Potomac, Maryland — 20854. Large-lot properties with long driveways and gated entries, detached garages, pool houses and barns. We plan the truck staging before we arrive, carry from the far end of the property, and take the hot tub, the sauna and the pool table with it — at a flat photo-quoted price from $75, with no sales tax on the service in Maryland.
Send photos of the house and the outbuildings — one flat price back
Upload Photos & Get Quote →Bethesda's problem is a condo tower with a management company. Chevy Chase's problem is a tall old house on a close-set lot where the neighbours can see everything. Potomac's problem is distance. The houses out here sit on real acreage behind long private driveways, often behind a gate, with a detached garage somewhere off to one side, a pool house at the back, and in a fair number of cases a barn or a run of outbuildings that came with the land. Nothing about that is decorative from our end — it is the entire logistics of the job. Where the truck can physically stand is a planning question that has to be answered before the crew is dispatched, not discovered when a 26-footer is nose-first up a driveway with nowhere to turn.
It changes what a "cleanout" even means here. In most of the DMV a whole-home clear stops at the walls of the home. In 20854 the house is frequently the smaller half of the work: the garage that hasn't held a car in twelve years, the pool house full of furniture cushions and chemicals, the barn with the mower and the tack and the shelving, the deck with a hot tub nobody has filled since 2019. Those buildings are where a large-lot property quietly stores its own history, and they are why a Potomac quote is written as several truckloads across the whole parcel rather than a room count.
The last thing worth stating plainly: Maryland does not tax junk removal as a service. No sales-tax line, no percentage at the end — the flat quote is what you pay. Across four or five truckloads covering a house, a garage and two outbuildings, that is not a rounding error. (Of the three DMV jurisdictions, only the District taxes this service.)
House, garage, pool house, barn, deck — plus one shot down the driveway and one of the gate. A flat price for the whole property comes back in seconds.
Driveway length and surface, gate clearance, turning space, tree canopy, service entrance. If the truck can't reach the house, we shuttle. That's arranged, not improvised.
Enough people for the heavy pieces, mats and protection on lawn and hardscape, everything sorted for donation as we go. No tax line at the end.
Flat and photo-quoted. Heavy and outdoor pieces have a set price; a building — house, garage, pool house or barn — prices as truck-fill; loose debris prices by the cubic yard. The long carry from an outbuilding down to where the truck can stand is inside the number, as is the disposal, and there is no Maryland sales tax on the service.
| Item | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Outdoor lounge / patio seating | $82 |
| Patio table | $120 |
| Picnic table | $150 |
| Basketball hoop | $155 |
| Trampoline | $156 |
| Swing set / play structure | $192 |
| Chest freezer | $196 |
| Riding mower | $205 |
| Home gym | $240 |
| Refrigerator (large) | $246 |
| Safe (large) | $273 |
| Upright piano | $390 |
| Sauna | $395 |
| Hot tub | $434 |
| Grand piano | $590 |
| Pool table | $812 |
Loose debris — by the cubic yard
| Material | Price per cubic yard |
|---|---|
| Yard waste, brush & storm limbs | $119 |
| Construction & renovation debris | $162 |
Houses, garages, pool houses and barns — the 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 |
Storage units — priced whole
| Unit size | Flat price |
|---|---|
| 10x20 | $1,580 |
| 10x30 | $2,365 |
$75 order minimum. A full Potomac property is normally quoted as several truckloads across one or two days, with the whole figure given up front — the house and every outbuilding in one number, not a first truck followed by a conversation about the barn. No Maryland sales tax on the service.
Two outside reference points. On the franchise side, HomeGuide's 2026 research has a half truck landing around $400–$600 and a full one around $700–$1,000 nationally — volume-based figures that normally arrive only once an estimator has been out, which on a parcel this size means surrendering a half-day so somebody can walk the house, the garage, the pool house and the barn before you learn what any of it costs. And disposal is a genuine cost here: Montgomery County's Shady Grove Processing Facility & Transfer Station in Derwood charges collectors by the ton. Every hauler in this county pays it at the scale; ours is already inside the flat price.
| Option | Cost | Speed | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County bulk collection | Free / county program | Scheduled or on-call | Item caps and exclusions apply (confirm with MoCo DEP) — and on a large lot you first drag everything a hundred yards down the driveway to the collection point yourself |
| Roll-off dumpster rental | Rental + haul + tonnage | Days on site | It sits in your driveway for a week, needs somewhere flat and firm to land, can mark pavers and asphalt — and you still load every piece of it |
| Donate it yourself | Free | Days–weeks | Partners take resellable furniture, not pool equipment, mowers or barn contents; pickup slots book out; the outbuildings stay full |
| Franchise hauler | ≈$400–$600 half truck, $700–$1,000 full (HomeGuide 2026) | 1–3 days | Volume-priced after an on-site walk of the whole parcel; heavy outdoor items are often quoted separately or declined |
| JunkRabbit | From $75 · truck-fill $325–$985 · hot tub $434 · pool table $812 · no MD tax | Same day / same week | None — one flat photo price for the house and every outbuilding, staging planned, lawn and hardscape protected |
Yes. The county operates its own scheduled and on-call bulk collection, and for a couple of ordinary household items with no deadline attached, use it — we would rather point you at the free option than pretend it doesn't exist. What we won't do is invent a number on the county's behalf. There are item caps and exclusions, they get revised, and the only source worth trusting on them is the county itself — check the current limits and accepted materials with the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection before you build a weekend around them.
