What a Garage Cleanout Costs in Denver
By Darius Schultz, owner · Updated
The Straight Answer, Then the Math.
$149 covers the first 2 cubic yards, then it is $75 a yard. A full 1-car garage is usually 6 to 8 yards, $449 to $599. A full 2-car garage is often 10 to 15 yards, $749 to $1,124, over two trips. Below: how to size your own garage, the add-ons that show up in garages, and the real numbers from two published jobs.
- One per-yard rate, no tiers, no travel or dump fee
- Every extra written down, and you approve the price on site before we start
- Owner-operated: Darius handles the job start to finish
One Rate, and Here Is Where Garages Land.
Price = $149 + $75 for each yard past the first 2, quoted to the nearest half yard. There are no tiers. The ranges below are a rule of thumb, and the final number is confirmed on site before anything moves.
A Few Items
One couch, a mattress and box spring, or a few small items
Up to 2 cubic yards · the minimum
Full 1-Car Garage
Emptied and swept in one visit
Usually 6 to 8 cubic yards
Full 2-Car Garage
Packed deep, or feeding a whole-home clear-out
Often 10 to 15 cubic yards · two trips on the 6x10 dump trailer, same per-yard price
| Cubic yards | Price | Typical garage load |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 2 | $149 | A couch or a few items by the door |
| 4 | $299 | One wall of boxes and a couple of big pieces |
| 6 | $449 | A lighter full 1-car garage |
| 7 | $524 | A typical full 1-car garage |
| 8 | $599 | A packed 1-car garage |
| 10 | $749 | A lighter full 2-car garage |
| 12 | $899 | A full 2-car garage, two trips |
| 15 | $1,124 | A 2-car garage packed to the ceiling |
The full yard table is on our pricing page. How the job itself runs, what we haul and how to book is on the garage cleanout service page.
How Many Yards Is My Garage?
A cubic yard is 3 x 3 x 3 ft, about a washer and dryer side by side. To estimate a pile, measure it in feet, multiply length by depth by height, and divide by 27.
Example: boxes and bins along the back wall, 9 ft long, 3 ft deep and 6 ft high, is 162 cubic feet. Divide by 27 and you get 6 yards, which is $449. Add a couch (2 to 3 yards) and a mattress set (about 2 yards) sitting in the bay and you are near 10 yards, $749.
Loose piles pack down on the trailer, so a tape-measure estimate usually runs a little high. That works in your favor: Darius prices what the load actually takes on the truck and trailer, confirmed with you before anything is loaded.
A couch, $149 to $224
A sectional, $224 to $299
A mattress set, $149
Two Real Garages, Priced Then and Now.
Both jobs happened before the per-yard rate started, so each shows what we charged at the time and how the same load prices today.
The Light One: About 35 Minutes
An old couch, a desk, an all-metal patio table, boxes and some general trash, about half a trailer's worth. Loaded, swept and gone in about 35 minutes, the same day they called.
- Charged at the time: $349, our flat garage price then
- Today: roughly 4 to 5 yards, so $299 to $374
- Add-ons: none. No stairs, a short carry to the driveway
The Heavy One: Two Full Loads
A rental garage off an alley, packed with cabinets, drywall, nail boards and bagged scrap from a remodel. Two full loads, 5.5 hours in the rain, both dump runs included.
- Charged at the time: $700, which we have said publicly was too low
- Dump fees we paid: $130 at STS South + $117 at STS North, about $247
- Today: about 9 packed yards a trip, so roughly 17 to 19 yards, $1,274 to $1,424
- Add-ons: none for drywall and lumber. Tile in the mix would be +$25 a yard for that part
The Only Extras That Show Up in Garages.
Every one of these is said out loud and written down before we start. There are no others.
| Add-on | Price | When it applies in a garage |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerant appliance | +$50 each | The garage fridge, a chest freezer, a window AC unit |
| Tires | +$15 each | The old set stacked in the corner |
| Heavy material | +$25 a yard | Leftover tile, brick, concrete or roofing shingles. No dirt or sod |
| Long carry | +$40 | A detached garage more than 100 ft from where the rig can park |
| Stairs | +$25 a flight | A loft or bonus room above the garage |
| Safe or slate pool table | $349 minimum | Quoted on site, not by the yard, plus $25 a flight if there are stairs |
Two Examples With Add-Ons
- A full 1-car garage at 7 yards with a dead garage fridge and four old tires: $524 + $50 + $60 = $634.
