Bathroom remodels come up a lot in sizing questions, especially for single-bath gut projects. A bath is small, the debris from a single bath looks small, and the sizing instinct is to pick the smallest container. That instinct is usually wrong because of tile weight. Here's how to actually think it through.
What comes out of a typical bathroom gut
The list, in order of weight contribution:
- Tile flooring (heavy, especially with mortar attached)
- Wall tile around tub and shower (heavy)
- Tub (cast iron is very heavy, steel is moderate, fiberglass is light)
- Cement board or mortar bed (heavy)
- Vanity and countertop
- Drywall (mid-weight)
- Toilet and sink (moderate)
- Mirror, lighting, hardware
- Trim and flooring underlayment
A single bathroom gut produces more weight than volume, sometimes well over a thousand pounds depending on the materials. Master baths with steam showers, larger soaking tubs, and stone or marble go higher.
Why 10-yard tier usually isn't right
The instinct on a single bath: rent a 10-yard tier dumpster, it's the smallest, it'll fit. The problem: the 10-yard tier has a 1-ton (2,000 lb) allowance. A bathroom with heavy floor tile and a cast-iron tub can hit that allowance easily.
The volume is fine in a 10-yard. The weight is the bottleneck.
The 15-yard is usually the right pick
A 15-yard with a 1.5-ton (3,000 lb) allowance is the right pick for most single-bath remodels:
- Same 12-foot footprint as the 10-yard tier
- 1.5-ton allowance covers a typical single-bath gut comfortably
- Room for any unexpected demo or extra material
A 15-yard is a popular pick for single-bath remodels.
When to go to a 20-yard
The 20-yard for a bath remodel makes sense in a few scenarios:
- Master bath with stone or marble. Higher weight per cubic foot. The 2-ton allowance helps.
- Multiple baths at once. A guest bath plus master bath gut.
- Bath plus other work. Bath remodel paired with hallway flooring, adjacent bedroom refresh, etc.
- Cast-iron tub. A vintage cast-iron tub alone weighs 250 to 400 pounds. Plus floor tile and wall tile and the rest of the gut, the 15 sometimes hits weight.
When the 30-yard makes sense
Rarely for a bath project alone. The 30-yard for bath work usually means:
- Multiple full bath gut projects on the same property
- Bath gut plus larger renovation (kitchen, full second-floor refresh)
- Whole-house bathroom overhaul on a larger home
For a standalone single bath, the 30 is overkill.
The tile question specifically
Tile is the weight surprise in most bathroom projects. A few specific notes:
- Ceramic floor tile with mortar. 8 to 12 pounds per square foot installed. A 50 sq ft bath floor is 400 to 600 pounds.
- Porcelain. Similar to ceramic, sometimes a bit denser.
- Stone (marble, travertine, slate). 12 to 18 pounds per square foot. Significantly heavier.
- Glass tile. Lighter but rare on floors.
- Wall tile. Same per-square-foot, often less square footage but adds up.
A master bath with stone floor, stone shower surround, and a soaking tub can easily push 3,000+ pounds of tile alone. That's a 20-yard.
The cast-iron tub specifically
Old cast-iron tubs come up in a lot of older NH home renovations. A standard cast-iron tub weighs 250 to 400 pounds. A larger or older version can be 500+ pounds.
A few notes on cast-iron tub removal:
- Two-person job, minimum. Sometimes three.
- Often easier to break apart with a sledgehammer in the bath than carry out whole
- The pieces are heavy but manageable once broken up
- The weight allowance on the dumpster gets affected
If you've got a cast-iron tub coming out, mention it on the booking call. It often shifts sizing one step up.
The contractor pattern
For a contractor-paced single-bath gut, the standard 7-day rental usually covers it.
For DIY single-bath remodels, the timeline stretches because the loading happens evenings and weekends. The 15-yard usually still works. If you need the container longer than the standard week, mention it on the booking call.
Doing more than one bath at a time
For projects where multiple bathrooms are being redone at once, size up. A 20-yard or 30-yard covers most multi-bath projects. The exact size depends on materials, demo scope, and access.
The booking call
For a bathroom remodel dumpster:
- Number of baths in the project
- Bath size (powder room, full bath, master bath)
- Materials coming out (tile type, tub material, vanity size)
- Other work in the same window
- Driveway access
Text photos of the bath(s) to 603-634-9947 with the address.
Call 603-634-9947 for sizing help. For more on construction debris dumpsters generally, see the service page.