The reason the program falls down in Potomac specifically has nothing to do with the cap and everything to do with geography. On a large-lot property, "the curb" can be a hundred yards or more from the house — up a driveway, past a gate, sometimes on a road where nothing is meant to sit. So the free program's genuine cost is not measured in dollars, it is measured in what you personally have to move and how far. A hot tub cover and shell down that driveway. A slate pool table out of a lower level and along it. Four decades of a detached garage — mower, workbench, tires, paint, shelving — ferried out in armloads to the road and then left there until the appointment arrives. That is a weekend of labour on the best day, and on a property with a pool house and a barn it is not a weekend at all.
There is also the exclusion problem. Renovation and construction debris is generally outside county bulk programs, which is exactly what a Potomac kitchen or bathroom project produces, and yard waste from an acre of mature trees runs on its own separate rules. We price both by volume — yard waste $119 per cubic yard, construction debris $162 per cubic yard — and take them in the same visit as everything else.
And where it ends up matters to the price. Material collected in Montgomery County tips at the Shady Grove Processing Facility & Transfer Station in Derwood, which charges collectors per ton. That is a real, structural cost behind every quote in this county. Ours is inside the flat number you were given, which is also why we sort for donation at your property rather than at the scale — anything a partner takes is weight nobody pays to bury.
A Potomac clear produces a genuinely mixed load, and it gets separated rather than tipped as one. Usable furniture and household goods go to donation first — A Wider Circle in Silver Spring, which furnishes homes for families leaving homelessness and issues donation documentation, plus Habitat for Humanity ReStore (which will take patio furniture, fixtures, appliances and building materials), Goodwill of Greater Washington and the Salvation Army. Sports and play equipment in serviceable condition goes the same way where a partner will take it.
The rest is routed by material. Metal goes to scrap — and on a property like this that is a real share of the load: a swing set frame, a basketball post, a trampoline, shelving, a mower deck, gym weights and machine frames. Electronics go to Montgomery County e-waste recycling. Refrigerators, freezers and window air conditioners get EPA-certified refrigerant recovery before disposal, including the garage second fridge that has been running since the last decade. Pool chemicals, paint, solvents and fuel are separated for the county's household-hazardous-waste channels rather than thrown in the back of a truck — this is the part of a pool-house clear that most people don't think about and no hauler should improvise. Clean wood and brush is handled as yard waste. Only the genuine remainder tips at Shady Grove.
Access is the Potomac skill. Before a crew is dispatched we want to know the driveway's length and surface, whether it is gated and how wide the gate is, whether the tree canopy over it clears a box truck, whether there is turning space at the top, and whether there is a service or rear entrance closer to the outbuildings. If the truck can safely reach the house, that is where it stands. If it can't — a narrow gate, a soft or freshly sealed surface, a canopy that won't clear — we stage at the road and shuttle loads down with a smaller vehicle. Either way you are told which it is beforehand.
What we walk on gets protected. Mats or plywood under wheels and pivot points where the surface warrants it, care on pavers, flagstone, brick and pool decking, and route-planning that keeps a heavy carry off wet turf and irrigation heads. Lawn ruts and a cracked paver cost more to put right than the removal did, which is precisely why this is a planning question and not a shrug.
Heavy pieces get the crew they need. A slate pool table, a full-size safe, a grand piano, a hot tub shell and a commercial-grade home gym are not two-person items, and pretending otherwise is how floors and backs get damaged. We size the crew to the piece, break things down in place — a hot tub cut into sections, a sauna taken apart panel by panel, a pool table split into frame, rails and slate — and blanket the pivots. There is no heavy-item surcharge on top of the listed price, and no charge for the fact that the barn is two hundred feet from the truck.
"Whole estate including basement and attic, cleared over three days. Careful with the antiques, donation-routed. No sales tax in Maryland."
"Downsizing after decades here — kept what we marked, cleared the rest, donation-routed. Careful and discreet."
"Discreet, careful with the good furniture, realtor-ready. One fair flat price, no tax line. Highly recommend."
How much does it cost in Potomac?
