Written by Chris Smith · Illustrative case study
The situation
It was just after 7am when the phone went. A man at a property in Sanctuary Cove had a removalist booked for midday and had just realised the truck wouldn't take cardboard and packaging, fitout and strip-out debris and old furniture and equipment. He needed them gone before the movers arrived.
Why the customer needed help
They'd rung a couple of other outfits and got vague answers about price. I told them I'd come and look, give them a figure on the spot, and they could decide from there.
What was at the property
By my count there were cardboard and packaging, fitout and strip-out debris and old furniture and equipment, along with the usual loose odds and ends that build up around a job like this. It's typical of what we see from hospitality venues.
Working in Sanctuary Cove
Sanctuary Cove is a gated marina and golf resort community. Sanctuary Cove homes often back onto water, so we carry loads carefully past pools, pontoons and landscaped gardens. We protect paving and lawns on the way to the truck and work within bridge and street access limits.
The initial assessment
I did my usual lap. I check what's heavy, what's sharp, what's reusable and what might be hiding something underneath. A redback in the bottom of a pile isn't unusual on the Coast, so gloves and a torch come out before anyone reaches in.
How the job was planned
The plan was simple: protect the route, clear a path, then work from the far end back towards the truck so we never had to climb over what was left.
Preparation
We put drop sheets down through the hallway and taped corner guards on the door frames. It takes ten minutes and saves arguments about scuff marks.
Step 1
Step one was clearing a working space. We shifted the easy, loose items straight onto the truck so we had room to manoeuvre around the awkward ones.
Step 2
Step two was the loose material. Bags, boxes and odds and ends went into the truck in layers, packed tight into the gaps around the furniture so we weren't carting air to the tip.
Step 3
Step three was the clean-up. Once the last item was out, we swept the floor, raked the ground where needed and walked the customer through the space to make sure nothing they wanted had gone.
Removal, sorting and loading
I'm fussy about the load. A well-packed truck means one trip instead of two, and that's the difference between a fair price and an inflated one. We netted the top before we drove off.
From the truck it went to a licensed transfer station, where recyclables were dropped off separately, and anything usable went to a local op shop before the tip run.
Challenges we ran into
Time was the whole challenge. We had a hard deadline and a load that would normally take a bit longer to do properly.
How we handled them
I brought a third person for the hour. More hands meant we could do it properly without cutting corners on the clean-up.
Completion and final result
When the last load was strapped down, the space was empty and swept. The customer walked through with me, signed off, and paid the price we'd agreed at the start, not a dollar more.
What I learned
I came away reminded that a fixed price agreed up front takes all the stress out of the day, for them and for us. Nobody's watching the clock or arguing at the end.