Basement cleanouts in Providence

The short answer

Basement cleanouts are priced by truck fill or by item. A light basement is often a quarter truck at $241, a packed one half a truck at $431, and a full shared triple-decker basement three-quarters at $587 or a full truck at $732. Common basement items: tank water heater $131, washer $133, dryer $128, dehumidifier $77, chest freezer $146. Carry-out up the basement stairs is included.

Why Providence basements fill up

In New England, the frost line means nearly every house is built over a full basement, and Providence is no exception. Triple-deckers, East Side Victorians, Cranston and Warwick capes and ranches, and the houses of Pawtucket, East Providence and Woonsocket all have one.

That space becomes the place where everything goes when it leaves the living area: the old couch, the extra chairs, a bed from a child who moved out, the boxes from the last move, the paint cans from every room ever painted, the broken dehumidifier, and in older houses, a second refrigerator next to the furnace.

In a triple-decker, the basement is often shared by all three units and has collected items from tenants long gone. Nobody claims them, so nobody clears them.

The stair is the job

Most Providence basement stairs are steep, narrow wooden steps with a low beam or pipe at the top and a turn or a door at the bottom. Some open to a bulkhead door to the yard, which can help with bulky items if it is wide enough and not rusted shut.

Carrying a water heater, a washer or a cast iron sink up those stairs is one of the hardest carries in residential work. It is also where people get hurt doing it themselves. Water heaters are top-heavy, still have sediment and water in them, and have sharp fittings. Washers are heavy and awkward to grip.

The carry is included in every JunkRabbit price, with no stairs fee. A tank water heater is $131 whether it comes up a bulkhead or a cellar stair.

What the city will and will not take from a basement

Providence's free bulky-item pickup through Waste Management does list several basement regulars: water heaters, washers and dryers, refrigerators and furniture. If your building has six or fewer units and you can get the item up the stairs and to the curb, schedule it at least 24 hours before your trash day and set it out no earlier than the night before.

The program stops at the curb, and that is the problem for most basements. Nobody from the city truck comes down the cellar stair. It also leaves out much of what basements actually hold: old mattresses stored for a guest who never came, boxed-up TVs and computer monitors, which Rhode Island bans from the trash, and the general mix of boxes, bags and broken shelving.

A sensible split is to set out the one or two big appliances you can move yourself on trash day, and book the rest as a single load. If the appliance is the part you cannot move, flip it the other way round.

Flat prices for basement items

An old furnace and water heater after a heating upgrade are $131 + $131 = $262. A basement fridge, a chest freezer and a dehumidifier are $164 + $146 + $77 = $387.

Truck-fill pricing

For a mixed basement, photograph each corner, under the stairs and any storage rooms. Basements are often deeper than they look in one photo. A shared triple-decker basement after several tenancies is often three-quarters of a truck or more.

Three Providence-area basements, priced

Warwick ranch, heating upgrade. The new system is in, and the old water heater, a washer and dryer pair and a dehumidifier are left: $131 + $133 + $128 + $77 = $469. That is just over a half truck at $431, so a photo quote would show whether the volume tier comes out lower once a few boxes are added.

Cranston cape, long-held family home. Shelving, boxes, an old sofa, a spare fridge and decades of odds and ends on the floor: often around half a truck, $431.

Shared basement under a Pawtucket triple-decker. Furniture from past tenants, a stack of mattresses, broken bikes and bagged trash: often three-quarters of a truck, $587. If the oil tank is coming out at the same time, an empty tank adds $461, for $587 + $461 = $1,048.

Wet basements and storm damage

Providence knows about water. The 1938 hurricane and Hurricane Carol in 1954 both flooded downtown, which is why the city built the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier. Nor'easters still bring heavy rain and coastal flooding, and villages along the bay in Warwick, such as Oakland Beach and Conimicut, deal with flood debris after big storms.

Even without a major storm, many older basements take on water in heavy rain or snowmelt. Carpets, cardboard boxes, upholstered furniture and particleboard soak it up and start to smell. Once something has been sitting wet, it is usually not worth saving.

Get wet items out quickly. Bag soaked boxes and textiles, and photograph larger items for the quote. Rolled carpet is $68 and carpet removal is $71 per room. Ten bags of debris are $132.

Before the crew arrives

• Disconnect appliances. Shut off and drain the water heater if you can. Have a plumber or your gas utility disconnect any gas line.
• Separate what stays. In a shared basement, mark what is being kept and by whom.
• Check for chemicals. Paint is accepted. Solvents, pesticides and other hazardous materials are handled case by case, so ask. RIRRC runs Eco-Depot events for household hazardous waste.
• Clear the path. Make sure the stair is lit and the top is clear. Open the bulkhead if there is one.
• Mention oil tanks. An empty tank is $461 and a full one $847; describe it when you book.

Same-day pickup is available when you book by 4 PM. Winter is a good time for basement jobs, since they are not slowed by snow.

Frequently asked questions