Flat, photo-quoted: outdoor lounge $82, patio table $120, picnic table $150, basketball hoop $155, trampoline $156, swing set $192, chest freezer $196, riding mower $205, home gym $240, large refrigerator $246, large safe $273, upright piano $390, sauna $395, hot tub $434, grand piano $590, pool table $812. Yard waste $119/cu yd, construction debris $162/cu yd. Buildings price as truck-fill, $325 at 2/8 up to $985 full; storage units $1,580 (10x20) and $2,365 (10x30). $75 order minimum, no Maryland sales tax on the service.
Can your truck get up my driveway?
We settle that before dispatch — length, surface, gate width, canopy clearance and turning space. Where the truck can't safely reach the house we stage at the road and shuttle loads down. No extra charge either way.
Will you damage the lawn or the pavers?
Not if we've planned it. Mats or plywood under wheels and pivots where needed, care on flagstone, brick and pool decking, and carry routes chosen to stay off wet turf and irrigation heads.
Do you take hot tubs and saunas?
Yes — hot tub $434, sauna $395. Drained and cut down in place, or dismantled panel by panel, so they leave a deck or pool surround in sections.
Can you clear the barn and the pool house too?
Yes, in the same visit and the same quote. Each building prices as truck-fill; the whole property comes back as one number rather than a series of return trips.
Won't Montgomery County take it for free?
For a few items, possibly — the county runs scheduled and on-call bulk collection with item caps and exclusions; confirm current rules with MoCo DEP. But on a large lot you first move everything a hundred yards down the driveway yourself, and renovation debris is generally excluded outright.
Is there sales tax?
No. Maryland doesn't tax the junk-removal service, so there's no tax line on a Potomac bill — across four or five truckloads that's a real difference from the same work in the District.
How does that compare to a franchise?
A franchise half truck sits around $400–$600 nationally and a full one around $700–$1,000 (HomeGuide 2026), by volume and confirmed only after someone has walked the parcel. Ours comes from photographs, covers the long carry from the outbuildings, and carries no MD tax.
Flat and photo-quoted. Heavy and outdoor pieces price per item: outdoor lounge $82, patio table $120, picnic table $150, basketball hoop $155, trampoline $156, swing set $192, chest freezer $196, riding mower $205, home gym $240, large refrigerator $246, large safe $273, upright piano $390, sauna $395, hot tub $434, grand piano $590, pool table $812. Loose yard debris is $119 per cubic yard and construction debris $162 per cubic yard. A house, a garage, a pool house or a barn prices as truck-fill: $325 at 2/8 through $985 for a full truck, and a Potomac property normally runs several trucks. Storage units are $1,580 for a 10x20 and $2,365 for a 10x30. The order minimum is $75, and there is no Maryland sales tax on the service.
No. Maryland does not tax junk removal as a service, so there is no sales-tax line on a Potomac bill — the flat quote is the total. On a property that takes four or five truckloads across the house, the garage and the outbuildings, that is a meaningful difference from the same work done across the line in the District, which is taxed.
Usually yes, and where we cannot we plan around it rather than discover it on the day. We ask up front about driveway length and surface, gate width and clearance, overhead tree canopy, turning space at the top and whether there is a service entrance. If the driveway will not take the truck we stage a smaller shuttle vehicle at the house and run loads down. Plywood or mats go under the wheels where the surface warrants it, and the lawn, pavers and hardscape are protected. None of that is an extra line on the price.
Yes — hot tub $434, sauna $395, pool table $812, and they are among the most common calls in 20854. A hot tub is drained and cut down in place so it can leave a deck or a pool surround in sections, a sauna is dismantled panel by panel, and a slate pool table comes apart into frame, rails and slate rather than being wrestled out whole. These are planned lifts with the right crew size, not a surcharge added when the truck is already in the driveway.
That is the signature Potomac job. Outbuildings collect what the main house has no room to argue about: mowers, workbenches, tools, pool equipment, patio furniture, bicycles, sports gear, paint, feed and tack, and shelving that has not been touched in a decade. Each building prices as truck-fill, $325 at 2/8 through $985 full, and we clear them in the same visit as the house so the whole property is quoted as one number rather than a series of returns.
Both are priced by volume: yard waste $119 per cubic yard and construction debris $162 per cubic yard. That covers the storm limbs and brush piles that a big lot generates, and the drywall, cabinetry, decking and tile that come out of a renovation — the category most county bulk programs exclude outright.
HomeGuide's 2026 cost research puts national franchise junk removal at roughly $400 to $600 for a half truck and $700 to $1,000 for a full truck, priced by volume and typically confirmed only after an on-site estimate. On a Potomac property that means booking a half-day for someone to walk your house, garage, pool house and barn before you learn the number. Ours comes back from photographs, covers the whole property including the long carry from the outbuildings, and carries no Maryland sales tax. Disposal sits behind it as a real cost: Montgomery County's Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station in Derwood charges collectors by the ton, and that is already inside the flat price.