Method
Storage
Each item has a catalog cubic-foot value. Packed volume × 1.18 for aisles. Units assume a 8 ft ceiling. U.S. national averages, StorageCafe / Yardi Matrix, June 2026.
Dumpster
Job presets map to the smallest standard roll-off. Extra rooms add 5 yards. Dirt, concrete, brick, and many roofs hit the ton cap first — those cap at 10 yards.
Concrete
Volume ft³ = L × W × (thickness in / 12), plus 10% waste. Bag yields: 40 lb = 0.30 ft³, 60 lb = 0.45, 80 lb = 0.60. Divide by 27 for cubic yards.
Truck
Same item catalog as storage. Load factor 1.08 (you pack a truck tighter than a unit you will live out of). Cargo volumes are independent of any brand: van 240, 10′ 400, 15′ 760, 17′ 860, 20′ 1000, 26′ 1600 ft³. Door height is called out because that is how sofas fail, not cubic feet. U-Haul and Penske are comparison exits.
Yard
Same volume formula as a slab. Default depths: mulch 3″, pea gravel 2″, crusher run 4″, river rock 3″. Waste 10%. Tonnage is a bulk-density estimate (mulch ~0.4 t/yd³, rock ~1.3–1.4). Bags vs bulk: above ~1 yd³, call the yard.
Paint
Walls = 2 × (L + W) × H, minus 20 sq ft per door and 15 per window. Ceiling optional (L × W). Gallons = ceil(area × coats / 350). Coverage is typical interior latex on a sealed wall, not primer and not a second color.
Fence
Picket pitch 5.5″ + 0.5″ gap. Posts = floor(run / spacing) + 1, plus one extra post per gate. Rails = bays × rails-per-bay. Gate width is subtracted from the picket run. Not an engineered wind or frost-line spec.