Pop-Top & Scrape-Off Debris Removal in
Denver

Popping the top or scraping the lot? Before the demo crew arrives, the house has to be emptied — and once the work starts, the C&D debris has to go somewhere the city won't take it. We do both: pre-demo whole-house clear-outs and renovation debris, hauled flat by a licensed Denver waste hauler. Construction debris is $162 a cubic yard, contractor-friendly, tarped, and with no Colorado sales tax on the service.

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Licensed Denver waste hauler Insured, vetted crews C&D priced by the yard Contractor-friendly No CO sales tax

Pop-top, scrape-off — the Denver teardown vocabulary

If you're new to Denver's renovation scene, two words come up fast. A "pop-top" is adding a second story to an existing house — going up instead of out, common on the smaller original bungalows. A "scrape-off," or just a "scrape," is a full teardown-and-rebuild: the old house gets scraped off the lot and a new one goes up in its place. Nowhere is this hotter than Northwest Denver — the Highlands, LoHi, Berkeley, and Sunnyside — where original Victorians and Denver Squares sit right next to brand-new slot-home duplicates, plus the same churn in Wash Park and Sloan's Lake. Every one of those projects generates two hauling jobs: emptying the house before demolition, and clearing the construction and demolition debris the work throws off. We're the crew that handles both, so your builder isn't tripping over a debris pile and your timeline doesn't slip.

How debris removal works on a Denver reno

1 · Send photos

Show us the house to be cleared or the debris to be hauled. We estimate by cubic yard or truck-fill and send one flat number — no site visit needed to quote.

2 · Schedule around the trades

We work to your build calendar — before demo, mid-project, or a final clear. Same-day and repeat hauls both available across the metro.

3 · We load & haul

Our crew does the loading, tarps the load, and routes heavy C&D to the right facility with receipts kept on file. Site left clear.

How much does pre-demo & debris removal cost in Denver?

Two ways to price it, both flat from photos. A pre-demo whole-house clear-out (furniture, appliances, everything left inside) prices as truck-fill. Heavy construction & demolition debris prices by the cubic yard, because it tips by weight.

JobFlat price
Construction & demolition debris (drywall, flooring, cabinets, brick)$162 / cubic yard
Yard & landscaping debris (branches, sod, fencing)$119 / cubic yard
Loose debris pile — small / medium / large$110 / $174 / $280
Whole-house clear-out — quarter truck$325
Whole-house clear-out — half / three-quarter truck$580 / $790
Whole-house clear-out — full truck$985

$75 minimum. Disposal included. Larger demo runs multiple loads, each priced the same way. No Colorado sales tax on the service.

See the full Denver price guide → — every debris and truck-fill rate, and what drives the cost.

What we haul on a pop-top or scrape-off

Does Denver pick up construction debris?

No — and it isn't close. Denver's free Large Item Pickup (via Denver 311 · 720-913-1311) is a household bulky-goods program: five large items, once every nine weeks, curbside-only. It explicitly does not take construction or demolition debris — no concrete, brick, dirt, drywall, flooring, or cabinets — and that heavy material tips at higher weight at a construction-debris facility anyway. So a pop-top or scrape-off has no municipal option at all; the debris has to move through a licensed hauler or a C&D drop site. That's our lane. As a licensed Denver waste hauler, we're required to keep the company name and phone on the truck and hold disposal receipts for at least a year — the paper trail a permitted job actually needs.

Built for contractors and their timelines

On a tight Highlands or Sloan's Lake infill lot, there's often no room — or no permit patience — to park a roll-off dumpster for weeks, and a dumpster still leaves the loading to you. We're the flexible alternative: we bring the labor and the truck, load it ourselves, and haul on your schedule. Book a single pre-demo clear, or set up repeat hauls that keep pace as the job moves from demo to rough to finish, so the trades are never working around a growing pile. Every quote is flat and photo-based, so it drops cleanly into a bid, and every load is tarped — which on the Front Range matters, since an uncovered load doubles the tip fee. It's the clean, documented way to keep a Denver reno site moving.

Pop-top & scrape-off debris, compared

OptionCostSpeedCatch
Denver Large Item PickupFreeN/A for C&DDoes not accept construction/demolition debris at all — household bulky goods only
Roll-off dumpster rental~$400–$700+1–3 days to dropEats a tight lot for weeks, permit hassle, and you load every pound by hand
Self-haul to a C&D facilityTip fees + truckMultiple tripsYou do the loading, driving, and tipping; uncovered loads double the fee
Traditional full-service hauler~$400–$900+1–3 daysPriced by volume, often confirmed only on site
JunkRabbit$162/yd or flat truck-fillSame/next day, repeat haulsNone — flat photo price, we load it, licensed & documented

Where the debris goes

We divert what can be diverted. On a pre-demo clear-out, usable furniture, fixtures, and appliances are routed to donation — Goodwill of Colorado, ARC Thrift Stores, and Habitat for Humanity ReStore all take reusable building materials and household goods, which keeps them out of the landfill and can support a project's diversion goals. Scrap metal — old appliances, ductwork, railings — goes to a metal recycler; clean concrete and brick route to aggregate recycling where accepted; and the balance of the C&D goes to the proper construction-debris facility with receipts on file. Every load is tarped, and it all aligns with Denver's push toward construction-waste diversion.

When people call for pop-top & scrape-off hauling

Why Denver builders choose JunkRabbit

What Denver reno customers say

★★★★★

"We scraped an old bungalow in Berkeley. They emptied the whole house before demo and then handled the debris hauls as we went. Flat prices I could put in the bid, and everything documented. My go-to now."

— Tomás R., LoHi (general contractor)
★★★★★

"Pop-top on our Highlands square meant no room for a dumpster on the lot. They loaded and hauled the demo debris by the yard, on our schedule. Site stayed clear the whole build."

— Erin S., Highlands
★★★★★

"Gut renovation near Sloan's Lake — old cabinets, tile, drywall, the works. They took it as it came out, tarped every load, donated the fixtures. Flat and fast."

— Dave K., Sloan's Lake

Pop-top & scrape-off questions, answered

How is construction debris priced?

By the cubic yard — $162/yd for heavy C&D, $119/yd for yard debris — quoted flat from photos. Whole-house clear-outs price as truck-fill to $985.

Will the city take demolition debris?

No — Denver's bulky program excludes all construction and demolition debris. It has to go through a hauler or C&D facility, which is what we do.

Can you do repeat hauls through a build?

Yes — we schedule around the trades and haul as the job progresses, a flexible alternative to a roll-off on a tight lot.

Are you licensed and insured?

Yes — a licensed Denver waste hauler with insured crews, tarped loads, and disposal receipts kept on file.

What's a pop-top versus a scrape-off — and do you handle both?

A pop-top is a second-story addition raised over the existing footprint; a scrape-off is a full teardown-to-rebuild. Both throw off pre-demo whole-house junk and C&D debris, and we clear either one — the empty-out before the crew swings a hammer, and the pile after.

Can you take concrete, brick, and dirt?

Yes — heavy clean-fill from a scrape rides at the $162/yd C&D rate and goes to a C&D or fill facility, not a curb. We keep it as its own load so the weight doesn't blow up the rest of your quote.

Reno & teardown areas we cover

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