Most estate cleanout calls in Hamilton County come from an adult child or an executor, often out of state, with a house in Brainerd, Red Bank or on Signal Mountain that held one family for forty years. It has to be empty before it can be listed. Work it in this order; it protects what matters, cuts the disposal bill and keeps siblings out of arguments.
The sorting order: five passes
Finish each pass before you start the next.
- Documents and valuables first. The deed, titles, insurance policies, bank statements, tax returns, the will and safe-deposit keys. Then jewelry, cash, firearms and collections; check the desk, the closet shelf and the freezer, and take it all off the property the same day. Before anything of value leaves the house, check with the estate's attorney.
- Family items second. Photographs, letters, the recipe box, the workshop tools. Give every sibling a walk-through, in person or by video, and a deadline; mark claims with painter's tape and a name.
- Donation third. Furniture in good condition, working appliances, kitchenware, books, clothes. This pile has a clock on it: the furniture pickup is booked weeks ahead.
- Sale fourth. Antiques, a piano, a good dining set go to an appraiser or an estate sale company; a hauling crew does not value or sell anything, and the sale happens before the truck comes.
- Disposal last. Worn furniture, broken appliances, mattresses, the attic, the garage. This is the crew's job, or the city's, or both.
Where the donation pile goes in Chattanooga
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area runs a ReStore, open Tuesday through Saturday, that takes furniture, working appliances, building materials and housewares in reusable condition. It offers free pickup inside Hamilton County for a restricted list: couches, recliners, bedroom suites, dining room sets, outdoor furniture, and washers, dryers, electric stoves and full-size refrigerators that work and are under ten years old; no mattresses or anything in poor condition. Pickups are often scheduled three to four weeks out and the form does not guarantee one, so request it the week you start sorting.
Goodwill Industries of the Greater Chattanooga Area takes furniture, small appliances, household goods, books and clothing at its stores and donation centers seven days a week, not large appliances, mattresses or construction materials, and does not run its own pickup; for car loads of boxes it is the faster drop.
What the city's bulky pickup takes
Chattanooga's brush and bulky trash collection runs on a scheduled week per address, shown on the city's map. Items go at the street in front of the house by 7 a.m. on the Monday of that week, five feet from anything else, clear of meters, drains and low wires, never in an alley. It takes furniture, mattresses, heavy appliances, carpet, water heaters, grills and televisions; it refuses building materials, lumber, drywall, tile, glass, tires, cardboard, liquids and anything hazardous, and caps a property at twelve collections in any twelve months.
Two limits matter for an estate. The service excludes businesses, apartment complexes and landlords, and the city's rule is that you or a relative must reside at the address, so confirm with the city before counting on it for an empty house. And one house emptied at once is more than a curb should hold; it fits at the end, for the last mattresses and worn pieces, if the listing can wait.
What the crew does, and what it costs
The crew walks the house with you or your agent, in person or on video, and marks the piles. Anything set aside for the family is not touched; papers and photographs that turn up during the haul are boxed for you, because whether they matter is not the crew's call. Furniture still in donation condition goes to donation partners, metal to recycling, and the rest to disposal after the refrigerant is recovered from any fridge. The house is swept broom-clean, with photos of every room.
It does not appraise or sell anything, does not clean carpets or make repairs once the house is empty, and does not take hazardous material. Oil-based paint, fuel, pesticides, motor oil and old batteries go to Chattanooga's Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility, Tuesday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., for Tennessee residents with a state driver's license, up to fifteen gallons or 150 pounds per household; latex paint is not accepted there.
Cleanouts are priced by the truck load; a whole house is usually two to four loads over one or two days, and fewer once the first four piles are out.
| Load | Price | In an estate house |
|---|---|---|
| Half truck | $375–$490 | one bedroom plus the living room, or the garage |
| Three-quarter truck | $540–$650 | one floor after the family has been through it |
| Full truck | $650–$800 | a whole-house load or a full basement |
| 20-yard dumpster, one week | $465–$600 | a house the family clears room by room; extra days priced up front |
A realistic timeline for a three-bedroom house
This assumes normal condition, a garage and one family member within a day's drive. Out-of-state families compress it with one key-holder and video walk-throughs; hoarding conditions stretch it, because nothing can be thrown without a look.
- Week 1: documents and valuables out; ReStore pickup requested; crew walk-through for a written quote.
- Weeks 2 and 3: family walk-throughs and claims, with a deadline; boxes to Goodwill as they fill; an appraiser in if there is anything to sell.
- Week 4: the ReStore pickup and the estate sale, if there is one.
- Week 5: the crew's haul, one day in normal condition, two with a full basement, attic or garage; hazardous items to the city facility; broom-clean photos sent.
- The scheduled bulky week: the last mattresses and worn furniture at the curb, if the city confirmed the address qualifies.
Useful links
- City of Chattanooga: brush and bulky trash collection – accepted items, placement rules, the twelve-a-year cap and the collection-week map
- Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area: ReStore pickups – what it picks up in Hamilton County and how to request it
- Goodwill Chattanooga: donation FAQs – what it accepts and refuses, and donation center hours
Questions on this
Will Chattanooga's bulky pickup take a whole estate cleanout?
No. It takes furniture, mattresses, appliances and carpet on the scheduled week, twelve collections a year per property, only where you or a relative resides. Use it for the last pieces and a crew for the rest.
Does Habitat ReStore in Chattanooga pick up estate furniture?
Yes, free inside Hamilton County for select items in good condition: couches, recliners, bedroom suites, dining sets and working appliances under ten years old, not mattresses. Pickups often run three to four weeks out and the form does not guarantee one, so request it early.
How much does an estate cleanout cost in Chattanooga?
By the load: a three-quarter truck $540 to $650, a full truck $650 to $800, usually two to four loads over one or two days for a whole house. A 20-yard dumpster runs $465 to $600 for the week if the family clears room by room. The written quote after a walk-through is the figure charged.