Here's the short answer before you read anything else. If you're cleaning out a house, a garage, or doing a remodel anywhere around Springfield, you want the 20-yard dumpster, starting at $299. If you're a contractor tearing off a roof or hauling concrete, dirt, or sheetrock, you want the 14-yard, starting at $249. That's the whole decision for most jobs, and if you take nothing else from this post, take that.
Now the reasoning, because the natural instinct runs the other direction. The 14 costs fifty dollars less, so folks doing a garage cleanout look at the two numbers and order the smaller dumpster. Then Saturday afternoon rolls around, the garage is half empty, and the dumpster is already heaped over the rim.
We've watched it happen enough times that when someone calls about a cleanout and asks for the 14, we'll talk them out of it. A cleanout always grows once you get going. The pile behind the shed joins in, then the basement corner, then the stuff in the attic you forgot you owned.
Why the 20 is the home dumpster
Both of our dumpsters sit on the same 14-foot by 7-foot footprint, so the 20 doesn't take up any more of your driveway than the 14 does. The difference is the walls: 6 feet on the 20 versus 4 feet on the 14. That extra two feet of height is the difference between one trip and an awkward phone call about a second dumpster. Furniture, carpet, dumpsters of old clothes, cabinets, deck boards, all of it is bulky and light, and bulky-and-light is exactly what tall walls are for.
The 20 runs a 3-day rental, which covers most home projects with room to spare, and extra days are $20 each if the weekend gets away from you. Delivery works the same for both sizes: the dumpster comes out on a trailer behind a pickup, and the lift sets it down flat where you want it. Same-day and next-day delivery are available when the schedule allows.
What the 14 is actually for
The 14-yard exists for weight, and that's the reason its walls are low. Roofing shingles, concrete, brick, dirt, and wet sheetrock are so dense that a tall dumpster full of them would be too heavy to move legally down the road. Low walls keep a heavy load honest. That's why roofers, remodel crews, and anyone busting up a patio should start with the 14. The low sides are also easier to throw shingles over, which your back will notice by the third square.
So the test isn't "how much stuff do I have." It's "what does the stuff weigh." Light and bulky goes in the 20. Dense and heavy goes in the 14. A roof tear-off plus a remodel is really two different loads, and it's worth a phone call so we can talk through which dumpster, or which order, makes sense. Our size guide walks the same logic with a few buttons if you'd rather click than read.
When you're still not sure
Describe the pile. That's honestly the fastest way to land on the right dumpster. Call (417) 766-2029 and tell us what you're tearing out, roughly how much of it there is, and where the dumpster needs to sit. Kyle answers the phone, he's sized more of these jobs than anyone should have to, and he'd rather get you the right dumpster the first time than charge you for a second haul. We're grateful for every job around Springfield, Nixa, Ozark, and the rest of southwest Missouri, and we'd appreciate yours.