When the skip didn't turn up in Bundall

We've been in Bundall for a while now, and this was the first time I'd paid someone to take rubbish away. I'm a small builder, and my skip company let me down the day before a frame inspection. I had a mess on site and a certifier coming.

Formwork timber, concrete spoil, offcuts of cladding, flattened cartons and about twenty bags of sweepings.

Bundall is the Gold Coast's business and showroom precinct beside the Nerang River, and getting things out isn't always simple. Loading docks and after-hours access are common.

When I rang, the person who answered asked a few simple questions about what it was, where it was and how to get to it, and said they could come and look that afternoon.

The crew pulled up, had a look, and told me the price straight away. No surprises, no 'we'll see how it goes'. I said yes and they got started within five minutes.

The concrete spoil was heavy, so they did two runs rather than overload the truck. It meant an extra trip, but they'd told me that up front with the price.

What I appreciated most was that nothing was rushed and nothing was a hassle. They explained where everything was going: charity, recycling or the tip. I felt good about it.

It's a small thing, but having someone else carry it all out made a much bigger difference than I expected.