Old Town Rowhouse Renovation Guide

Old Town Alexandria's grid of Federal and Georgian-era brick rowhouses, laid out not long after the city's 1749 founding and surveyed in part by a young George Washington, is genuinely one of the best-preserved historic street grids on the East Coast. It's also one of the trickier places in our whole service area to plan a dumpster delivery, and it's worth knowing why before your renovation starts.

Narrow lots, narrower streets

Many Old Town rowhouses sit on lots that were laid out for foot traffic and horse-drawn deliveries, not a modern roll-off truck. Some streets are brick-paved and one-way, with permit-only parking that leaves little room for a container to sit without careful planning.

What that means for container size

A 30 or 40 yard container needs roughly 60 feet of straight approach and about 23 feet of vertical clearance for the truck's hoist — a requirement some of Old Town's tightest blocks simply can't accommodate. For a larger gut renovation on a tight lot, two smaller swap-outs on a schedule often work better than trying to force one oversized container onto a street it doesn't fit.

Permits for street placement

If your rowhouse has no off-street parking, which is common in the older parts of Old Town, the container may need to sit at the curb instead of a driveway. That generally requires a temporary right-of-way permit from the City of Alexandria — confirm directly with the City before your delivery date.

What we actually see on these jobs

Kitchen and bathroom gut renovations, structural work opening up small rowhouse floor plans, and roof and gutter work on older brick construction make up most of what we haul from Old Town. Plaster-and-lath demolition in particular runs heavier than drywall, which is worth mentioning when you call.