When the garage became the storeroom
Most houses in the estates around Sandyford, Leopardstown and Kilmacud have an integral garage: an up-and-over door onto the driveway at the front, and a door through to the hall or utility room at the back. Plenty of them haven't seen a car in years. Modern cars are a tight fit in many estate garages anyway, so the space slowly becomes the place where everything goes.
It usually starts with the bikes. Then the boxes from the move, the cot that might be needed again, the exercise bike from January, the sofa that was replaced but was too good to throw out. Before long you're squeezing past furniture to get to the freezer.
A clear-out puts all of that through one sort. We carry everything out onto the drive, go through it with you as we load, and leave the floor swept.
Selling: getting the garage into the listing
If you're selling, the garage is part of what you're selling. A packed garage photographs badly and looks smaller than it is. An empty, swept one shows buyers a real option, whether that's parking, a utility area, a home gym or a future conversion.
- Book before the photographer. The listing photos and the brochure are what most buyers see first.
- Decide on the shelving. Sound, tidy racking can stay and help sell the storage. Rickety shelves are better gone.
- Keep the freezer only if it's going with you. Otherwise it's one more thing to sort out on moving day.
- Look at the driveway too. Once the garage is empty, a tired drive stands out. We also do power washing in Sandyford.
Our guide to preparing a property for sale covers the rest of the house.
spotless.ie
Converting: handing the builder an empty shell
Garage conversions into a home office, a playroom or an extra bedroom are common in Dublin 18 estates, and they all start the same way: the garage has to be completely empty. That means the contents, plus the things people forget, like wall shelving, an old workbench, the pegboard of tools and the boxes on the rafters.
Tell us the builder's start date and we'll book the clear-out a few days before it. We don't do electrical work, so if there are sockets or lights to be disconnected, that's for the electrician. Our page on clearing a garage before a conversion goes into timing and what to keep.
Bikes, gym gear and furniture: where it all goes
Sandyford garages hold a fairly predictable mix. Here's what usually happens to it:
| What's in the garage | What we do with it |
|---|---|
| Bikes, scooters and helmets | Sound bikes set aside for reuse where possible; the rest recycled as metal |
| Treadmills, cross-trainers and exercise bikes | Taken apart where possible; electrical machines go for electrical recycling |
| Weights, benches and racks | Metal recycled |
| Sofas, beds and wardrobes stored "for later" | Reused where condition allows; the rest to licensed facilities |
| Boxes from the last move | Opened and checked with you; cardboard recycled |
| The spare fridge or chest freezer | Specialist appliance recycling |
| Children's toys and outdoor games | Set aside for reuse where they're in good condition |
If only two or three big pieces need to go, furniture removal may be a better fit than a full clear-out.
Want a price for your Sandyford garage? Take a photo from the up-and-over door and two from inside, add your area, and send them on WhatsApp. We'll reply with a fixed price, usually the same day.
How the day runs in an integral garage
With the van on the driveway and the main door open, an integral garage is one of the easier spaces to clear. Most of the work happens outside the house: we carry straight from the garage to the van, sorting as we go, so nothing comes through your hall unless the main door is stuck.
Before we arrive, it helps to move the car off the drive, empty and switch off any freezer a day or two ahead, and put aside anything you're keeping. We can't take paint, chemicals or gas cylinders, so drop those at a civic amenity site beforehand and we'll clear the rest.
We finish by sweeping the floor. The garage won't be scrubbed, but it will be empty and ready for whatever comes next.
Fixed price, then the attic and garden
Your photos are enough for a fixed price, which we agree with you before anything is booked. It depends on how much of the van the contents fill, how easy the carry is, and items that need special handling, such as freezers, treadmills or tyres. As an authorised waste carrier, we work under permit NWCPO-25-13287-01, and full insurance comes as standard.
Estate houses rarely stop at the garage. For the boarded attic above, see attic clearance in Sandyford, and for the back garden, shed clearance in Sandyford. If it's the whole house, go to Sandyford house clearance, and for garages generally, our garage clear-out service page has the full detail.
