Removal guide

Removing construction debris: what it costs and where it goes

By Tyler BornsteinJune 18, 20269 min read
TL;DR

Construction debris removal runs $250 to $650 depending on volume and weight. We price by how much space the waste takes in the trailer — drywall, lumber, tile, concrete, all of it. Text photos and your town, get a flat price back within 24 hours.

A kitchen renovation produces about 40 cubic yards of debris. A bathroom gut job, maybe 10. A deck teardown, somewhere in between. Either way, the dumpster rental companies want $400 to $600 for a bin that sits in your driveway for a week, and you still have to load it yourself.

We skip that part. You text us photos of the pile, we send back one flat price, and the crew loads and hauls it. Most renovation debris jobs take two to four hours onsite. The pile is gone and the driveway is swept before dinner.

What construction debris removal actually costs

We price by volume — how much space the debris takes in the trailer. A small bathroom remodel that fills a few contractor bags and a vanity lands around $250. A full kitchen gut with cabinets, countertops, drywall, and flooring runs $400 to $500. A whole-floor renovation or deck demolition can hit $650 for a full trailer.

Those numbers include the loading, the hauling, and the disposal. We adjust for weight up front — concrete, tile, and plaster are heavy, and they push the price toward the higher end of the band. We tell you that before we start, not after.

Quotes carry roughly plus or minus 15 percent until we see the pile in person. We say that out loud instead of pretending the photo tells the whole story.

Construction debris removal pricing — flat, all-in, volume-based
Project typeTypical volumeFlat price range
Small bathroom remodel1–2 items / few bags$90–$250
Kitchen gut renovationTruck load$250–$500
Deck or patio demolitionHalf trailer$425–$550
Full floor renovationHalf to full trailer$425–$650
Concrete, brick, or stoneWeight-dependent$400–$650+

What counts as construction debris

Construction debris is anything left over from a renovation, remodel, or demolition project. The common stuff:

  • Drywall and plaster — the dustiest part of any gut job
  • Lumber, framing, and plywood — offcuts, old studs, subfloor
  • Flooring — tile, hardwood, laminate, vinyl, and the thinset or adhesive underneath
  • Cabinets and countertops — wood, laminate, granite, quartz
  • Fixtures — toilets, vanities, sinks, tubs (if you are not keeping them)
  • Windows and doors — old frames, glass panes, storm doors
  • Siding and roofing — shingles, vinyl siding, fascia boards
  • Concrete, brick, and stone — the heaviest items, priced by weight

What we cannot take

Hazardous materials need a specialist, not a junk removal crew. That includes wet paint, asbestos, chemicals, and propane tanks. If your renovation uncovered old asbestos tile or lead paint, we will point you to a licensed abatement contractor instead of pretending we can handle it.

Everything else from a standard residential renovation — drywall, lumber, tile, fixtures, cabinets — is fair game.

Renting a dumpster vs hiring a crew

This is the question most homeowners wrestle with. A dumpster rental in the Billerica area runs $350 to $600 for a 15-to-30-yard bin with a seven-day rental. You load it yourself. The rental company drops it off and picks it up — the loading, sorting, and hauling are on you.

Hourly haulers are paid to be slow. We charge by how much space the debris takes in the trailer — $250 for a truck load, $425 for a half trailer, $650 for a full one — whether it takes us one hour or three. A slow afternoon costs us, not you.

For a kitchen gut where you are living in the house and working during the day, that matters. A dumpster sitting in the driveway for a week is also something some neighborhoods and HOAs do not love.

The rule of thumb: if you have a free weekend, a strong back, and a helper, the dumpster saves you a hundred or two. If your time is worth more than that, or the debris is heavy (concrete, tile, plaster), the crew is the better call. We will tell you which one makes sense when you text the photos.

Where the debris goes

Not all of it goes to the same place. Usable materials — cabinets in good shape, working appliances, intact fixtures — get donated if there is a taker. Metal goes to a licensed recycler. Clean wood can sometimes go to a mulching facility.

The rest — drywall, broken tile, mixed debris — heads to the transfer station. Construction and demolition waste in Massachusetts is regulated under 310 CMR 19.000, and the disposal sites we use are licensed for it. We do not dump it behind a building or leave it on the side of the road. That should go without saying, but the number of fly-by-night haulers in this business is higher than you would think.

When you should not call us

If the debris is a single pickup-truck load — a few contractor bags and some lumber offcuts — the transfer-station fee will beat our $90 minimum. Load it up on a Saturday morning and save the booking.

If the debris is mostly concrete or masonry from a foundation or retaining wall demolition, that is a weight problem more than a volume problem. We can handle it, but a dedicated concrete hauler with a heavier truck might be cheaper. We will tell you that if the photos look like a concrete job.

If the project is still in progress and you need a bin onsite for a week while the work happens — that is a dumpster rental, and we do not do those. We show up, load, and leave the same day.

A Saturday job in Billerica

A homeowner in Billerica texted us photos of a kitchen renovation pile on a Saturday morning — old cabinets, countertops, a tile floor, and a stack of drywall leaning against the garage. Under the tile was an old hardwood floor she wanted to keep, so the crew had to work around it. She had a flat quote back within the hour, and the crew had the whole pile loaded and gone by Tuesday. The driveway was swept clean before the crew left.

That is the normal version of the job. Not the exception.

Get a flat price

Text a few photos of the debris pile 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.

05 — FAQ

Straight
answers.

The questions people ask before they book. Can’t find yours? Text us a photo and ask.

Most residential construction debris removal runs $250 to $650, flat and all-in. A small bathroom remodel is around $250. A kitchen gut renovation is $400 to $500. A full-floor renovation or deck demolition can reach $650. The price includes loading, hauling, and disposal.
Yes. Concrete, brick, stone, and tile are heavy and priced by weight. A half trailer of concrete can hit the weight cap fast. We quote based on the photos — if the pile looks heavy, we tell you the number up front and explain why it is on the higher end.
No. We sort on site — recyclable metal, usable materials for donation, and true waste for the transfer station. You do not need to separate anything. If you have items you want to keep, just point them out before we start loading.
It depends on your schedule and the weight of the debris. A dumpster rental costs about the same but you load it yourself. Hiring a crew means we do the loading, hauling, and disposal. For heavy debris like concrete or tile, the crew is usually the better call — the weight is our problem, not yours.
We cannot take hazardous materials — wet paint, asbestos, chemicals, medical waste, or propane tanks. If your renovation uncovered asbestos or lead paint, we will refer you to a licensed abatement contractor. Everything else from a standard residential renovation is fair game.
Most jobs are booked within 24 to 48 hours. Same-day is often available in Billerica and surrounding towns. Once the crew arrives, a typical renovation debris job takes two to four hours from arrival to sweep-up.
04 — GET A QUOTE

Send photos.
Get a price.

The fastest way to book us. Upload photos of what needs to go, tell us where, and we'll reply with a flat quote — usually within a few hours.

01Flat, all-in pricing

Labor, loading, hauling, disposal — one number.

02Same-week scheduling

Most jobs booked within 48 hours. Emergencies welcome.

03Locally owned

You're hiring your neighbors. We answer the phone ourselves.

04We donate & recycle

Anything usable goes to local charities & recyclers.

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