Residential load pricing vs. commercial project pricing
Updated 2026-11-06 · Published by XB Junk Solutions LLC
Short answer
Residential jobs are priced by how much of the truck they fill. Commercial and hospitality jobs are priced by project scope — items, crew time, floors, access and loads — because logistics drive the cost.
Why the difference
For example, twenty dressers on a fifth floor with one service elevator and a two-hour dock window is a scheduling problem as much as a volume one. Pricing it like a garage would be wrong in both directions.
Which method fits your job
- Single items or a few rooms at a home: residential load pricing from photos
- Rental turnovers with clear photos: usually load pricing
- Multiple floors, elevators or loading docks: project pricing
- Work that must happen around guests, tenants or business hours: project pricing
- Multi-load jobs over several days: project pricing with a written scope
What a written commercial scope includes
A commercial scope typically lists the items or areas included, estimated loads, crew size, access details such as docks and elevators, schedule windows, and anything specifically excluded. Having it in writing keeps everyone working from the same expectations.
| Residential load | Commercial project | |
|---|---|---|
| Based on | Truck volume | Inventory, labor, access, loads |
| Estimate | Photos by text | Inventory or walkthrough |
| Scheduling | Same-day possible | Planned windows, phases |
| Price set | On site before loading | In writing before work starts |