Shed Clearance: A ‘How To’ Guide

Clearabee know a thing or two about Garden Clearances, undertaking over 200, 000 clearances each year via our rubbish removal services. With households spending anywhere between £150 and £25k for a shed office conversion, the need for a shed in the UK has never been higher. But with the need for a shed, comes the need to clear that shed and it can often seem like a daunting task. So let’s take a look at how you can make a start on your shed clearance.

Shed clearances: why do you need one?

According to The Telegraph, there are reportedly 11.5 million domestic sheds in the UK, with Britons spending a combined total of 60 million hours per week inside them. With that amount of people spending that amount of time in sheds across the country, there are a plethora of reasons as to why shed clearances are increasingly popular, not least when it comes to this time of year.

Winter shed clearances

When winter is fast approaching, sheds prove to be even more important. With the change in climate, outdoor garden furniture such as chairs, parasols and BBQ’s need to be taken care of to make sure that they will still be usable once the following summer rolls around. This means that there needs to be plenty of room in your shed so it can house all these bulky items. But that’s not going to happen unless you’re already cleared plenty of space, and that’s where shed clearances come in.

A shed clearance can make sure that all the clutter you’ve accumulated throughout the year can make way for the things that you genuinely want to keep. Clearabee’s shed clearance services can clear as little or as much as you want from your shed, garage or summer house as well as do all the heavy lifting on your behalf. It’s the perfect way to make sure you’re ready when winter is coming.

If you’d prefer to clear your shed at your own pace, then a Skip Bag from Clearabee could be the most suitable solution for you. You can simply order your Skip Bag using our hassle-free online booking service and in most cases you’ll receive it through the post during the next business day. If you purchased the ‘Bag and Collection’ option, you then have up to six months to fill your Skip Bag before we remove it and responsibly dispose of the contents for you. To learn more about our services, take a look at our handy Skip Bag FAQ section.

Of course, sheds aren’t simply used for garden furniture and outdoor miscellany; these days sheds are used for a whole host of reasons, from housing home-working offices, artists’ studios and faux-garages for motorbikes and the like. If you’re in the market for a new purchase, that means you’ll need more space, then you could well start looking around your shed and start thinking about what should stay and what should go.

Shed clearance: moving house

If you’re moving house, there are several reasons as to why you might need that all-important shed clearance. Firstly, if you’re leaving your home, then the sad news is that you’re going to be saying goodbye to your old trusty garden shed and moving on to make memories anew. That means before moving day, you’re going to have to confront whatever is currently stored in your shed.

There’s undoubtedly going to be several items from the shed that you’re going to want to transport to your new abode so that needs to be taken into consideration when you’re booking your removal company. But for those items that you can live without, then a shed clearance from a reputable waste clearance company such as Clearabee is an invaluable service which ensures that you leave your property in the most suitable state for whoever moves in afterwards.

On the opposite side of this situation, you might move into your new property and find that the shed has been left chock-full of clutter that needs clearing. A shed clearance is the perfect service for a situation such as this; you can simply book your clearance and have the entire contents of the shed cleared, saving you the hassle of sorting through whatever has been left behind.

What can we clear from your shed?

Clearabee’s shed clearances can remove and responsibly dispose of the most-commonly kept items from Britain’s sheds. However, being the UK’s largest ‘Man and Van’ clearance company, we are also able to remove more specialist items swiftly and safely.

Bulky items such as garden furniture, children’s outdoor toys and slabs, pallets or fence panels can be tricky for shed owners to remove on their own. First of all, they can be heavy or awkward to manoeuvre and secondly, they usually require a sizeable car or van to transport them to the Household Waste Recycling Centre. Clearabee’s ‘Man and Van’ waste clearance service can remove such items for you so you can do away with the heavy lifting.

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) items such as lawnmowers, grass trimmers and leaf blowers can not only be bulky but also difficult to remove and responsibly dispose of yourself. Items such as these cannot be removed with your household waste, but can be collected by Clearabee and diverted from landfill at an average rate of at least 95%.

With regards to hazardous waste streams such as car batteries, liquids, chemicals, gas and fuels, the most appropriate course of action is to contact Clearabee. We cannot ordinarily remove hazardous streams due to health and safety or compliance, but if you contact us beforehand, we can usually provide a bespoke solution.

With all of our clearances, we will provide you with a digital Waste Transfer Note once your items have reached their end destination. This document forms part of your Duty of Care and provides you with confidence in Clearabee, detailing the recycling rate, the vehicle used and which local Waste Transfer Station your collection finally reached.

Shed sizes: How much do they cost to clear?

Although there are several shed sizes which are the most commonly-seen throughout gardens in the UK, shed clearances are not a one-size fits all scenario. However, below is an indication of the costs of Clearabee’s shed clearance services.

In terms of tangible value, above are some estimates as to how much shed clearances cost for the most common sizes in the UK. Of course, each shed size varies and the above costs should be used as a guide only. For example, in the case of a small 5’x3’ shed, the cost to clear it fully is estimated as £134.99, whereas if the shed is only 25% full, then the cost will be approximately £84.99.

For a medium-sized structure (6’x4’ for example), the cost to clear a shed that is 25% full is £84.99 but the beauty of Clearabee’s clearance services is that they scale nicely. For example, the difference between clearing a medium shed that is only 50% full is only a difference of £25, as opposed to twice the cost.

The same applies to the larger garden shed (8’x6’), where approximately 25% of 11 y³ of unwanted items will cost £109.99 to clear, whereas twice as much would only cost approximately £184.99. With this in mind, it makes sense to try and bulk up your order to increase the value of your collection and make the most of your waste clearance.

As always, the best course of action is to contact Clearabee directly so that we are able to provide you with a quote. We encourage our customers to send us images of the items that need collecting so that we can ensure more accuracy. Alternatively, you can always pay the flat call-out fee of £59.99 for our ‘Man and Van’ clearance service and our field staff will provide you with an accurate quote upon assessing the waste on site.

You could also experiment with our brand-new, unique waste calculator which allows you to add unwanted items from around your garden into a virtual basket, before receiving an estimate for the removal of said items. This gives you the opportunity to experiment with the items you’re thinking of getting rid of, as well as which method is the most cost-effective for the area in which you live.

Shed clearance: additional costs

Although the above gives you an indication of the costs associated with shed clearances, there are a few instances where additional charges may be incurred. Although Clearabee are proud that at least 95% of all that we collect is diverted from landfill, some waste streams are more specialised than others and have a cost attached to their disposal.

Such items include (but are not exclusive to) gas bottles and cannisters, lighting tubes and vehicle tyres. Each may be recycled if returned to their original vendor but if collected by Clearabee for your convenience, will cost £6 per tyre or £5 per lighting tube due to the difficulty of repsonsibly disposing of them.

There are several waste streams commonly found in sheds that Clearabee cannot usually remove due to Health and Safety reasons or compliance, but we can usually provide a specialist solution.

In any eventuality, the best course of action is to contact Clearabee to request a quote and to discuss any items which may need special consideration. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can get clearing for you.