What Exactly is “Haulage” Cost?

Ever wondered what’s that “haulage” line item that you are being quoted?

What exactly are you paying for, and what should a fair amount be?

It can be a little confusing, so let us explain it entirely.

Watch our tiktok channel if you lazy to read.

What is haulage?

“Haulage” is the cost of transporting your renovation debris from your house to a NEA-approved site for disposal.

During renovation, when the contractors hack down tiles, carpentry, skirting etc., all that debris has to go somewhere. You can’t just anyhow dump it into any bin u find downstairs, our dear government will come after you.

How is it transported?

Have you guys seen this big container below your block before and wondered what it’s for? If you see this, it means someone in your estate is renovating.

The hackers will load the debris into this container, then haul it off to an NEA-approved disposal site.

And this is why your renovation quotation always has a haulage fee. It’s not fluff, it’s real.

What is the cost of haulage then?

Haulage usually costs $500–$1,000 depending on how much hacking/debris you have.

But the main takeaway for you is this - always combine the haulage with the hacking cost, so that you can properly compare.

Some IDs separate out the haulage cost (and site disposal cost) from the hacking works, while some combine them.

Refer to the samples below.

Quote A: Separated (Line 2 & 3)

Quote B: Combined (Line 2.6)

If you glance over it, it might seem that an ID is quoting you cheaper for hacking works, when actually they charged you additional haulage cost at the end.

TLDR

Haulage is an essential part of hacking works.

It is not “anyhow created and charged”.

You need to combine this with the actual hacking costs, to properly compute and compare between renovation firms.

If you are looking to shortlist reliable IDs/contractors for your reno, feel free to enquire here, or check out our blog for other important tips!!