A house cleanout is not one corner or one room. It is the whole house, and it has to be planned that way.
In Ponte Vedra and Nocatee there is an extra layer. Many homes sit behind a gate, most are in an HOA, and the houses are large enough that a "few things" turns into several truckloads. This guide covers how a whole-house cleanout works here and what to sort out before the crew arrives.
Three reasons people clear a whole house
Downsizing. A move from a large family home to something smaller means a lot of furniture will not fit. This comes up often in 55-plus communities, where the new floor plan decides what stays.
Moving. A relocation has a hard date. Whatever is not going on the moving truck has to be gone before closing or before the lease ends.
Estates. A family is clearing a parent's home, often from out of town and often on a short visit. The sorting is the hard part, and it should not be rushed. If that is where you are, read how to prepare for an estate cleanout first, and see our estate cleanouts service.
The work is similar in all three. The pace is not. Tell us which one it is and we will plan the day around it.
Gates and HOA rules
Sort these out before the day, because they belong to your community and not to us:
- Gate access. Ask whether the guard gate needs our company name and truck on a list, and whether that has to be done ahead of time.
- Work hours. Some associations limit when contractors can work.
- Where the truck can park. Driveway, street or a designated spot.
- What can sit outside. Some communities have rules about items staged on a driveway or at the curb, and for how long.
We are not going to state any community's rules here. They differ from one neighborhood to the next and they change. Check with your HOA or property manager, then tell us what they said. When everything goes straight from the house into the truck, the curb question mostly goes away.
How a whole-house cleanout works
- Free on-site estimate. We walk the house with you and look at the stairs, the doors, the garage, the attic access and where the truck can park.
- A flat price before anything is loaded. You know the number before we start.
- Room by room. We work through the house one room at a time, so nothing gets missed and nothing leaves by mistake.
- You point, we carry. Anything you want to keep, say so and it stays.
- Floors and corners protected. Large furniture comes apart where it has to, so tile, wood floors and door trim are not damaged on the way out.
- A sweep at the end. Each room is left clear, not just emptied.
- We sort it after. Usable items go to local donation where a center will take them, metal and electronics get recycled, and the rest goes to licensed disposal.
A large house can take more than one truckload and sometimes more than one day. We will tell you that at the estimate and not halfway through.
Where the volume hides
Florida homes are built on slabs, so there is no basement. The storage ends up in other places:
- The garage. Usually the single biggest part of the job. See garage cleanouts.
- The attic. Low, tight and very hot for much of the year. See attic cleanouts.
- The lanai. Patio sets, grills, cushions and planters that have been outside for years.
- Closets and spare bedrooms. Rooms that turned into storage without anyone deciding it.
- The yard. A shed, a playset or an old spa. See hot tub removal.
Mention all of these when you call. An estimate that only counts the main rooms will be wrong.
Prep that saves you money
You do not have to do anything before we come. If you want the price lower, a few steps help:
- Decide what is staying and put it in one room, or mark it clearly.
- Take out documents, photos, jewelry, medications and anything of value before the crew arrives.
- Bag or box loose items so we are loading and not gathering.
- Stage what you can in the garage, if your community allows it.
- Arrange gate access and clear the driveway so the truck can park close.
The less carrying and sorting the crew has to do, the less time the job takes.
If you are handling it from out of town
Many families clearing a home here live somewhere else. That is workable. We can do the walkthrough with a family member, a neighbor, or an agent who has access, and you can ask us for before and after photos of each room. Tell us who has the key and who can approve the quote.
What we cannot take
Wet paint, solvents, gasoline, motor oil, pool chemicals, propane tanks and asbestos cannot go on our truck. Check with your county's household hazardous waste program for how to dispose of those, and confirm the details before you make the trip. If you are unsure about something in the garage, send a photo and we will tell you straight.
If the house has gotten out of hand
Sometimes a home is past the point of a normal cleanout. That is not a reason to put off the call. We handle those jobs with patience and without commentary. See hoarder cleanouts.
Getting yours scheduled
Haul Aboard is a new company at the Beaches, licensed and insured, and run by the same owner behind Junk Away, Delaware's top-rated junk removal company. The estimate is free and on site. Every job starts at our $150 minimum, and the price goes up with how much there is and how much work it takes. A whole house will be well above the minimum, and you get the flat price before anything is loaded. More on how our pricing works.
Read more about the areas we cover in Ponte Vedra, Ponte Vedra Beach and Nocatee, or our local guides to junk removal in Ponte Vedra and junk removal in Nocatee. If a move is part of the plan, see moving services.
Call (904) 404-6264 for a free on-site estimate, or send us photos and your details.