Renovations that tear out a bathroom, kitchen, floor, roof or deck usually need a dumpster, while a small job may fit in a few pickup loads to a drop-off. Before you plan those truck runs, check where renovation debris can go. Charleston County's landfill and garbage page says Bees Ferry Landfill "does not accept construction and demolition waste from private or commercial haulers."
We offer construction dumpster rental in Charleston, SC from James Island, and Tony does every delivery and pickup himself. Below are five renovation projects, what each one tears out, and the size that fits it. The size depends less on the size of the house and more on the material coming out and how much it weighs.
What does a bathroom remodel tear out?
A bathroom remodel tears out the vanity, the toilet, the tub or shower surround, the mirror, the flooring and usually the backer board or drywall behind the tile. Take the fixtures out first, then the wall tile, then the floor. Working from the top down puts broken wall tile onto a floor that is coming up anyway.
Tile is the heavy part of a bathroom. A mortar bed under the floor, a tiled shower pan or a cast-iron tub adds a lot of weight to a small room, so tell us how much tile is coming up. One bathroom fits the 13-yard dumpster, which includes 1 ton and 5 days.
Wear safety glasses and heavy gloves when you break tile. The edges are sharp, and chips fly when you pry it off the wall.
What does a kitchen tear-out leave?
A kitchen tear-out leaves the upper and lower cabinets, the countertops, the backsplash, the sink, the flooring and any drywall that comes down with a wall. Old appliances come out too if you're replacing them.
The size follows the kitchen. A small kitchen fits the 13. A full kitchen remodel goes in the 17-yard dumpster, which includes 1.5 tons and 5 days. Stone countertops are dense, so mention them on the booking call.
Shut off the water and the gas before the sink and the range come out. Pull the cabinet doors and drawers before you take the cabinets off the wall. The doors stack flat along the floor of the dumpster, and the empty cabinets are lighter to carry out.
What does a flooring replacement leave?
Plan a flooring job by the material. Carpet and pad are bulky and light. Cut the carpet into strips about 3 feet wide and roll each strip tight so it lies flat. Hardwood comes up in planks with nails in them, so stack the planks flat and bend the nails over. Tile is heavy, and the thinset and backer board under it add more.
Flooring in one or two rooms fits the 13. Flooring across a few rooms goes in the 17. With tile, give us the square footage on the booking call so the included tons fit the job.
What does a roof tear-off leave?
Shingles are heavy, so a roof gets sized by weight as well as by space. A small shingle roof goes in the 13-yard. A bigger roof goes in the 17 or the 22. The 22 includes 2 tons and 7 days. Shingles never go in the 7-yard.
Set the dumpster on the side of the house where the shingles come off, so the crew can drop them from the roof edge straight in. After the tear-off, run a magnet across the yard and the driveway to collect nails. Our roofing dumpster rental page has more on roof jobs.
What does a deck or fence leave?
A deck or fence tear-out leaves boards, joists, posts and railings, and often a concrete footer at the bottom of each post. A deck or a fence fits the 13.
The footers need their own plan. Cut each post off just above the concrete, then dig the footers out as a separate pile. Clean concrete goes in the 7-yard, the size for heavy clean loads. A clean load of concrete goes to a recycle plant, so it carries no overweight charge and can be filled to the rim. If wood is still stuck to the footers, that load goes to the landfill and is charged by weight.
What about a full renovation or an addition?
A full renovation, a new build, or a house plus the garage and yard goes in the 22-yard. Contractors use the 17 or the 22 on bigger jobs. When the 22 is full and the work is still going, call for a swap-out. Tony picks up the full one and sets an empty one.
Clearing a house before a move or a sale has no demo, but it fills a dumpster fast with furniture, boxes and garage contents. A full-house cleanout before a sale needs the 17 or the 22. Tell us the house and what's going, and Tony will pick between them.
Can you run two dumpsters on one renovation?
Yes. Some renovations make both kinds of debris, such as a patio coming out while the kitchen is gutted. Tony can bring both at once: a 7-yard for the concrete and a 13, 17 or 22 for the rest. Mention both on the booking call. Keep the two piles on opposite sides of the driveway, and tell everyone helping which dumpster is for concrete.
How do you choose the size?
Start with the material, then the amount. Clean concrete, dirt, brick and block go in the 7. Mixed renovation debris, including cabinets, drywall, wood, carpet, tile and shingles, goes in the 13, 17 or 22.
For the amount, a loose rule of thumb is that a pickup bed holds about 2 to 3 cubic yards. By that rule, the 13-yard holds roughly four to six pickup loads and the 17 holds roughly six to eight. Our post on how to choose a dumpster size by material, weight and job goes further, and the dumpster size guide lines the sizes up side by side.
When might you skip the dumpster?
A small repair may not need one. If the debris is a single pickup load of light material and you know where it can go, hauling it yourself can work. Fixtures and cabinets in good shape can go to a donation drop-off first, which shrinks the pile. Once the job runs past a couple of truck loads, or any of it is tile, plaster or concrete, a dumpster in the driveway is easier than the trips.
What comes with a renovation rental?
Delivery, pickup and disposal come with the rental. A remodel inside 25 miles of James Island carries no fuel fee, and a job past 25 miles has a fuel fee. Tony serves out to about 40 miles. If the remodel runs longer than the included days, call and Tony works out the extra time.
What else can go in with the demo?
Tony takes almost everything, paint included, so leftover paint from the remodel can go in with the drywall. Oil goes in sealed in a wrapped container. Tell us what's going in when you book.
Common questions about renovation debris
Can demo debris and household items share a dumpster?
Yes. Cabinets, drywall, wood, tile and furniture can share the same 13, 17 or 22. Keep clean concrete and dirt in the 7-yard so that load can go to the recycle plant.
What size fits a full bathroom gut?
The 13 fits one bathroom gut, fixtures and tile included.
Do I need a permit for a dumpster in front of my house?
On your own driveway or property, no. If the dumpster has to sit in a City of Charleston street, the city requires a permit, and you pull it. Our Charleston dumpster permit page explains the steps.
Can an old bathtub or toilet go in?
Yes. Old fixtures go in with the rest of the bathroom debris. A cast-iron tub is heavy, so mention it when you book.
Text or call (843) 800-0689 to talk through your renovation.
Need a dumpster in Charleston? Call or text Tony at (843) 800-0689, or order online.
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