Plan the old fixtures before the strip-out
A kitchen or bathroom refit gets planned in detail, down to the tap finish. What happens to the old units, suite and flooring is often left to the morning of the strip-out, when the hall is already full.
There are three routes for old fixtures: reuse or sell them, have your fitter take them, or book a collection. Most refits use a mix. Deciding before work starts keeps the job moving and stops you paying twice.
Can any of it be reused?
More than people expect. These often find a second home through local selling and free-to-collect sites:
- Solid kitchen units and doors in good condition, especially if they come out in one piece.
- Appliances a few years old and still working.
- A white bathroom suite with no chips, and clean internal doors.
- Radiators, if the new room is getting underfloor heating.
- Solid timber worktops. Granite and other stone worktops are on our declined list, so a sound one is worth selling.
Tell your fitter before the strip-out if you plan to sell the units. Taken out carefully they stay whole; taken out quickly they rarely do.
Does your fitter take it away?
Ask before you agree the job. Some bathroom fitters take the old suite as part of their price; some kitchen fitters charge extra; others leave everything on the drive. Get it in writing so nobody is surprised on the day. Check whether their price covers taking out the old units, lifting the old flooring and taking it all off site, as these are often listed separately.
If the fitter is taking the bulky pieces, you may only need us for what's left: the flooring, old appliances and the cardboard from the new units.
A refit timeline
- 1Two weeks before: decide what is being sold, what the fitter takes and what we collect. Photograph the room as it is now, measure any flooring while it is still down, and get your price; collections can be booked up to 14 days ahead.
- 2Before the strip-out: your plumber caps the pipes so the bath, toilet and sink are free-standing. A gas cooker must be disconnected by a Registered Gas Installer, and a hardwired oven or hob by an electrician.
- 3Strip-out: keep two piles. Fixtures, doors, units, timber and flooring in one; tiles, plaster and rubble in the other.
- 4Collection: book for just after the strip-out and before the new kitchen or bathroom is delivered. We collect on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, 14:00–16:00.
- 5Fit-out: flatten cardboard into the recycling bin. If the new units leave more packaging than the bin can take, bags of recycling are €5 each on a second visit.
Each collection has its own call-out charge, so one well-timed visit is cheaper than two. On a whole-house refurbishment, price each stage as you reach it.
What a refit sends to the van
Every collection is a €100 call-out and labour charge for the van and two loaders, plus a set price per item from our price list, VAT included.
Kitchen units come in too many sizes for one line on the list, so the assistant prices them from your photos and a person on our team checks anything it can't match. Cast-iron baths are checked by a person too, because they weigh several times more than acrylic.
The pile we can't take
Tiles, rubble, broken plaster and bricks stay out of our collection. The Health and Safety Authority warns that buildings built or refurbished before 2004 can contain asbestos. Have suspect materials assessed before strip-out; we cannot take them or contaminated waste.
Plasterboard is different: we take old boards and offcuts, priced as a loose load from our price list. Stack it apart from the rest of the junk, because plasterboard has to be kept out of general waste when it is disposed of.
Our building-waste disposal guide explains where each of those goes, from skip permits to asbestos specialists.
On collection day
Two loaders carry everything from the upstairs bathroom, the attic conversion or the back of the extension, and sweep up. If you're at work, access can be agreed in advance: your builder can let us in, or the fixtures can be left on the drive.
Agree with the fitter what they are taking before you book, and fix the list yourself with Something missing? Edit items on the price card. Your price is for the collection you book, so it stays the same if the fitter takes the bath on the day. If plans change, cancel free more than 24 hours before and book again with the new list.
Photograph each fixture, or type a list such as "bath, toilet, sink, two doors, 12 m² of carpet", and get your price. Our construction waste removal page lists every fixture we take.