The kitchen we pulled out ourselves in Miami

We've been in Miami for a while now, and this was the first time I'd paid someone to take rubbish away. Our bathroom reno ran three weeks over, and the rubbish sat on the side of the house the whole time. The builder said removal 'wasn't in the quote'.

Old laminate cabinets, a laminate benchtop, a cooktop, a rangehood, a huge sheet of splashback glass and about twenty bags of plaster and tile pieces.

Miami is a beachside suburb of older units, cafes and hillside homes, and getting things out isn't always simple. Stair access and shared driveways are common.

I sent a couple of photos and got a call back within the hour. They gave me a rough idea on the phone but said they'd confirm a fixed price when they saw it in person.

They parked so the back of the truck lined up with the side gate, put a drop sheet down at the door and asked me to show them anything that was staying.

The cast iron bath was unbelievably heavy. They used a trolley and a ramp and had it out in about five minutes. I'd assumed it would take four people.

By the time I'd made them a coffee, it was nearly finished. The price didn't change, and they even took a couple of extra bits I'd forgotten about without charging more.

I'd tried to do it myself twice before. Next time I'm just ringing straight away.