Garage cleanout cost in Austin

The short answer

Austin houses do not have basements, so the garage carries the whole storage burden of the household. That makes garage cleanouts here bigger than people expect, and they usually price off the truck ladder rather than by item.

The ladder: $241 a quarter, $338 three-eighths, $431 a half, $513 five-eighths, $587 three-quarters, $661 seven-eighths, $732 a full load. A single-bay clear-out often lands at a quarter or three-eighths. A two-car garage that has not been touched in five years is frequently a half to three-quarters. A three-car in Round Rock or Leander with the second bay used as storage can be a full truck.

Small jobs still go by item and you get whichever is cheaper. The minimum for a visit is $75.

Why Austin garages fill the way they do

Three forces, all local.

No basement. The pier-and-beam bungalows in Travis Heights, Hyde Park and Bouldin have a crawlspace and an attic, not a basement, and the garage is usually a small detached structure off the alley. Everything that will not fit in the attic ends up in it, and then in front of it.

The heat. This is the part that actually decides what gets thrown away. An uninsulated Austin garage in July and August cooks whatever is in it. Foam cushions on stored patio furniture crumble. Particleboard shelving swells and delaminates. Glue joints on veneer let go. Paint and adhesives separate. People store furniture in the garage intending to sell it later and find, two summers on, that there is nothing left to sell. That is the single most common reason a garage gets booked.

The new-build bays. Round Rock, Pflugerville, Leander, Hutto, Kyle and Buda are full of three-car garages where the third bay was never for a car. It fills in about four years.

Truck tiers, with what they look like

A quarter truck is roughly the pile along one wall - shelving, boxes, a couple of bikes, the old grill. A half is one bay cleared properly, including the things hanging from the rafters. A full truck is a two-car garage where the cars have not been inside since the first summer.

Items you will actually have, priced

Disposal is included. Carry-out is included. There is no fee for an alley-loaded garage, a gravel drive or a gate.

Worked examples

One wall of a Crestview detached garage. Metal shelving at $71, a charcoal grill at $59, two bicycles and a medium junk pile at $129. Itemized that is $71 + $59 + $37 + $37 + $129 = $333. The three-eighths truck at $338 is slightly higher, so the itemized total is what you pay.

A Round Rock third bay after five years. A treadmill at $115, an exercise bike at $72, a weight set at $93, a propane grill at $71, a lawn mower at $65 and a large junk pile at $208. That is $115 + $72 + $93 + $71 + $65 + $208 = $624. The three-quarter truck at $587 is lower, so it books at $587.

A Pflugerville two-car garage, fully cleared. Full truck at $732.

A Hyde Park alley garage, contents only. Quarter truck at $241.

Do it before the heat, not after

The best months to clear a garage in this city are the ones either side of summer. March and April, or October and November. Working through a two-car bay in Austin in late July is genuinely hard on people, and it is slower, which matters if you are helping.

There is a second reason to go early. Anything you intend to sell or donate loses its value over a summer in that heat. Furniture, tools with wooden handles, sporting goods, anything with foam or adhesive in it. If you clear in spring, half of it is still worth something to someone. If you clear in September, most of it is a pile.

If you do book in summer, take the morning slot.

What we cannot take

Short list, and it is the same for everyone in the trade. Household paint in reasonable quantities is fine and priced above; bulk liquid chemicals, solvents, pesticides, automotive fluids, fuel and pressurised or hazardous material are not. Neither is anything requiring a licensed abatement contractor.

A full propane tank is a separate matter from an empty one - tell us what you have when you book. Tires are fine and priced per set. If you are not sure about something in the corner of a Leander garage that came with the house, send a photo with the quote request and you will get a straight answer before booking rather than a surprise on the day.

Frequently asked questions