Written by Chris Smith · Illustrative case study
The situation
The owner of the place at a property in Neranwood had been storing things "temporarily" for about fifteen years. When the agent came to appraise it, she was told plainly that buyers wouldn't see past the clutter: building and renovation leftovers, accumulated hoarded material and whole household contents, stacked floor to ceiling in places.
Why the customer needed help
Their main worry wasn't the cost. It was not knowing what could legally go where, and not wanting to damage the house getting it all out. Both of those are part of the job for us.
What was at the property
By my count there were building and renovation leftovers, accumulated hoarded material and whole household contents, along with the usual loose odds and ends that build up around a job like this. It's typical of what we see from owners of neglected or abandoned property.
Working in Neranwood
Neranwood is a small rural area of acreage blocks. Neranwood properties are often larger blocks with sheds, paddocks and lots of trees, so green waste, shed clear-outs and scrap metal are common jobs. Long driveways and gravel tracks are fine; we check gates, slopes and wet ground before backing in.
The initial assessment
I arrived at the property and the first thing I noticed was the access. Before I look at the pile, I walk the route it has to travel: doorways, steps, the driveway slope, overhead wires, where the truck can park. For this job I paced it out and worked out we'd need about two-thirds of the tipper.
How the job was planned
I gave them a fixed price there and then, based on volume, and explained what was included: site assessment and fixed quote, multiple buildings and outdoor areas and heavy and mixed waste streams. They said yes on the spot, so we planned to load in one visit rather than two.
Preparation
We checked the weather, laid out the straps and blankets for anything worth saving, and agreed a hand signal for "stop" because the truck was right on the road.
Step 1
Step one was triage. We pulled everything into three groups: donate, recycle and dispose. It takes longer at the start, but it means the truck gets loaded in the right order and nothing good goes to landfill.
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 loading the donation pile carefully, strapping it separately at the front of the tray so it would arrive at the charity in one piece.
Removal, sorting and loading
On the truck, heavy and flat things go on the bottom, long things go along the sides, and anything fragile for donation rides at the front where there's less bounce. Recycling stays in its own section so it can come straight off at the transfer station.
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
The volume was well beyond a single load once we opened the roof space, which hadn't been mentioned on the phone.
How we handled them
I rang the customer straight away, explained the extra volume and gave them the revised price before we went any further. They were glad to know before, not after.
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
What stuck with me was how much of it could be reused. People expect property Cleanout to mean everything goes to landfill. On this job, close to a third of it went somewhere useful.