- A 2-car detached garage at 12 yards at the back of a long lot, 120 ft from the street: $899 + $40 = $939, over two trips.
Why Two Garages Quote Differently.
Two garages the same size can quote differently. Here is what we are looking at on the walk-through.
The biggest factor by far: how many cubic yards of truck and trailer space the load fills, at $75 a yard past the first 2.
Only concrete, tile, brick and roofing shingles add $25 a yard. A treadmill or a workbench is heavy but still priced by the yard.
An attached garage opening onto the driveway loads fast. A narrow alley or a detached garage far from the street is slower, and a carry over 100 ft adds $40.
Sorting as we go is free, but a garage where every box needs a keep-or-toss call takes longer than one with a clear go pile.
Free and Cheaper Options for Part of the Garage.
Denver Large Item Pickup. If you are on Denver's city trash service, the city picks up large items every nine weeks: up to 5 large items plus 10 bags. It does not take construction materials like concrete, bricks, fencing and pallets, and it does not take appliances, electronics, stumps, dirt or sod. For a couple of old chairs, wait for your week.
Lakewood. The city doesn't run trash service, so a bulky pickup goes through your own hauler for a fee. Ask them first for one or two items. The Lakewood page has the city's drop-off options.
Donations with a receipt. We can't give donation receipts. If the receipt matters, drop the good pieces at a donation center yourself before we come, and it shrinks the load too.
Hauling it yourself. Transfer stations charge by weight per load. Our own receipts from the University Park job were $130 and $117 for two full loads. If you own a truck and the garage is light, one self-haul run can be cheaper than hiring anyone. A full garage usually isn't one run.
A dumpster. A roll-off on a Denver street needs a right-of-way permit, and you still do every bit of the loading. We lay out both sides in junk removal vs. dumpster rental.
Chemicals. Gas, oil, paint and pesticides can't go in any junk load. Jefferson County residents can book a household hazardous waste drop-off at the Rooney Road Recycling Center in Golden, and Denver runs its own program for residents.
Four Ways to Keep Your Total Down.
Only Pay for What Leaves
Move the keepers to one wall or tape them. The quote is built only on what goes, and every maybe that becomes a keep is volume off the number.
Break Down and Bag
Flattened boxes and bagged loose stuff pack tighter than half-empty boxes. Tighter packing means fewer yards on the trailer.
Add the Small Stuff to One Visit
The $149 minimum covers the first 2 yards. A few items from the basement or the side yard cost $149 on their own, but only $75 a yard added to a garage load.
Clear the Path to the Rig
Move the car out of the bay and the driveway so the truck and trailer can back up to the door. A short carry keeps the long-carry add-on off the bill.
What Is Never Extra.
Some outfits quote low and stack fees on later. Our on-site number already includes all of this.
Loading Labor
All the lifting, carrying and loading is the job, not an hourly line item. Darius handles it start to finish.
The Sweep-Out
Every garage cleanout ends with the concrete swept so the space is ready to park in again.
Travel, Fuel, Dumping, Trips
No travel fee, no fuel fee, no dump fee, and no charge for a second trip. The quote itself is free too.
Same rate in Golden, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, Lakewood, Edgewater and Denver. The only exception is a truly remote or hard-to-reach property, and you hear about that before we drive out.
Garage Cleanout Cost Questions.
How much does a garage cleanout cost in Denver?
How much does it cost to clear out a garage?
What did a real garage cleanout cost?
Does a packed two-car garage cost more?
Are there extra fees on top of the quote?
Is it cheaper to rent a dumpster than hire a garage cleanout?
Can I get a price before you drive out?
Does sorting items for donation cost extra?
More on Pricing and the Work.
How the day goes, what we haul and won't, HOA and curb rules, and same-day availability.
Same per-yard rate plus $25 a flight for the stairs, with safes, pool tables and water heaters worked through.
The bigger picture: what junk removal costs in Denver across every kind of load.
Remodel leftovers in the garage? See the construction debris removal cost guide. Every cost guide lives in the guides hub.
Stop Guessing. Get Your Number.
Text us a photo of the garage, even just from the doorway, and we will text back a price fast. The final number gets locked in on site before anything moves.
Snap a Photo of the Items, Get a Price
Drop your number below. Darius texts your price back, usually within 10 minutes during business hours.
Got it!
Darius will text you a price shortly. Keep your phone handy. The reply comes from (720) 689-3713.
In a hurry? Call now and skip the wait.