The short answer
Renovation debris splits into two categories and they price differently.
Light construction debris is $120: drywall offcuts, trim, framing scrap, insulation, packaging, underlay, general demo material.
Concrete and masonry debris is $219 per quarter truck: broken slab, brick, block, mortar, tile beds, stone.
The fixtures that come out of a remodel price individually, and the whole job can also price off the volume ladder: 1/4 $241, 3/8 $338, 1/2 $431, 5/8 $513, 3/4 $587, 7/8 $661, full truck $732.
Minimum per visit is $75. Labor and disposal are included.
Why dense debris is priced separately
Volume pricing works because most junk is bulky and light. A sofa takes up a lot of truck and weighs very little.
Masonry is the reverse. Broken concrete, brick and tile fill a truck's legal weight allowance long before they fill its physical space, so a quarter truck of slab is a fully loaded truck in every way that matters. That is why it has its own line at $219 per quarter truck rather than sitting on the general ladder.
The same logic applies to anything unusually dense: cast iron, stone countertop, wet plaster, roofing.
Practical upshot: keep the heavy pile and the light pile separate on site. Mixing broken tile through a pile of drywall makes the whole load heavy and makes nothing cheaper.
What San Antonio is currently renovating
The work here has a distinct shape, and it produces predictable debris.
Mid-century ranch houses inside Loop 410 are the big one. The 1950s to 1970s stock across the Northeast, North Central and South sides is being updated constantly: kitchens opened up, bathrooms gutted, carpet pulled for hard flooring, popcorn ceilings scraped, and single-pane aluminum windows replaced.
Older homes in the historic neighborhoods, King William, Lavaca, Monte Vista, Dignowity Hill and Beacon Hill, where the work is heavier, the plaster is real, the tubs are cast iron and there is usually a shed's worth of removed material.
New-build finish-out and early updates in the fast-growing suburbs out around Alamo Ranch, Cibolo, Converse and north past 1604, where the debris is packaging, builder-grade fixtures being swapped, and fencing.
Storm repair. Spring hail seasons produce roofing work and fence replacement across the whole metro at once.
Fixture and material prices
| Item | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Construction Debris | $120 |
| Concrete / Masonry Debris (per 1/4 truck) | $219 |
| Contractor Bag | $41 |
| Bathtub (cast iron) | $185 |
| Bathtub (fiberglass) | $90 |
| Bathroom Vanity | $69 |
| Toilet (Detached) | $64 |
| Countertop — Stone / Granite (per section) | $111 |
| Countertop — Laminate (per section) | $56 |
| Cooktop / Rangetop (Drop-In) | $71 |
| Dishwasher | $109 |
| Carpet — Removal (per room) | $71 |
| Carpet (rolled) | $68 |
| Water Heater (Tank) | $131 |
| Ceiling Fan | $41 |
Worked examples
A bathroom gut in a 1960s ranch house: fiberglass bathtub $90 + bathroom vanity $69 + detached toilet $64 = $223, against a quarter-truck load at $241. Item pricing wins.
The same bathroom in an older home with a cast iron tub: cast iron bathtub $185 + vanity $69 + toilet $64 = $318, against a 3/8 load at $338. Items still win, by $20.
A kitchen counter swap: two stone countertop sections at $111 each ($222) + construction debris $120 = $342, past the $338 three-eighths tier, so the load price wins.
Carpet out of three bedrooms: carpet removal at $71 per room, three rooms = $213, under the $241 quarter truck.
The quote runs item pricing against the ladder and charges the lower.
The carpet job, which is the most common one here
Pulling carpet for hard flooring is probably the single most frequent renovation in San Antonio houses right now, and it is worth understanding what comes out.
Three layers: the carpet itself, the underlay, and the tack strip around the perimeter. Carpet removal prices at $71 per room, which covers pulling it rather than just taking away a roll somebody else already cut. A carpet that has already been rolled and set aside is $68.
Two local notes. Carpet in a house that has had a slab leak or taken water in a flash-flood event needs to be flagged, because wet underlay is far heavier and needs handling. And carpet that has spent years in a pet household in this humidity is a different job from clean carpet, so say so when you book so the crew comes prepared.
What cannot go on the load
Renovation produces more excluded material than any other kind of job, so separate these before the truck arrives.
- Paint, stain, thinner, adhesive and solvents. Household hazardous waste, dedicated drop-off. Check the current accepted list on your city's page.
- Anything suspected of containing asbestos. Older floor tile, some pipe insulation and certain textured ceiling finishes in pre-1980s houses. That is specialist abatement work with its own legal requirements, not a junk load. If you are scraping a popcorn ceiling in a house of that era, have it tested first.
- Lead paint debris, same category of caution in the older housing stock.
- Refrigerant appliances, which are handled separately but can be collected on the same visit.
- Propane cylinders, batteries and fuel containers.
Scheduling it around the work
Three things make a renovation cleanout efficient rather than a nuisance.
Stage it where the truck can reach. Garage, driveway or side yard. Most San Antonio houses have a single-width drive and no alley, so plan one clear line from the pile to the street.
Split the heavy from the light. Masonry in one pile, everything else in another. It prices better and it loads faster.
Book mornings in summer. Demolition debris in a driveway at two in the afternoon in July is the slowest version of the job, for everybody.
If the project runs over several days, a container may suit the ongoing debris better, with a separate visit for the heavy fixtures that would eat its weight allowance. The two work well together.
Frequently asked questions
How much does renovation debris removal cost in San Antonio?
General construction debris is $120 and concrete or masonry debris is $219 per quarter truck. Fixtures price individually: a cast iron bathtub is $185, a fiberglass one $90, a vanity $69, a detached toilet $64. Whole jobs can also price by volume from $241 a quarter truck to $732 a full one.
Why is concrete priced differently from other debris?
Because dense material fills a truck's weight allowance long before it fills the space. A quarter truck of broken slab is a fully loaded truck, so it prices at $219 per quarter truck rather than on the general volume ladder. Keep heavy and light piles separate on site.
Do you remove carpet, or just take it away?
Both. Carpet removal is $71 per room, which covers pulling the carpet, the underlay and the tack strip. Carpet somebody has already cut and rolled is $68. Flag it if the carpet is wet from a slab leak or a flood event, because wet underlay is much heavier.
Can you take asbestos or lead paint debris?
No. Suspected asbestos in older floor tile, pipe insulation or textured ceiling finishes is specialist abatement work with its own legal requirements. If you are scraping a popcorn ceiling in a pre-1980s San Antonio house, have it tested before anything is disturbed.
Should I use a dumpster instead?
For a multi-day project where debris appears continuously and a crew is on site loading it, a container often suits better. Many jobs use both: the container for ongoing debris, and a separate visit for the heavy fixtures like a $185 cast iron tub that would eat the container's weight allowance.