Bungalows and single-family houses around The Catholic University of America (20017, 20018, 20064) — deep lots, detached garages, and basements full of years of things. We carry it out at a flat photo-quoted price from $75, including whole student units in May.
Snap a photo — flat price back in seconds
Upload a Photo & Get Quote →Brookland is a family neighborhood with a university sitting in the middle of it, and that's the whole shape of the work here. Porch-front bungalows and single-family houses on unusually deep northeast lots, most with a basement underneath, a lot of them with a detached garage or a shed at the back of the yard, reached from the alley. And then The Catholic University of America in 20064, with a ring of shared houses and off-campus apartments around it that empties out in the same two weeks every spring.
The family side of Brookland is a slow accumulation problem. A bungalow basement collects for as long as the family owns the house: the retired sofa, the boxes from the last move, the metal shelving, the paint shelf, holiday bins, a bed frame from a room that changed hands three times. The garage collects the outdoor half — the mower, the yard tools, the bikes, pallets, and whatever got stacked against the back wall the year the shed filled up. Neither of those is a tidy list of seven things, which matters more here than it sounds, and we come back to it below.
The student side is a deadline problem. In May, a house full of graduating seniors has to be empty by a fixed date, and what's left behind is twin mattresses, box springs, futons, desks, bookshelves, a mini fridge and a TV — furniture that's often only a year or two old. That whole unit prices as one flat truck-fill number rather than four separate charges, and a good share of it goes to donation instead of a landfill. (DC sales tax applies at checkout.)
One picture of the basement, the garage, the room or the piece. An exact flat price comes back in seconds — no on-site estimator, no "call for a quote."
Basement stairs, driveway, or the alley behind the garage? Student house with a hard move-out date? We plan the route and the timing before we dispatch.
An insured crew does every lift — basement, garage, second floor — routes what's usable to donation, and sweeps the space before leaving.
Flat and photo-quoted. Single pieces price per item; a basement, a garage, a shed or a whole student unit prices as truck-fill. The stair-carry, the walk out to the alley, the loading and the disposal are already in the number — no stair fee, no long-carry fee, no per-roommate charge.
| Item | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Wood pallet | $45 |
| Lawn mower | $88 |
| TV (medium) | $91 |
| Bed frame | $92 |
| Metal shelving unit | $95 |
| Bookshelf | $97 |
| Twin mattress | $111 |
| Desk | $112 |
| Box spring | $124 |
| Queen mattress | $139 |
| Futon | $150 |
| Mini fridge | $155 |
| Dresser | $169 |
| Sofa / couch | $170 |
Basements, garages, sheds and student units — truck-fill ladder
| Truck fill | Flat price |
|---|---|
| 2/8 of the truck | $325 |
| 3/8 | $455 |
| 4/8 (half truck) | $580 |
| 5/8 | $690 |
| 6/8 | $790 |
| 7/8 | $890 |
| Full truck (8/8) | $985 |
$75 order minimum. Clearing a room or a whole unit? Photograph the group instead of each piece — priced together as truck-fill it's almost always less than the same contents added up one at a time, and four students split one number rather than four. Yard waste from the back lot is $119 per cubic yard. DC sales tax applies at checkout.
A third-party benchmark for context: HomeGuide's 2026 junk-removal cost research puts 1-800-GOT-JUNK at roughly $400–$600 for a half truck and $700–$1,000 for a full truck, with College HUNKS starting around $150 and running $600–$800+ for a full load — all volume-priced and normally confirmed only after a crew drives out to look.
| Option | Cost | Speed | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC DPW bulk trash (311 / dpw.dc.gov) | Free | Scheduled appointment | 7 items per appointment, single-family and ≤3-unit buildings only, no renovation debris — and the 4+ unit student rentals near campus are excluded outright |
| Leave it on the curb at move-out | Free | Immediate | Not a program — an unscheduled pile on a residential block, and the landlord or the house gets the ticket |
| Donate (Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat ReStore, A Wider Circle) | Free | Days | Clean, resellable pieces only, and in May everyone in the neighborhood is trying the same thing in the same week |
| Franchise hauler (1-800-GOT-JUNK, College HUNKS, Junk King) | ≈$400–$600 half truck, $700–$1,000 full (HomeGuide 2026) | 1–3 days | Volume-priced and usually confirmed only on site, so the number isn't final until they're standing in the driveway |
| JunkRabbit | From $75 · twin mattress $111 · truck-fill $325–$985 | Same day | None — flat photo price, basement and garage carry included, donation-routed |
For most of the neighborhood, yes. Brookland is largely single-family bungalows and houses, and that's precisely who DC DPW bulk trash serves: single-family homes and buildings of three units or fewer. You request the appointment through 311 or dpw.dc.gov, and it's free. If you have a mattress, a couple of chairs and an old dresser and no particular deadline, book it — there's no reason to pay for that.
The trouble is that most Brookland jobs aren't that job. The limits:
Donation first, and in Brookland that's not a token gesture — May move-out produces the most donatable furniture of any month we work in the District, because a desk or a futon that left a student house is usually one or two years old. Sound pieces go to Goodwill of Greater Washington, the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, or A Wider Circle in Silver Spring, which furnishes homes for families leaving shelters and issues receipts on request. Metal shelving, bed frames and appliance shells go to scrap. The TV and the printer go to the District's e-waste drop-off rather than the trash stream. And the mini fridge from the dorm room or the old refrigerator and window AC units out of the basement go through EPA-certified refrigerant recovery before anything else — required by law, absorbed inside the flat price, and the reason those can't simply be set on the curb. Yard waste is composted where the facility allows it.
