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Basement Cleanouts in Great Falls

Everything down there has to come up a staircase. That's the whole job.

Crew carrying a heavy item up a set of steps

Had water down there?

Say so when you call. Soaked carpet and cardboard weigh several times their dry weight and we send the right size crew.

A basement cleanout is a garage cleanout with a staircase tax. The volume is often similar; the labour is not, because every single item makes a trip up. That is the honest reason basement jobs are priced above equivalent ground-floor ones, and it is worth knowing before you compare quotes from anyone who has not asked where the stuff is.

We bring the stairs into the estimate up front. Narrow treads, a turn at the landing, an outside cellar hatch instead of an interior stair - all of that changes the number and all of it is visible in a photograph, which is why we ask for one.

What's included

Stored boxes, totes, furniture and exercise equipment
Water-damaged carpet, padding and cardboard
Old shelving, workbenches and built-ins dismantled
Freezers and appliances brought up with proper equipment
Full clear to bare floor, swept

Job	Typical price
Partial basement, light clutter	$300 - $500
Full basement, moderately packed	$600 - $1,000
Full basement plus water-damaged materials	$900 - $1,600
Add: outside cellar hatch access only	+10-20%
Add: freezer or appliance from basement	$110 - $160

Serving Great Falls, Black Eagle and Fort Benton.

Water, Weight and Montana Basements

Great Falls basements are mostly dry, but when they are not it is usually spring melt against a foundation on the older north-side lots, or a failed water heater that ran quietly for a weekend. Either way the result is the same: everything soft in the room has absorbed water and now weighs several times what it did.

That matters for two reasons. It changes the job size dramatically - a load of soaked carpet and padding can fill a truck that the same dry material would half fill - and it changes what is worth keeping. Cardboard, particleboard furniture, upholstered pieces and mattresses that have been wet do not recover; they hold moisture in the core and mould follows. Solid wood, metal and plastic generally do recover.

If the water event was recent and significant, the right first call is a restoration company, not us. Drying the structure comes before clearing the contents, and doing it in the other order means paying twice. We will tell you that on the phone rather than after loading.

Common Questions

Why does a basement cost more than a garage?

Because every item comes up a staircase. Same volume, more labour. Anyone quoting a basement at garage prices has not asked the right question yet.

Can you get a chest freezer up the stairs?

Yes, with an appliance dolly and two people. Tell us it is down there when you call so we bring the right kit.

There's mould on some of it. Still fine?

Surface mould on discardable items is normal and we handle it with masks and gloves. Widespread growth on structure - walls, joists, subfloor - is remediation work and needs a specialist before a cleanout makes sense.

Clear the basement

Send a photo from the bottom of the stairs and we'll size it properly.

Call (406) 555-0188 Get a Free Quote