Big houses need a plan
Foxrock is a place of large detached houses on generous plots: long drives off Westminster Road, Torquay Road and the roads around the village, mature gardens, and often a garage, garden room or workshop as well. Carrickmines, to the south beside the M50, is newer, with estates and apartments built near the Luas and the retail park.
The houses range from older homes near the village to later detached houses, but most share one thing: size. Five bedrooms, several reception rooms and a double garage are not unusual, and neither is an attic that hasn't been emptied in decades.
A large Foxrock house is rarely a one-van, one-day job. It takes the right size of crew, enough van runs, and a few decisions made before we arrive.
Three things to settle before we start
- Valuation. If there's art, antique furniture, silver or a collection, get it looked at by a valuer or auction house and taken out first. We don't value contents, so this step is yours to arrange.
- Family choices. Agree among the family who's taking what, and either remove it or mark it clearly. A simple room-by-room list, shared in a family WhatsApp group, saves a lot of calls on the day.
- What the estate agent wants. Some agents like a few good pieces left in for photos; others want the house completely empty. Ask, then tell us. See property clearance and preparing a property for sale.
Once those are settled, the rest is ours. We clear every unwanted item in the house and grounds, checking as we go, and sweep up behind us. Fitted kitchens and built-in furniture stay with the house, a full clean isn't included, and we can't take asbestos, gas bottles, paint or chemicals.
How a two-day clearance usually runs
For a large house, the plan typically looks like this:
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Before | Fixed price agreed from photos (or a visit for very large jobs); date, keys, alarm and gate codes arranged |
| Day one | Covers down on floors and stairs; attic and upper floors cleared; papers, photos and valuables set aside for you |
| Day two | Ground floor, garage, outbuildings and garden; a final check of every room, with you or by WhatsApp photos |
| After | House left empty, floors swept or vacuumed where needed |
If a house is big enough to need a third day, with a packed basement or several outbuildings, we'll say so up front, and it's all within the fixed price. That price is worked out from the volume, the number of floors, the carry from the door to the van, and items such as fridges and mattresses that have their own disposal routes.
spotless.ieGates, drives and outbuildings
Foxrock's long drives are a help: the van can usually park off the road, close to the door. A few things are worth sorting in advance:
- Electric gates: give us the code or leave them open for the day
- Alarms: tell us who's setting and unsetting it
- Outbuildings: garden rooms, workshops and sheds, which we clear along with the house (shed clearance and garage clear-out)
- The attic: often the biggest single space in a large house (attic clearance)
- Race days at Leopardstown: traffic near the racecourse gets heavy, especially over the Christmas festival, so avoid those dates if you live close by
Planning a Foxrock house clearance? Send photos of every room, the attic, the garage and any outbuildings on WhatsApp. We'll come back with a fixed price and a realistic timeline.
Carrickmines, Cornelscourt and Cabinteely
The newer homes around Carrickmines and the older estates of Cornelscourt and Cabinteely clear more simply: smaller plots, a drive for the van and less ground to cover. Apartments near the Luas bring the usual building rules, such as lift bookings, loading points and moving hours, and many are furnished lets where the landlord's furniture stays. See apartment clearance.
Care, and where it all goes
When a clearance follows a death in the family, we work at the family's pace, hold back anything personal and can split the job over several visits; the bereavement house clearance page has the detail. A house that has filled up beyond what anyone could manage is cleared discreetly and without judgement, as described on our hoarder clearance page.
With a house this size, sorting matters. Quality furniture that isn't going to family or to auction is set aside for reuse where possible, garden machinery, metal and electricals are recycled, and the rest goes to licensed facilities. Krystal Klean Express Limited, which runs Spotless, holds waste collection permit NWCPO-25-13287-01. See our Dublin house clearance page for how we work elsewhere in the city.
