuff when you text the photos so the number is accurate.
Should you do it yourself or call someone
A basement cleanout is a DIY job if you have a truck, a free Saturday, and the energy for multiple dump runs. Most of our towns charge $20 to $50 per transfer-station visit depending on weight. If the basement has only a few items and you have the truck, the dump fee beats our $90.
Here is where it gets harder: the stairs. Hauling furniture and appliances up a flight of stairs is the part nobody thinks about until they are halfway up with a couch that does not fit. Our crew does it every day. They have the straps, the dollies, and the technique to get things out without marking the walls.
The other thing people do not think about is the sorting. You cannot dump everything — paint, electronics, and certain appliances have disposal rules in Massachusetts. We handle the sorting as part of the flat price.
When you should not call us
If the basement has only a few items and you have a truck — the transfer station is cheaper. We will tell you that on the phone. We would rather lose the job than charge you for something you could do yourself on a Saturday morning.
If the items are in good shape and you just want them gone — try Facebook Marketplace or your town's Buy Nothing group first. Old furniture, working appliances, and shelving units usually find a taker within a day or two in our area.
If the basement has hazardous materials — asbestos, chemicals, or biohazard — that is a specialist, not a junk removal crew. We will point you in the right direction.
Get a flat price for your basement cleanout
Text a few photos of the basement and your town to (978) 330-8980. We send back one flat price within 24 hours. If a transfer-station run is cheaper, we will tell you that instead.