Make the range name its hinges
Ask the hauler what would land you at the low end and what would land you at the high end. Typical hinges are volume, weight, stairs, a mixed material, travel to a backup site, and time on site. If they cannot name the hinges, the range is a guess, not a quote. Ask them to write the hinges next to the numbers. If one hinge is disposal weight, ask which site and which method. Then read that site's posted fee sheet so the disposal hinge is public. Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city to see candidate sites on a map. Listings can be out of date, so confirm with the site before a range assumes that gate will accept the load.
Do not budget only the bottom
The low number is the best case under the facts they listed. If your photos are incomplete, budget with the high end until a walk-through tightens it. Ask whether the high end is a cap. A range with no cap is not a ceiling. A range that becomes a single figure after an on-site look is often worth waiting for. Ask whether the look is free and whether it reserves a date. People get stuck paying the top of a range they treated as a suggestion. The written hinges are what you use if the invoice comes in higher.
Tighten it with better facts
Measure cubic yards, count stairs, and list materials that often need special handling. Send those facts and ask for a revised range or a fixed quote. A fixed quote should still say what change in the pile would reopen it. When the job is done, compare the invoice with the hinges. If the pile matched the low-end description and the bill is at the high end, ask which hinge moved. If a hinge really moved, the range worked. If none did, you have a specific question rather than a general complaint.
Before you go
- Ask which facts set the low end and the high end.
- Ask whether the high end is a cap.
- Read the posted fee sheet for any disposal site the range assumes.
- Revise the quote with measurements before you treat the low number as the plan.
Booking from the bottom of a range when your own photos already show the conditions they said would raise it.
Questions people ask
Can I hold them to the low number?
Only if the written quote says that number is fixed for the pile you showed. A range means the price depends on facts. Hold them to the hinges, not to your hope.
Should I get a second quote?
Yes, if the first will not explain its range. Give both companies the same photos and the same material list so the ranges describe one job.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.