Construction Debris Removal Boise: Window Remodel Haul Away

New windows go in fast. The old ones tend to hang around.

Once the installers pull them, you've got a stack of frames, sashes and glass leaning against the garage. If you're sorting out construction debris removal in Boise after a window remodel, here's what that pile actually is, how to keep it from cutting anyone, and where it can go.

Why old windows aren't like the rest of your remodel debris

Most remodel debris is bulky but forgiving. Drywall scraps and lumber can sit in a pile for a while without hurting anybody.

Windows are different. They're heavier than they look, they get sharp the second anything cracks, and they're built from several materials stuck together: glass, a wood or vinyl frame, aluminum tracks, rubber seals and metal hardware.

That mix is the problem. Recyclers want materials separated, and the landfill wants broken glass handled so nobody gets hurt unloading it.

Then there's the age of the house. Lead paint was banned for homes in 1978, so if your place was built before then, the old wood frames may well have it on them.

Older Boise houses and lead paint on the frames

A lot of homes in the North End, the East End and on the Bench went up well before 1978. So did plenty of houses in the older parts of Nampa and Caldwell.

If your windows came out of a house like that, treat painted wood frames as if they have lead. Don't sand them, don't cut them down with a saw, and don't smash them apart in the yard where kids or pets play.

Whole frames are the safer frames. The less that old paint chips and flakes, the better.

Vinyl windows coming out of newer houses in Meridian, Kuna or Star are simpler. There's no old paint to worry about, though they're still heavy and the glass still breaks.

Heads up: Stand old windows upright against a solid wall, glass facing in, on a sheet of cardboard or plywood. Laid flat in the grass, somebody steps on one. Leaned outward, the Treasure Valley wind will find it.

Where old window glass can go in the Treasure Valley

This one surprises people. Window glass isn't the same as bottle glass.

It's made differently and melts differently, so programs set up for jars and bottles generally won't take it. Keep panes out of your container glass and out of your curbside cart.

So what are the real options?

Windows that are whole and in decent shape can sometimes be donated. Some reuse stores take them, and so do people building cold frames or small greenhouses. A matching set in good condition has a much better shot than one cracked single pane.

Aluminum frames and tracks are scrap metal, and metal recyclers will take them. Pulling the metal off also lightens what's left.

The rest, like broken glass, rotted frames and vinyl nobody can reuse, usually ends up at the landfill. Ada County and Canyon County each run their own, with their own rules for construction loads and their own fees based on what you bring. Check their current hours and rates before you load up.

Eagle and Garden City are in Ada County's system. If you're in Middleton or Caldwell, you'll be heading the Canyon County way.

Remodel debris haul away in Boise: do it yourself or hire it out?

Can you haul old windows yourself? Sure, if it's a handful and you've got something to carry them in.

It gets harder with volume and weight. A whole-house window job adds up fast, and an old sliding glass door is heavy, awkward and not a one-person carry.

Broken glass is the other thing that pushes people toward calling someone. Loading cracked panes into a truck bed is how hands get cut. Tempered glass, which you'll find in doors and some bigger windows, doesn't crack into shards. It lets go all at once into a pile of little pebbles, and those are a pain to sweep out of a driveway.

Season plays a part too. In a hot, dry Boise summer, glass and dark frames sitting in the sun can get hot enough to burn your hands. In winter, frost makes everything slick to grab.

What moves the price of hauling window debris

We price by the space and the work involved, so there's no single number for a window job. A few things push it up or down.

How many units there are and how big they are. Whether there's a slider or a large picture window in the mix. How far the pile sits from where we can load, and whether anything's still upstairs. Whether the glass is intact or broken. And how much can be donated or recycled instead of going to the landfill.

A neat, upright stack near the driveway is about as easy as this job gets.

Planning construction debris removal before the windows come out

A little planning keeps your side yard from turning into a glass hazard.

Ask your installer up front whether hauling the old units is in their quote. Some include it, some don't, and it's better to know before their crew drives off.

Pick a staging spot that's flat, out of the way of foot traffic and close to where things will get loaded. Put something down underneath to catch stray glass.

If some of the old windows are in good shape, set them off to the side. Once they're mixed in with the broken ones, they usually all end up in the same place.

The short version

Old windows are heavy, sharp and made of mixed materials, and older ones may carry lead paint. Keep them whole, keep them upright, keep window glass out of your bottle recycling, and pull aside anything worth reusing.

Yes, we'd be glad to haul it for you, but honestly, a small stack is a reasonable weekend job if you're careful. If you'd rather not wrestle a whole house's worth of windows into a truck, call us at (208) 545-3461. We'll come take a look, give you a firm price before anything's touched, and sort out what can be donated or recycled along the way.