The short answer
Volume pricing, disposal included: quarter truck $241, three-eighths $338, half $431, five-eighths $513, three-quarters $587, seven-eighths $661, full $732.
Most Nashville estate jobs are a full truck at $732 plus a second visit. A 1950s ranch in Crieve Hall, West Meade, Donelson or Madison that has held one family since it was built is almost never a single load, and anyone who tells you otherwise has not opened the attic yet.
Why Nashville estate houses hold more than they look like they do
The postwar housing belt around this city was built with storage that the owners used for six decades.
The brick ranches in Crieve Hall, Donelson, Madison, Bellevue and West Meade came with a floored attic over the garage and a detached shed out back. The older homes in Green Hills, Belmont-Hillsboro and Woodmont came with real basements, which is uncommon in Middle Tennessee and which means an entire additional floor of accumulation. Everywhere else, the crawlspace became storage the moment somebody put a plywood sheet down there.
The house looks like a three-bedroom. It is functionally five rooms of contents.
Sequence it before you price it
Cleanouts go wrong when disposal happens before sorting. Work in this order.
- Documents and valuables first. Deeds, insurance, titles, photographs, anything in a safe. A small safe removal is $100, but open it before it goes.
- Family claims second. Give people a firm date. In Nashville estates, half the family is now in Williamson or Rutherford County and the other half is out of state, so set a weekend and hold it.
- Appraisal third, if anything warrants it. Upright pianos are the classic Nashville case. If it is going rather than selling, removal is $290, and a baby grand is $438.
- Donation fourth. Charlotte Pike, Nolensville Pike and Gallatin Pike centers take clean furniture in resale condition and refuse mattresses.
- Disposal last. By then you know whether it is one truck or two.
A worked example: a Crieve Hall ranch
Living room, one bedroom and the laundry corner, priced by item.
| Item | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Sofa | $126 |
| Recliner | $98 |
| China hutch | $160 |
| Dining table (6-8 seat) | $163 |
| Queen mattress + box spring set | $143 |
| Dresser (large / double) | $148 |
| Washer | $133 |
| Dryer | $128 |
| Item total | $1,099 |
$126 + $98 + $160 + $163 + $143 + $148 + $133 + $128 = $1,099. A full truck is $732, so the truck bracket is the obvious booking, and the attic and shed still have not been touched.
The things that surprise families
Four items turn up in Nashville estates constantly and each one is a real line.
- The chest freezer in the garage. $146 for a chest, $149 for an upright, and it has been running since 1994.
- The second refrigerator. $164 standard, $183 for side-by-side or french door. Nearly every Donelson and Hermitage garage has one.
- The upright piano. $290. Somebody in the family always says they want it, right up until they measure their own stairs.
- Boxes of books and papers. $45 a box, which adds up fast in a house with a study. For a study's worth, price bags instead: 15 bags is $196, 25 bags is $322.
Access, by neighborhood
What actually varies across the metro is how the truck gets loaded, not what it costs.
Crieve Hall, Donelson, Madison, Bellevue. Flat driveway, garage door, the easiest estate work in the city.
Green Hills, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, Belle Meade. Long, steep, curving driveways with mature trees over them. The truck often parks at the bottom and the carry is longer. Same price.
Belmont-Hillsboro, 12 South, East Nashville bungalows. Narrow streets, cars on both sides, and a basement stair that was built before anyone thought about getting a sofa back up it.
Two visits is normal, and cheaper than you think
The usual shape is a first full truck at $732 to clear the furniture and the bulk, then a second smaller visit once the family has finished sorting closets and the attic. That second one is often a half truck at $431 or a quarter at $241.
Splitting it this way is generally better than trying to do everything in one day, because the sorting is the slow part and nobody makes good decisions about their mother's kitchen at 6pm.
Booking an estate job in Nashville
Tell us the neighborhood, whether there is a basement, an attic and a detached shed, and roughly how much is going. Give us the driveway situation too, because a Forest Hills approach and a Madison carport are very different for parking and we would rather know beforehand.
If the estate is being handled from out of state, we can work with a realtor, an executor or a neighbor with a key, and you get the total in writing before anything moves, which is the number you can forward to the rest of the family.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a full-house estate cleanout cost in Nashville?
Most run a full truck at $732 plus a second visit, commonly a half truck at $431. A smaller house with the family already sorted through it can come in at three-quarters of a truck, which is $587.
Do you handle the basement in an older Green Hills home?
Yes. Real basements are the exception in Middle Tennessee and they are where the volume hides. There is no stair charge for bringing it up.
What about the piano?
An upright piano is $290 and a baby grand is $438. Decide whether it is being sold before booking, because once it is on the truck that choice is made.
Can you work with an executor who lives out of state?
Yes. We need access arranged, a written item list or truck bracket, and someone local who can confirm what stays. You get the price before we drive.
Do I need to sort everything first?
Pull documents, valuables and anything a family member has claimed. Beyond that, no. Most families book a first full truck for the obvious bulk and a second visit once the closets are done.