Autumn is one of our busiest seasons for renovations across Sussex. Kitchens, bathrooms, extensions and loft conversions all pick up as families settle back into routine after summer.
If you have a project lined up for September or October, planning the waste side now saves you a lot of hassle later.
Book the skip before the build
The biggest planning mistake we see is booking the skip after the project has started. By then, waste is piling up on the drive or in the front garden and the timeline is already slipping.
Book the skip for the day of the strip out. That’s when the waste comes out fastest and needs somewhere to go from minute one.
Skip sizes for common autumn projects
Kitchen rip out: 6 yard builder skip is standard. Old cabinets, worktops, appliances, tiles, plaster.
Bathroom rip out: 4 yard midi is usually enough. Sanitary ware is bulky but not heavy.
Loft conversion: 6 yard builder for the strip out. Book a second for finishing waste if the build runs long.
Full house renovation: 8 or 10 yard for domestic, or a 12 yard RoRo container if the project runs more than a couple of weeks.
Extensions and ground works: usually a RoRo. We hire 12, 16 and 40 yard, all out of our Lancing yard.
Weight matters more than volume
Hardcore, tile, plaster and soil are heavy. A skip fills on weight long before it fills on volume for these materials.
Rule of thumb: for anything mostly rubble, order a size smaller than you think. A builder skip half-filled with hardcore is more useful than a maxi half-filled and stuck at its weight limit.
Permits and access
For most domestic projects, the skip goes on the driveway and no permit is needed. If it has to go on the road, we handle the permit application. Most councils in Sussex take up to five working days, so factor that into the timeline.
RoRo containers need 3 metres of access width and a firm level surface. Check now, not the day before delivery.
Watch out for POPs and plasterboard
Sofas, mattresses and upholstered furniture from before 2019 contain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). While these can be placed in a mixed skip they must be placed on top of everything else, and you need to let us know so that we can charge you for the additional costs of disposing of these safely and in line with environmental legislation.
Plasterboard in mixed skips can trigger a rejection at the transfer station. If you’re likely to have a lot, we’ll bring a dedicated plasterboard skip.
Book online
Most projects can be booked online for same or next working day delivery. For a bigger project or a RoRo, add a note when you book and we’ll advise.
Rabbit has been hiring skips for renovations across Sussex since 1988.
Book online at rabbitskips.co.uk/book-a-skip
