Junk removal from a triple-decker walk-up in Providence

The short answer

JunkRabbit carries items out of triple-deckers from any floor, including third-floor apartments, rear porches and shared basements, with no stairs fee and no walk-up fee. Common prices: sofa $126, queen mattress and box spring set $143, dresser $126, refrigerator $164, washer $133. A full furnished floor is often a full truck at $732.

Why triple-deckers are their own kind of job

Triple-deckers are the defining house of Providence and the mill cities around it. Most were built in the industrial cities of central New England between 1870 and 1920, with one apartment per floor, a front stair, and a rear stair that climbs past stacked back porches. Fall River's worker housing was built as thousands of wood-framed, multi-family tenements, usually three floors, some with up to six apartments.

That design is great for living and hard for moving. Each apartment is a full floor with two or three bedrooms, so it holds a lot of furniture. Everything has to come down one of two staircases. The rear stair is usually steep and narrow, turns at every porch landing and has railings that were not built to take the weight of a refrigerator on a dolly.

Every carry from the third floor is two full flights, plus the porch steps to the yard, plus the walk to the truck.

Front stairs or back stairs

Most triple-deckers have both, and choosing the right one is half the job.

Front stairs are often a little wider and enclosed, which keeps things dry, but they pass the doors of the other units on every floor. A dresser scraping down the front hall is a problem for three households, not one.

Back stairs are usually the working stairs. They come out on the porches, which gives you more room to pivot a sofa at each landing, but they are steeper and exposed to weather. In winter, they can be icy; in November rain, slick.

A crew will look at both before deciding. Sofas, box springs and mattresses often go down whichever stair has the widest turns. Appliances usually go down whichever is straightest. Tell us when you book if one of the stairs is blocked, locked or under repair.

Shared basements and porches

The other common triple-decker problem is shared space. The basement is usually common to all three units, with each tenant's washer and dryer, the water heaters, and decades of things that no one claims. Rear porches accumulate broken chairs, old grills, bikes and bags.

For landlords, clearing those spaces is part of every turnover. For tenants moving out, it is worth being clear about what is yours. Mark or photograph your items so the crew takes the right things.

Basement stairs in these houses are typically steep wooden steps with a low beam at the top. Washers, dryers and water heaters come up that stair one at a time. A washer and dryer from a shared basement are $133 + $128 = $261; add a tank water heater and it is $133 + $128 + $131 = $392.

Flat prices for common walk-up items

Every price includes carrying the item out from any floor. A third-floor sofa, queen set and dresser are $126 + $143 + $126 = $395, the same as on the first floor.

Where we see triple-deckers most

Inside Providence, triple-deckers fill blocks in Elmwood, South Providence, Washington Park, the West End, Olneyville, Federal Hill, Mount Pleasant, Smith Hill and Fox Point. Some of the oldest, highest-density neighborhoods sit close to Downtown or along the Woonasquatucket River, whose mills powered Olneyville, Manton and Hartford.

Next door, Pawtucket and Central Falls, the most densely populated city in Rhode Island, are full of them, as is Woonsocket up the Blackstone. Across the Massachusetts line, Fall River and New Bedford have thousands.

Tight streets come with the territory. Central Falls packs more than 22,000 people into about 1.27 square miles. On many of these blocks, the truck parks where it can and the crew walks the rest. That walk is included too.

Making the day go smoothly

• Tell the neighbors. A heads-up to the other two units avoids surprises on a shared stair.
• Clear the landings. Shoes, bikes, planters and recycling bins on the porches slow every trip.
• Note the parking. If there is a driveway, a hydrant gap or a loading spot, mention it when you book.
• Check the weather. Icy back stairs in winter are dangerous. Salt them before the crew arrives or plan to use the front stair.
• Take the legs off if you can. It is not required, but it speeds up sofas and tables on tight turns.

You choose a two-hour arrival window, seven days a week from 8am to midnight, and same-day pickup is available when you book by 4 PM.

Landlords with several triple-deckers

Many triple-deckers are owner-occupied on one floor and rented on the other two, and many landlords own several buildings across Providence, Pawtucket and the SouthCoast. Turnovers come in waves, especially after the colleges finish in mid-May.

Property managers can set up a JunkRabbit account covering several properties, so each turnover is booked the same way at the same published prices. Buildings of six or fewer units can use the city's free bulky pickup for some furniture and appliances, but it does not come upstairs, and it excludes mattresses. See landlord turnover cleanouts in Providence.

Frequently asked questions