What Size Dumpster Do I Need? A Brunswick Homeowner's Guide
It is the question we field more than any other from homeowners across Brunswick and the Golden Isles: what size dumpster do I actually need? Get it wrong and it costs you — rent a bin that's too small and you're paying for a second haul, rent one that's too big and you've paid for empty space you never filled. The good news is that sizing a roll-off is far more predictable than it looks once you stop thinking about the container and start thinking about the debris going into it.
This guide walks through it the way we'd talk it through on the phone: what each size really holds, which projects fit which bin, and the two things — volume and weight — that trip most people up. If you'd rather just describe your project and let us size it, that's what the phone is for. Call (912) 324-7846 and we'll have you sorted in a couple of minutes.
The four sizes, in plain terms
We stock four roll-off sizes, and nearly every residential job around Brunswick fits one of them. Here's the honest version of what each holds, measured in pickup-truck loads, because that's a unit anyone can picture.
| Size | Holds about | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 10 yard | 3 pickup loads | Small bathroom remodel, garage cleanout, concrete or heavy debris |
| 15 yard | 4–5 pickup loads | Roof tear-off, deck removal, large room reno, mid-size cleanout |
| 20 yard | 6 pickup loads | Whole-room gut, big garage or attic purge, flooring for a full house |
| 30 yard | 9 pickup loads | Whole-house cleanout, large renovation, new construction, estate clearing |
You can dig into the full specs on our dumpster sizes page, but specs only get you halfway. The real skill is matching the bin to what you're actually throwing away.
Room by room: what fits where
Bathroom remodel
A single bathroom gut — tile, vanity, tub, drywall, flooring — rarely fills more than a 10 yard dumpster. The catch is tile and old fixtures, which are heavy. A 10 yard bin has a lower weight limit than the bigger boxes, so if you're pulling out a mud-set tile floor, mention it when you book and we'll confirm the weight allowance.
Kitchen remodel
Kitchens produce more than people expect: cabinets, countertops, appliances, backsplash, flooring, and drywall all add up. A 15 yard bin handles most single-kitchen remodels. If you're also opening a wall or clearing an adjoining pantry or dining room, step up to a 20.
Whole-room gut or flooring
A full-room renovation or whole-house flooring job usually calls for a 20 yard dumpster. If you're renovating an older home in Old Town Brunswick or on St. Simons Island with original heart-pine and plaster, weight becomes the limiting factor before volume does — more on that below.
Garage, attic, and general cleanouts
A packed two-car garage typically fits a 15. Add the attic and the shed and you're into 20-yard territory. A full-house cleanout — the kind that follows a move or an estate settlement — is a 30 yard job.
The variable everyone forgets: weight
Here's the mistake that costs Golden Isles homeowners real money. They picture a dumpster as a volume — a big box you fill up — and forget that every roll-off also has a weight limit measured in tons. Go over it and you pay an overage fee per ton.
Most household debris — furniture, drywall, wood, cardboard — is light and fills the bin by volume long before weight is an issue. But some materials are the opposite. They hit the weight cap while the bin still looks half empty:
- Concrete, brick, and paver — extremely dense. A little goes a long way.
- Sand, dirt, and sod — heavier than it looks, especially when damp from coastal humidity.
- Roofing shingles — a full tear-off can approach the limit of a mid-size bin on weight alone.
- Tile, plaster, and old masonry — the reason we size older-home renovations carefully.
For any of these, the right answer is usually a smaller bin loaded within its weight allowance, not a bigger one you can't legally haul. We cover this in our guide to concrete, dirt, and heavy debris, and it's exactly why a phone call beats an online size calculator — a calculator doesn't know your driveway is getting a load of old paver and broken slab.
Quick rule of thumb
Light, bulky junk? Size up — volume is your limit. Heavy demolition debris like concrete or shingles? Size down and load within the weight cap. When in doubt, call and describe the pile.
When to size up vs. size down
If you're on the fence between two sizes and the debris is light, size up. The price difference between a 15 and a 20 is smaller than the cost of a second delivery, and it saves you running short mid-project on a Saturday. If the debris is heavy, do the opposite — a 30 yard bin full of concrete isn't a bargain, it's a bin you'll pay overages on. Size down, and if you have more than one bin's worth, we'll do a swap-out.
Still not sure? That's normal
Most people only rent a dumpster a handful of times in their life, so sizing isn't second nature. That's the whole reason we answer the phone the way we do. Tell us the project — "finishing my garage," "tearing off the roof on the island," "clearing out my mom's place in St. Marys" — and we'll tell you the size, the weight allowance, and the flat price before we ever roll a truck.
Ready to lock in the right size? Call (912) 324-7846 for a free quote, or browse the full size comparison first. We deliver across Brunswick and the Golden Isles, usually same or next day.
