PCS move-out junk removal in Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads

The short answer

Decide what's not making the move as soon as orders arrive, sell or give away what you can in the first two weeks, and book the junk pickup for the week your household goods ship. Leftovers are priced per item or by truck fill: a sofa is $126, a queen set $143, a chest freezer $146 and a quarter truck $241. A typical leftover load of all four comes to $126 + $143 + $146 + $241 = $656. Book by 4 p.m. for same-day if the schedule slips.

Why PCS moves shape this region

Hampton Roads is one of the Navy's busiest home regions. Naval Station Norfolk is home port of US Fleet Forces Command, with miles of pier along Sewells Point. NAS Oceana is the Navy's East Coast master jet base. JEB Little Creek–Fort Story, Dam Neck, Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Naval Medical Center Portsmouth all bring sailors and families through. On the Peninsula, Joint Base Langley–Eustis adds Air Force and Army families.

That means permanent-change-of-station moves are constant, and they concentrate in late spring and summer. Off-base rentals in Great Neck, Kempsville, Lynnhaven, Ocean View, East Beach and around Coliseum Central turn over on the military calendar.

Every move comes with a household goods weight allowance. Heavy, worn and cheap furniture often isn't worth shipping. Neither is the garage freezer, the grill or the bunk bed the kids have outgrown. All of it has to go somewhere before you clear quarters.

When orders arrive: decide what stays behind

Start with the weight allowance and the new duty station. Moving to a smaller place overseas or into base housing changes what makes sense to ship.

Walk the house and tag each piece: ship, sell, give, or go. Be hard on these:

• Particleboard furniture that won't survive another move.
• Mattresses near the end of their life.
• Garage freezers and spare fridges.
• Grills, propane tanks, paint and chemicals, which movers generally won't take.
• Outdoor gear for a climate you're leaving.
• Boxes still taped from the last PCS.

If you're doing a PPM, the personally procured move formerly called DITY, weight matters even more. Every pound you leave behind is a pound you don't load.

Weeks 1 and 2: sell and give away

Hampton Roads is the right place to sell used furniture fast, because new families arrive on orders every week. List anything decent with measurements and a firm price. Base and spouse groups move items quickly.

Set a hard cut-off. If it hasn't sold a week before the movers come, it goes in the junk pile. Don't let a listing hold the schedule hostage.

Give away what still works but won't sell. Families just arriving need basics.

Start using the city program now if you're in a house with a curb. Virginia Beach's bulky pickup needs a request at least three days before your trash day. Chesapeake allows one 4 by 4 by 10 foot pile a week, twelve times a year. Norfolk takes requests until 3 p.m. the day before. Use them for eligible furniture you can carry out.

Pack-out week: book the pickup

Book the junk pickup for the day the household goods ship, or the day after. That's when you'll see exactly what's left. Movers take what's on the inventory, and the rest is suddenly very visible.

We work seven days a week, 8 a.m. to midnight, and you choose a two-hour arrival window. If the packers run late, an evening window still works. Book by 4 p.m. for same-day.

If you live in base housing, ask the housing office about contractor access well ahead of time. Gate rules vary by installation, and you'll want visitor access sorted before the day. Allow extra lead time.

For off-base rentals, tell your landlord or property manager what's being removed. If the building needs a certificate of insurance, we email one within one hour.

Typical PCS leftover loads

Great Neck rental near Oceana: a bunk bed, a queen set and the garage chest freezer. $123 + $143 + $146 = $412.

Kempsville house: grill, propane tank and two paint cans. $123 + $33 + $30 + $30 = $216.

East Beach townhome, everything the movers didn't take: a half truck at $431.

Before clearing quarters or the move-out inspection

The last few days before the inspection are where things go wrong. Leave room in the schedule.

• Check the attic, shed and closets. They're where forgotten items hide.
• Don't use the dumpster. Base housing and apartment complexes usually prohibit bulky items there.
• Don't leave items at the curb outside the city's set-out window. In Virginia Beach, that's 5 p.m. the night before a scheduled pickup until 7 a.m.
• Empty and clean the fridge if it stays with the house.
• Photograph the empty rooms for your records.

If you've already reported to the new station, you don't need to be there. Arrange access with a neighbor or the property manager, approve the price from photos, and the crew handles the rest. Get a quote on the instant quote page.

Frequently asked questions