What an estate cleanout costs in Virginia Beach and Norfolk

The short answer

Most estate cleanouts are priced by how much of the truck the contents fill, from a quarter truck at $241 to a full truck at $732. Larger homes can take more than one truck: two full trucks are $732 + $732 = $1,464. Very heavy items, such as an upright piano at $364 or a cast iron bathtub at $185, are priced individually. Stairs, attics and narrow old-house hallways don't add anything.

Why estates here take longer than you'd expect

Hampton Roads has some of the oldest housing in Virginia. Norfolk's median home was built in 1964 and Portsmouth's in 1967. Ghent's housing predates 1939 on average. Port Norfolk's historic district is mostly 1890 to 1910 Queen Anne, Craftsman and Foursquare houses. Cradock in Portsmouth was built from 1918 for shipyard workers.

Old houses hold things in places new houses don't have. There are attics reached by narrow pull-down stairs, third-floor rooms under the eaves, closets under staircases, and sheds out back. Families who lived in one house for fifty years kept a lot.

Across Virginia Beach, estate homes are more often 1960s to 1980s ranches and split-levels in Bayside, Lynnhaven and Kempsville. The volume is in the garage and the attic. In the rural south, around Pungo, add barns and outbuildings.

Plan for more volume than you think. Almost every estate does.

How estate pricing works

A cleanout of the leftovers after family has taken what they want might be a half truck. A furnished house with a full attic and garage can be a full truck or more. You see the tier from your photos before you book.

Some items are priced on their own because of their weight or handling, even inside a truck-tier job. Pianos are the common one. A cast iron radiator, a gun safe, or a cast iron tub from an upstairs bath are others.

Heavy items common in older homes

A Ghent estate with a half-truck of contents plus an upright piano: $431 + $364 = $795. A Port Norfolk house with a full truck of contents plus a china hutch and an armoire priced separately: $732 + $160 + $197 = $1,089.

Sort before the truck comes

The most expensive estate cleanout is the one done in a hurry. Give the family time to go through the house first, even if it's only a weekend.

1. Secure documents and valuables. Wills, deeds, bank papers, jewelry, photos, military records. Check drawers, pockets, books and freezers. People hide things.
2. Let family claim items. Put names on stickers.
3. Sell what has value. Solid-wood furniture, tools, collectibles. Consider an estate sale for a large house.
4. Set aside donations. We try to donate usable items when local charities accept them, but call charities directly for anything you're sure you want donated.
5. Book the cleanout for the rest.

Each step you complete makes the truck tier smaller. It also means nothing important leaves by mistake.

Access in historic neighborhoods

Ghent, Park Place, Port Norfolk, Olde Towne Portsmouth and Cradock all share the same access challenges: narrow streets, on-street parking and houses close together. Porches and front steps are the norm, and interior stairs are often steep and turn sharply.

A few tips make the day smoother. Save a parking space in front of the house if you can, using your own cars. Tell neighbors there will be a truck for an hour or two. Prop open doors and clear a path through each room.

Crews carry everything out from any floor at the same price. There's no stairs fee and no long-carry charge. If a large piece came in through a window or was built in place, mention it when you book.

If you're handling an estate from out of town, which is common in a region where families scatter on orders, you don't have to be there. Arrange access, approve the price from photos, and we'll do the rest within your two-hour window.

What the city can and can't help with

For a few large items, the city may help. Virginia Beach's bulky pickup takes furniture by request three days ahead, and Norfolk takes requests until 3 p.m. the day before. Chesapeake allows one 4 by 4 by 10 foot pile a week, twelve times a year.

But estates aren't a few large items. They're full rooms, bags and boxes, and Virginia Beach's program excludes bags, cardboard boxes, carpet, cabinets and computer towers. Chesapeake's twelve-a-year pile limit doesn't stretch to a house.

Virginia Beach residents can drop e-waste, metals and appliances free at the Resource Recovery Center. That's worth using if the family has a truck and time.

For the bulk of the house, one cleanout handles it all on a day you choose. Book by 4 p.m. for same-day if the timeline is tight, seven days a week.

Frequently asked questions