Guide
· 7 min read
A site-clearing crew for Toronto contractors does the interior soft-strip, the carry-out, and the haul so the next trade walks into a ready site. The price is confirmed from photos, before HST.
General contractors, renovators, and property managers need the room clear before the next trade walks in. A site-clearing crew does the interior non-structural soft-strip, the carry-out, the loading, and the haul, then leaves the floor ready. The work is finishes and renovation debris. It is not the structure.
This page is for that handoff on a Toronto job. It covers what the crew does between trades, why a crew can fit a tight site better than a bin left on the property, how the visit is booked around other trades, what to send for a written price, and what stays out of scope. The tear-out service is selective demolition at junkofurs.com/services/selective-demolition. When the pile is already down, the haul is renovation debris removal at junkofurs.com/services/renovation-debris-removal.
Between trades, the job is to take out what the renovation is replacing and leave with it. That is interior and non-structural. A typical visit can include a soft-strip of finishes, then the carry-out, the loading, and the haul of renovation debris: drywall, flooring, cabinets, fixtures, and packaging.
Fixtures that are plumbed, wired, or gas-connected come out only after a qualified trade has already disconnected them. We do not do plumbing, electrical, or gas work. Partitions come out only when the general contractor or a structural engineer has confirmed in writing that they are not load-bearing. If that confirmation is missing, the wall stays.
What a selective interior tear-out means is in the what is selective demolition guide at junkofurs.com/blog/what-is-selective-demolition. Drywall that is already down is the drywall disposal guide at junkofurs.com/blog/drywall-disposal-toronto. A condo with a booked elevator is the condo renovation demolition guide at junkofurs.com/blog/condo-renovation-demolition-toronto.
On a tight site, a bin has to sit somewhere. A house with no driveway, a laneway lot, or a condo often has nowhere private to leave a container. A crew loads the truck and leaves on the same visit. Nothing sits in the drive or the lane waiting for a later pickup. The crew does the labour: the carry-out, the loading, and the haul. With a bin, someone on the site still has to carry every piece out and load the box.
A disposal bin that occupies the public right of way is a City permission, not a driveway decision. The City of Toronto says you need a Street Occupation Permit if you temporarily occupy any portion of the public right of way during a demolition, renovation, and/or construction project. The City describes that area as beyond the property line: the boulevard, the sidewalk, the roadway, or a public lane. The same page lists a disposal bin in the roadway or a public laneway among the equipment that needs the permit. Confirm the current rule on the City's Street Occupation Permit page before a bin goes on the street: https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/building-construction/infrastructure-city-construction/construction-standards-permits/construction-permits/street-occupation-permit/. This page does not quote permit fees. It is not a permit decision. Outside the City of Toronto, check that municipality. A crew that loads and leaves does not leave a disposal bin in the roadway or a public laneway.
A bin that sits entirely on a private driveway is on the property. While it is there, that part of the drive is out of use. The container is heavy, and wheels can mark asphalt or concrete. A crew that loads and leaves does not leave a container on the driveway for a rental period.
Condo and townhouse buildings often do not allow a bin in a shared drive, a loading area, or a visitor space. Ask management before you book a drop-off. If the answer is no, a crew can work from the access the building does allow, such as a booked elevator or a loading dock, and leave the same visit. The longer comparison, with no bin prices, is the junk removal vs bin rental guide at junkofurs.com/blog/junk-removal-vs-bin-rental-toronto.
We're not a junk company. We're your site-clearing crew. Stop renting a bin. Hire a crew.
Send the trade schedule with the scope. Note which room has to be clear, which trade arrives next, and the date that trade needs the floor. We book the soft-strip and the haul inside the window you already have.
On a condo or a managed building, include the elevator booking, the loading dock window, permitted hours, and any rule about where debris can sit. We do not set those rules. We work inside them. A short window is easier to hit when the debris leaves with the tear-out, instead of waiting for a second booking.
If the next trade only needs one room clear, the visit can stay in that room. Packaging from a delivery, cabinets that are already off the wall, and flooring that is already up can leave on the same truck as the soft-strip.
For a written price, send photos of the rooms, the debris, and the path to the truck. Note the scope: what comes out, what stays, and whether the visit is a soft-strip or a haul of material that is already down. Include the floor, the access (stairs, an elevator, a dock, a laneway, or a driveway), and the timing, including the date the next trade needs the site.
There is no flat site-clearing package price. Every figure below is before HST. HST is extra. Debris is priced by the load or by weight, never by the hour. The hourly rate is only for tear-out labour. The same ranges are on the pricing page at junkofurs.com/pricing.
Light mixed renovation and demolition debris, before HST, is a small pile at $99 to $150, an eighth of a load at $150 to $220, a quarter at $250 to $400, a half at $400 to $550, three quarters at $550 to $700, and a full load of about 15 cubic yards at $650 to $850. Each full load includes 60 to 90 minutes of loading and tear-out time.
Tear-out labour after that included time is $100 to $150 per hour for a two-person crew. The work stays interior and non-structural.
Tile, mortar, plaster, and other dense material in bulk use the heavy schedule. A heavy call-out is $300 to $450, then about $100 to $160 per tonne after the allowance. If the load weighs more than the photos suggested, we re-quote from the scale ticket.
Stairs, a basement, or a long carry to the truck add $50 to $150 or more. We confirm volume, access, and weight from the photos, then in writing, before anything is removed.
The work is interior and non-structural. We do not remove load-bearing walls, roofs, foundations, or slabs. We do not excavate, and we do not demolish a whole building. We do not cut concrete. A partition stays until the general contractor or a structural engineer has confirmed in writing that it is not load-bearing.
We do not test for, handle, or remove asbestos or any other hazardous material. If suspect material is present, have it tested by a qualified professional before tear-out. If it turns up on site, we stop. This is general information, not legal advice.
We do not do plumbing, electrical, or gas disconnects. A qualified trade does that work before we touch a connected fixture.
The crew serves Toronto, North York, Scarborough, East York, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, and Oshawa. Put the job address with the photos so the visit is booked in that area.
Send photos, the scope, the floor, the access, and the timing. Two angles of the debris, one shot of the path to the truck, and the date the next trade needs the room are enough to start.
We confirm volume, access, and weight from those photos, then in writing, before anything is removed. Send them for a written price at https://junkofurs.com/quote. Great projects start with a clean slate.
Soft-strip, demo and junk removal
6 years GTA experience. Send a quote, get your price, then book the pickup. You pay after the job is done. We reply Monday to Saturday, usually within 30 to 60 minutes.
