Advice needed in preparation for a home move

tidefanbeezer · Apr 16, 2014

We are making a local move to a larger home (just a few miles from our existing home). I have never had to deal with moving an entire house worth of stuff. The way I see it, there are a few options.

1) Old school college style. Rent a U-haul and bribe friends and family with beer and pizza and knock it out in a day or so.

2) Rent one of those POD style storage units, fill it up over the next month or so, then have it delivered to my new home.

3) Hire professional movers.

4) Some combination of the above.

I'd love to hear the thoughts and experiences of folks who have made similar types of local moves in the past. Pros and cons? What to look out for?

Thanks!!

jthomas666 · Apr 16, 2014

Blow up old house.

Buy new stuff, have it delivered.

Problem solved.

2003TIDE · Apr 16, 2014

Get movers. Make sure they have insurance.

GreatDanish · Apr 16, 2014

I have never had a good experience with hiring movers.
If you have a lot of friends who can help you, I'd highly recommend asking them. If you get enough, you can do it faster, with less effort, have more fun, and can even get additional help with "non-moving" tasks like putting beds together, unloading kitchen boxes, watching kids, etc. Just be sure to provide a lot of snacks and drinks and provide lunch or dinner, at least. Just have everything absolutely ready to move when they arrive. Nothing worse than showing up at a house to move with only like 20% of the stuff boxed up, furniture still assembled, etc.
Also a caveat: you have to be willing to help your friends move should they ask.

RTR91 · Apr 16, 2014

Move as much as you can. Get professional movers to move the furniture.

GrayTide · Apr 16, 2014

RTR91 said:
Move as much as you can. Get professional movers to move the furniture.

I agree and do make sure they are insured and bonded.

Bama Reb · Apr 16, 2014

RTR91 said:
Move as much as you can.

Especially your valuables and ALL electronics. If you don't do this, be sure to take pics and detail all info including age and proofs of purchase.

Get professional movers to move the furniture.

Take before and after pics. Remember that most professional moving companies will pay for damages only if you can prove that the damages were caused during the move. Otherwise, you may only be compensated for losses on a "per pound" basis. (~$6. per pound) I'm sure your valuables are worth much more to you than their individual or combined weight.

seebell · Apr 16, 2014

Get on online quote from Two men and a Truck., http://www.twomenandatruck.com/home

Use them for the heavy stuff.

dayhiker · Apr 16, 2014

I had a great experience with Two Men And Truck when I moved a few years back.

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G-VilleTider · Apr 16, 2014

If you have a vehicle with a hitch, renting a uhaul enclosed trailer for the weekend to move all your non furniture will save you a lot of aggravation. If you decide to go with a POD, or what we did when we moved from OK to AL was a semi-trailer that they dropped off then picked up a week later, just make sure you pad and tie down everything really well, cause they weren't gentle with ours. Good luck. Moving is awful!!

crimsonaudio · Apr 16, 2014

#3 is your answer - just make sure they're insured. It's worth every penny.

Jon · Apr 16, 2014

you are in Atlanta? Call labor ready and get a few guys for the day, seriously. If you are not familiar they are a temp service for manual labor. Last time I had a pro mover they have a truck driver that works for Bekin's or mayfair or whatever and then they staff the heavy lifting to a couple of temps from Labor Ready anyway. So why pay the extra mark-up to the moving company? Last time I did it it was 13-14$ per hour per man and a minimum of 2 guys for 4 hours. That was 10 years ago so I suspect it would be 15-18$ pre hour/man. They come bonded and insured with full background checks and are often hired as movers so know what they are doing. I've used them a couple times with no issues. Do all the packing in advance and rent a uhaul (and drive it yourself) with furniture dolly's and blankets. In the end it will cost you 1/3 rd of any pro mover and you'll likely get the same laborers.

NationalTitles18 · Apr 17, 2014

For a local move I'd use 2 men and a truck. They did a great job, worked fast, and didn't break a thing. Tried a cheaper mover and got a broken table for it. The rates are reasonable with 2 men if you pack everything yourself and have it all ready to go. You'll need to start a few WEEKS ahead of time and not wait until the last minute. Start with the frames hanging on your walls and books and other things you don't often use or that you can live without for a while. Then move on to clothes that sit in the closet or drawer. Eventually you'll get to the kitchen items you rarely use and last pack away the few remaining pots, pans, plate, eating utensils, and similar items, unhook the washer and dryer, secure the china cabinet glass doors (or remove and bubble wrap in a box), and the like. Put your often used clothes and other essentials in your car and take them yourself. We used Allied Van Lines for our interstate moves and they were great as well.

chanson78 · Apr 17, 2014

You can save on boxes by going to any of the big grocery chains, talking to a manager and asking if they would mind if you get their banana boxes. Banana boxes are great because they are uniform in size, very sturdy and have built in hand holds. When I know I am going to move, I will start building up my box supply over a period of a month or two.

The nice thing about them is you aren't tempted to overfill like if you get bigger boxes. Even packed with hardback books, a banana box is easily lifted.

RTR91 · Apr 17, 2014

chanson78 said:
You can save on boxes by going to any of the big grocery chains, talking to a manager and asking if they would mind if you get their banana boxes. Banana boxes are great because they are uniform in size, very sturdy and have built in hand holds. When I know I am going to move, I will start building up my box supply over a period of a month or two.

The nice thing about them is you aren't tempted to overfill like if you get bigger boxes. Even packed with hardback books, a banana box is easily lifted.

Also, liquor boxes work well. They aren't uniform, though.

Jon · Apr 17, 2014

RTR91 said:
Also, liquor boxes work well. They aren't uniform, though.

craigslist too, my neighbor got all of their boxes free on Craiglist, moved in and then put them all up for someone else rather than toss or recycle them.

GreatDanish · Apr 17, 2014

chanson78 said:
You can save on boxes by going to any of the big grocery chains, talking to a manager and asking if they would mind if you get their banana boxes. Banana boxes are great because they are uniform in size, very sturdy and have built in hand holds. When I know I am going to move, I will start building up my box supply over a period of a month or two.

The nice thing about them is you aren't tempted to overfill like if you get bigger boxes. Even packed with hardback books, a banana box is easily lifted.

Yes, banana boxes are the best. The only flaw is that they don't break down well.

Bamaro · Apr 17, 2014

As far as bribing friends with pizza and beer/beverages to help with your move, the answer is age dependent:

Teens - definitely
20's - probably
30's - maybe
40's - probably forget it
50's - dont ask

alabama mike1 · Apr 17, 2014

My wife and I have moved 7 times in almost 32 years. You have been given all kinds of advice about what to do with do it yourself or professional movers. Egg boxes are excellent to use when moving because they are very strong. Moving is a huge stress on the family so be prepared for short tempers and a lot of emotion. Best of luck.

MegaVars · Apr 17, 2014

Short move...... #3
Long move..... Rent a u-haul and hire movers to load it and unload.

I moved 3 times while I was living in Oxford MS and hiring the local moving company was the ticket and well worth it.
When I moved from Mississippi back to Alabama, I rented the largest U-haul I could get, hired movers from Memphis to come down and load the truck and hired movers from Birmingham to unload the truck when I got to Alabama.

Advice needed in preparation for a home move

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