Bungalow basements are their own kind of stair run: steep, narrow, often with a low header at the top and a turn at the bottom. Everything down there comes up, and that's our lift, not yours. We measure first, take doors off hinges instead of forcing a dresser through a frame, break shelving and bed frames down in place, and blanket the wall on the pivot. No stair fee.
Deep lots, garages and sheds. Brookland's back yards run long, which means the carry from a shed to the truck can be a hundred feet. Some blocks have alley access straight to the garage, which is faster for everyone; others mean walking it down the driveway. Either way it's the same flat number — long carries aren't a surcharge.
Campus blocks in May. Around CUA, the streets fill with moving trucks and double-parked cars for two weeks straight. We schedule Brookland student jobs with that in mind, work whole houses in one visit rather than trickling back, and price the unit as a single truck-fill so four roommates split one number instead of arguing over four invoices.
"Rowhouse basement cleared, carried up and out. Flat price from a photo, same-day. Didn't lift a thing."
"Student move-out near CUA — whole apartment gone in an afternoon. Flat quote, easy."
"Old furniture and a fridge gone same-day. Photo, flat price, easy. Highly recommend."
How much does it cost in Brookland?
Flat, photo-quoted: wood pallet $45, lawn mower $88, TV $91, bed frame $92, metal shelving $95, bookshelf $97, twin mattress $111, desk $112, box spring $124, queen mattress $139, futon $150, mini fridge $155, dresser $169, sofa $170. Yard waste $119 per cubic yard. Basements, garages and whole student units run the truck-fill ladder from $325 at 2/8 up to $985 full. $75 order minimum, carry-out and disposal included. DC sales tax applies at checkout.
Will DC bulk trash take it instead?
For the bungalows and single-family houses, often yes — DPW serves single-family and ≤3-unit buildings via 311 or dpw.dc.gov. But it's seven items per appointment, it's scheduled rather than same-day, renovation debris isn't accepted, and the 4+ unit student rentals near campus are excluded entirely and legally need a private, licensed hauler.
Do you do Catholic U move-out?
Every May, and we staff for it. One flat truck-fill price for the whole unit, not per roommate. Book a few days ahead during the first half of May.
Can you clear the garage or the shed?
Yes — deep-lot garages and back sheds are a Brookland specialty, priced as truck-fill. Long carries down the driveway or out to the alley aren't a surcharge.
Can you haul things up from the basement?
That's most of the work here. Steep bungalow stairs, low headers, tight turns — our crew does all of it, breaking pieces down in place where needed. No stair fee.
What about an old fridge or a window AC?
Both go through EPA-certified refrigerant recovery before scrapping — required, and already in the price. Mini fridge $155, refrigerator $221, small window AC $117.
Can you come the same day?
Usually for a piece or a small load. Book a basement, a garage or a student unit a day or two out — and earlier than that during the first two weeks of May.
Flat and photo-quoted. Single pieces: wood pallet $45, lawn mower $88, medium TV $91, bed frame $92, metal shelving $95, bookshelf $97, twin mattress $111, desk $112, box spring $124, queen mattress $139, futon $150, mini fridge $155, dresser $169, sofa $170. Yard waste from the back lot is $119 per cubic yard. A basement, a garage, a shed or a whole student unit prices as truck-fill: 2/8 of the truck $325, 3/8 $455, 4/8 $580, 5/8 $690, 6/8 $790, 7/8 $890, full truck $985. The order minimum is $75, carry-out and disposal are included, and DC sales tax applies at checkout.
For the bungalows and single-family houses, yes. DC DPW bulk trash serves single-family homes and buildings of three units or fewer, requested free through 311 or dpw.dc.gov. But the caps decide most Brookland jobs: seven items per appointment, no renovation or construction and demolition debris, a scheduled date rather than same-day, and you move everything to the curb or alley yourself. And the student rentals near campus that have been carved into four or more units are excluded from the city program entirely — District rules require those buildings to use a private, licensed hauler.
Every May. A shared house or an off-campus apartment around CUA in 20017, 20018 or 20064 clears as one flat truck-fill price rather than a separate charge per roommate, so four students split one number. Twin mattresses are $111, box springs $124, futons $150, desks $112 and bookshelves $97 if you would rather price the pieces. Book a few days ahead in the first two weeks of May — that window fills fast.
Yes, and Brookland's deep lots mean we do it constantly. A garage or shed purge is the fastest way to blow past the city's seven-item cap — a mower at $88, a rack of metal shelving at $95, wood pallets at $45 each, paint, bikes, yard tools and the pile behind the shed add up long before you reach seven listed items. It prices as truck-fill from a photo. Yard waste is $119 per cubic yard.
That is most of the work here. Brookland bungalow basements have steep, narrow stair runs and often a low header at the top, and everything in them has to come up. Our crew does every lift, breaks bed frames and shelving down in place, takes doors off hinges where a dresser will not turn, and blankets the wall on the pivot. There is no stair fee and no basement charge.
Both hold refrigerant, so both go through EPA-certified refrigerant recovery before the shell is scrapped. That is a legal requirement rather than an add-on and it is already inside the flat price. A mini fridge is $155, a full refrigerator $221, and a small window AC $117. Electronics like the $91 TV go to the District's e-waste drop-off rather than the trash stream.
Donation comes first. Usable furniture is routed to Goodwill of Greater Washington, the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity ReStore or A Wider Circle in Silver Spring, which furnishes homes for families leaving shelters and will issue a receipt on request. Student move-out is the best month for this — a great deal of what leaves a CUA rental in May is a year old and perfectly sound.
Usually. Brookland sits on our northeast DC route, so a single piece or a small load booked in the morning is often gone the same afternoon. A full basement, a garage clear or a multi-room student unit is better booked a day or two out so the crew and the truck are sized for it — and during the first half of May, book earlier than that.