The short answer
Pricing by truck space means you pay mostly for how much room your load takes up in the truck, along with weight, materials, access and labor. Roa Solution Junk Removal pricing starts at $250. The crew can break down bulky items like sheds, bed frames and old furniture so they pack tighter, so the same stuff can take up less space and cost less than it would whole.
What does "priced by truck space" mean?
Picture the back of the truck as the thing you're renting. A small pile in one corner costs less than a load that fills it to the top. That's the main idea behind truck-space pricing.
Space isn't the only factor. Roa also looks at what the items are made of, how heavy they are, how easy they are to reach, and how much labor the job takes. But for most household junk, space is the biggest part of the price.
What one customer noticed about Roa's pricing
Nathan T. hired Isaiah and Brian for a pickup and wrote this on Google:
"Much cheaper than some other junk removal companies because they can demolish bulky items to make more space in their truck whereas some other companies charge by how much space the items take up."
That's the whole point of this guide. Truck space is what you pay for, so the less space your stuff takes up, the better. A crew that takes bulky things apart before loading them can fit the same load into less room.
“Brian & Carlos broke down & hauled away a large aluminum shed in Temple City for me today.”
Why does breaking items down save space?
Most bulky junk is full of air. A dresser is a box with drawers. A sofa has a frame, cushions and empty space underneath. A wooden shed is mostly the space inside its walls. Loaded whole, all that air rides in the truck with you paying for it.
Taken apart, the same items stack flat. Panels lie on panels. Frames nest together. The pile is smaller, so it uses less of the truck, and gaps around it can be filled with other things from your load.
What kinds of items can be broken down?
These are the kinds of things that usually take up much less room once they're apart:
- Sheds and playsets: wood or metal walls, roof panels and frames. Roa does shed removal.
- Hot tubs: a whole tub is huge and awkward. Roa does hot tub removal.
- Bed frames, bunk beds and headboards.
- Dressers, desks, bookcases, entertainment centers and broken furniture.
- Fencing, old decks and other small demolition jobs.
- Cardboard boxes, which should always be flattened.
What else changes the price besides space?
Weight matters, especially for dense stuff. Concrete, tile, dirt, brick and roofing can weigh a lot even in a small pile. Materials matter too, since furniture, appliances, yard waste and construction debris aren't handled the same way.
Access and labor matter as well. A bed frame in a third-floor apartment takes more work than one in the garage. Taking a shed apart takes more crew time than carrying out a couch. All of that is in the price you get by text, along with the space your load will take.
A simple example: whole vs. broken down
Say you're clearing a backyard with an old wooden shed, a bunk bed and a broken patio set. Loaded whole, the shed alone could take up a big part of the truck, and the bunk bed and patio set leave gaps around them that nothing else fits into.
Broken down, the shed walls and roof stack into a flat pile. The bunk bed comes apart into rails and posts. The patio set nests on top. The load takes up less room, so you pay for less space.
There's a trade-off. Breaking things down takes crew time, and labor is part of the price too. Isaiah weighs both when he prices the job, and you see one price by text before anyone shows up.
Should I take things apart myself before the pickup?
You don't have to. The crew handles the breaking down. If you want to help, the easy wins are flattening boxes, bagging loose small items, and grouping everything in one spot.
Leave the heavy teardown to the crew. Sheds, hot tubs and built-in pieces can have wiring, plumbing, nails and sharp edges. Tell Isaiah what you have, and he'll tell you what's needed.
How can I lower my junk removal cost?
A few simple moves can bring the price down.
- Use your free city bulky-item pickup for what it takes. In Pasadena, single-family homes get two free bulky pickups a year by appointment. Save the hauler for what the city won't take or can't fit in.
- Do it in one trip. One bigger pickup usually makes more sense than several small ones, since each pickup starts at $250.
- Let the crew break things down. Taken-apart furniture, sheds and frames pack tighter and use less truck space.
- Sell or give away the good stuff yourself before pickup day, so you're not paying to haul it.
- Put everything in your photos. Your quote covers what's in them, so a complete set of photos avoids price changes on the day.
- Use the $50 off your first pickup.
How do I get a truck-space price?
Text photos to (562) 219-9266. Send one wide shot of everything that's going and close shots of any big pieces. Mention where the items are and anything about stairs or a long carry. You'll get a price back by text.
Your quote covers what's in your photos. Items added on pickup day are priced on top. First-time customers get $50 off their first pickup.