How much does a house clearance cost?
A house clearance in Switzerland costs between CHF 3,000 and CHF 15,000. An average detached family house with cellar, attic and garage comes to CHF 5,000 to CHF 9,000. Sellable contents are valued and credited against the invoice, which often lowers the final amount considerably.
House clearances regularly cost three to five times as much as an apartment clearance — and that is almost never down to the living area. The difference comes from the ancillary spaces: full cellar, attic (Estrich — the unheated loft under the roof, standard in Swiss houses), garage, garden shed, workshop. These are rooms in which material accumulates for decades without anyone consciously noticing it.
At the same time, house clearances offer the biggest savings potential. Older houses often contain sellable goods — tools, machines, furniture, watches, collections — and the proceeds are offset directly against the clearance cost.
Guide prices by property size
| Property | Typical volume | Guide price |
|---|---|---|
| Terraced house, 4–5 rooms | 60–90 m³ | CHF 3,000 – 6,000 |
| Detached family house, 5–6 rooms | 80–130 m³ | CHF 5,000 – 9,000 |
| Large detached house / villa | 120–200 m³ | CHF 8,000 – 15,000 |
| Farmhouse with agricultural wingBarn and outbuildings included | 150–350 m³ | CHF 10,000 – 25,000 |
| Attic only | 20–50 m³ | CHF 1,200 – 3,000 |
| Garage / workshop only | 15–40 m³ | CHF 900 – 2,600 |
Guide values for the Zurich area, transport and disposal fees included. The price becomes binding after a free site visit.
What determines the price
These factors explain why two properties of the same size can cost very different amounts.
Ancillary spaces
Often 50–70 % of total volumeCellar, attic, garage, garden shed and workshop often account for more than half the volume in a detached house. They must be written into the quote explicitly.
Hazardous waste
+CHF 150–600Workshops and cellars almost always yield paint, varnish, waste oil, chemicals and pesticides. Ten to sixty kilograms per house is typical.
Outdoor areas
+CHF 400–1,500Garden furniture, tool sheds, compost bins, wood stores and green waste are separate volume with their own disposal route.
Sellable contents
Often reduces the bill by CHF 1,000–6,000Solid-wood furniture, watches, tools, machines, carpets and collections are valued and deducted.
Access and skip placement
Saves CHF 300–800 compared with city locationsUsually straightforward at a detached house — a skip can stand on your own forecourt, which saves transport runs.
Suspected contaminants
Only relevant for strip-out workFor buildings constructed before 1990, an asbestos assessment is required before any strip-out work. A pure clearance is not affected by this.
What the price includes
Included
- Free site visit and fixed-price quote
- Clearance of all interior and ancillary rooms
- Attic, cellar, garage and garden shed
- Screening and safekeeping of personal papers
- Valuation and crediting of sellable items
- Separated disposal of all fractions
- Hazardous waste in normal household quantities
- Broom-clean handover (besenrein — swept and emptied)
Costs extra
- Final cleaning (charged by time)
- Strip-out of kitchen, flooring or built-in fittings
- Decommissioning of oil tanks by a certified specialist
- Asbestos remediation by a licensed contractor
- Garden maintenance beyond the clearance itself
- Vehicles requiring a certificate of disposal
Worked example: detached house in Uster, built 1966
- Labour: 4 staff × 3 daysCHF 6,240
- Skips: 22 m³ bulky waste + 10 m³ scrap timberCHF 1,450
- Hazardous waste disposal, 42 kgCHF 310
- Green waste from the outdoor areasCHF 480
- Credit for tools, sideboard, sewing machine, collection− CHF 2,180
How to bring the cost down
Concrete steps that actually move the price.
Give the family a viewing period
Two to four weeks in which relatives can collect what they want to keep. That reduces the volume and prevents arguments later.
Do not throw out tools and machines
Hand tools, power tools and workshop machines have a healthy second-hand market in Switzerland. Have them valued.
Go through the attic first
Attics are dry, so they contain an above-average share of sellable goods — furniture, books, collections.
Put the skip on your own land
Where there is space, this saves the permit fee and shortens the carrying distances considerably.
Keep hazardous waste unmixed
Waste oil stored on its own can be disposed of free of charge. Mixed with solvents it becomes chargeable chemical waste.
Frequently asked questions
Get a binding price
A free site visit, then a fixed price with no follow-up charges.
Read the Google reviews: 4.8 out of 5 stars from 42 reviews4.8(42)