Do it yourself or hire a removal service
What doing it yourself takes in practice, and the point at which it stops being the easier choice.
Do it yourself or hire a removal service. Take the old furniture yourself or book a removal? What doing it yourself really takes — transport, a helper, dismantling — and when it is worth it. What doing it yourself takes in practice, and the point at which it stops being the easier choice.
There is no single answer. Sometimes taking it yourself is quicker and cheaper; sometimes it ends with a piece of furniture wedged in the stairwell. Below is an honest account of what doing it yourself actually involves.
| Part of the job | If you take it yourself | If you book us |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | Find and hire a trailer or van | Included |
| Dismantling | Your own job, with your own tools | Included, from €15 |
| Carrying out of the flat | You carry it, usually needing a second person | Included, lift or no lift |
| Loading and unloading | Your job at both ends | Included |
| Hand-over at the landfill | Check opening hours and conditions, queue | Included |
| Cost | Fuel, hire, the drop-off fee, your time | From €30 excluding VAT, known before we arrive |
- You need a van — it won't fit in a car
- You need at least one physically able helper
- Dismantling and tools are down to you
- You have to find a site that accepts the item
- Realistically it takes about half a day
- Transport is our problem
- Carrying it out of the flat is included
- We dismantle if it won't go through the door
- We hand it over for disposal — no second trip
- Price known before we arrive, from €30
What taking it yourself involves
A sofa, a mattress or a wardrobe won't fit in a car — you need a van, usually hired for a minimum period.
At a stairwell turn the item has to be held at both ends at once. One person can't do it.
Screwdriver, hex keys and somewhere to put the parts. Old screws tend to be rusted in.
The route from the flat to the vehicle takes the most time — especially with no lift.
You have to check the opening hours and whether the item is accepted at all.
For one large item, realistically count on about half a day.
Transport
This is the first point where the plan usually stops. A double mattress, a sofa or a wardrobe won't fit in a car even with the rear seats folded down — the problem isn't the weight but the length, and the fact that these things can't be folded. An estate or an SUV is fine for small tables, chairs and individual wardrobe panels, but not for a whole piece of furniture.
In practice that means a van. If nobody you know has one, you have to hire it, and hire is usually tied to a minimum period — you pay not for the hour you use but for the whole slot, plus fuel. When you're working out what doing it yourself costs, that sum has to be added, even if handing the furniture in is free.
A second person
You need at least one physically able helper, and not just for the loading. You can't turn a sofa at a stairwell turn on your own — the item has to be held at both ends at once: one person guides the leading end round the banister while the other holds the counterweight so the sofa doesn't snag or drop on your feet. With one person there are no options at that moment — you can't put it down and you can't back out.
The same applies to a wardrobe carcass and a large table top. And if your helper is only free one evening, everything else — the van, the drop-off site's opening hours — has to be arranged around that same evening.
Dismantling
A wardrobe, a bed or a corner sofa usually won't go through the flat door in one piece, so carrying is preceded by dismantling. You need a screwdriver or a drill-driver, hex keys, a hammer and somewhere to put the parts. On old furniture the screws tend to be rusted or rounded off, and cam fittings tend not to turn.
The other thing worth knowing in advance: chipboard often breaks as it comes apart. An old wardrobe that has already been moved once may not go back together a second time, and edges swollen by damp split along the screw holes. If the item is going for removal that's no loss, but it has to be factored into your timing — the parts become sharp and awkward to carry.
Carrying out
This is the part people underestimate. Loading the vehicle takes a few minutes; the route from the flat to the vehicle takes the longest. From the ground floor, or with a lift the item fits in, it's manageable. Above the second floor with no lift, getting a wardrobe or a sofa down is serious physical work with rest stops, and the stairwell has banisters, letterboxes, walls and neighbours' doors, all of which have to come through unscratched.
The drop-off site
Before you drive, you have to find a site that accepts the item at all, and check its opening hours, closing days and rules — whether private individuals are served, whether you have to show a declared address, whether that particular material is taken. Mattresses, for example, are accepted less often than wooden furniture. Driving there and finding out on the spot that the item isn't taken means driving it back.
How long it takes
Adding up sorting out transport, dismantling, carrying out, the drive, unloading and getting back, one large item realistically takes about half a day. Most of that time goes not on the work but on driving there and back.
When doing it yourself really is the better option
If the item is small, it's on the ground floor and you already have a suitable vehicle and a helper — drive it yourself. Booking a removal solves nothing in that case and only adds waiting. The same goes for chairs, shelves and smaller tables that fit in the car without dismantling. Useful reading: an overview of drop-off points and of where to put old furniture.
What booking a removal gives you
We arrive at the agreed time, dismantle if it's needed, carry the furniture out of the flat, load it and haul it away. No van to hire, no helper to find, no tools to hunt down and nothing to carry down the stairs. It also removes the business of finding a drop-off site and the second trip back.
The price is known in advance: send photos and we'll tell you the sum before the trip. From €30 per item, mattress from €25, a whole apartment from €90, excluding VAT. Full price list.
Small item, ground floor, you have a vehicle and a helper — take it yourself. Needs dismantling or carrying down from an upper floor — book a removal.
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Fill in the form and attach photos of what needs to go. We'll call you with a price, and you pick a time that suits you.
Frequently asked questions
If you already have transport, it's cheaper in money. If you have to hire a van, count on the hire charge for the whole minimum period plus fuel. The main cost, though, is time.
In practice, no. At a stairwell turn it has to be held at both ends, so you need at least one helper.
If you take it yourself — usually yes, or it won't fit in the vehicle. If you book a removal, we do the dismantling.
No. A sofa, a double mattress and a wardrobe carcass won't fit even with the seats down — you need a van or a large cargo area.
Including sorting out transport, dismantling, carrying out, the drive and getting back, realistically about half a day.
No. Opening hours and lists of accepted items differ, so the rules have to be checked before you drive, not after.
Send photos through the form and tell us the floor and whether the building has a lift. We'll give you a price, and then you can compare it with what doing it yourself would cost.