Property Refurbishment Waste.

In this short blog I am going to explain the importance of factoring the cost of waste removal into your refurbishment projects.

Whether you are doing your own project at home, you’re a tradesman, or a full-blown property developer, these tips will be relevant for you.

People often underestimate the amount of money that will have to be spent on waste removal. Because of this I will try to give you a general guide on prices here too.

Building waste which might be generated by removing walls or taking out a chimney breast a skip is usually the best choice, unless there is an access issue.  This allows you to remove the rubble and skip it immediately, keeping site clear and clean.

For other types of waste such as doors, skirting boards, carpets, and furniture; items that are not dense and heavy, then the man and van route is the best way forward.

Skip Prices.

For budgeting purposes, an eight-yard skip across Yorkshire and Greater Manchester costs somewhere between £230-260.  You may also need to apply for a permit to have a skip outside the property and, if so, there will be a cost associated with this.  Then, the final cost you will need to factor in, if using a skip, is the cost of the labour to fill it.

A man and van service will come in at a lower cost than a skip.  If the waste is easily accessible, if it has been neatly stacked (preferably by waste stream), this will lead to the company spending less time on site. The equivalent to an eight-yard skip will cost in the region of £180-220, no permits will be required, and the labour will be included in the cost.

For a total refurbishment project on a two bedroomed terraced house where it is being taken back to brick, and the kitchen and bathroom are being ripped out for replacement, you could be looking quite easily at four or five skips, plus a couple of man and van collections.  This could end up costing around £2000 in total, which is a lot of money to find if you haven’t factored it in to the budget before you begin!

So, as you can see, both skip and man and van services have their place in refurbishment projects for different types of waste.

I would also recommend always having a waste removal contingency fund within your project’s budget, just in case.

And finally, if you are a tradesman and have a skip at your unit, please be aware that you that you will need to give your customer a Waste Transfer Note to guarantee that the waste is being disposed of legally and you will also be required to have a Waste Carrier’s License.  The cost of these will need to be factored into your refurbishment quotes and/or overheads.

I hope those tips will be useful to you.  As always, if you have any questions or comments, please just get in touch.

Tom Pickering, Clearance & Cleanup

Details on Trade waste can be found HERE