Moving - Removals vs. storage + van hire

Bossworld

Vowed never to do a move again after last time (moving a 3 bed flat into a 3 bed house - main bulk using a VW Transporter sized van, the rest on a gradual basis as we still had the flat rented for a further three weeks).

But, ahead of moving house, I'm conscious that we don't actually own that much furniture. We'll be getting rid of the bed frame as it's a continental sized mattress that Ikea themselves seem to be phasing out, this current house has fitted wardrobes so we don't have any others. Bed side cabinets were cheap Ikea at the time and the cats have scratched at them, so happy to take them to the tip.

Only large things I think we'll be moving are an Ikea sofa, a sofa bed, a cot/bed (which I may potentially dismantle), a pine kitchen table (again fairly sure the legs can be taken off as it was Ikea), 4 x dining chairs, and potentially a book case. Everything else is just the usual bulk like the lounge TV, consoles, guitars, clothes - the rest after that would probably go in boxes.

Am I being mad for considering using a self-hire van again? Just thinking that if I hire a two-pallet van for a weekend (£130 for Sat PM to Mon AM) to shift the bulk of it into a storage unit (about £23 a week for four weeks at 75 square feet), then use the car to take a few more bits as/when we pack them and the stuff from the shed.

Come moving day, get a bigger van to put the sofa and sofa bed in, along with the last few bits, and then use that to retrieve everything from storage. I reckon this looks like about £400 all in? Could then use the van for a trip to Ikea before returning it?

Perhaps I'm forgetting how stressful it all was last time, but without a piano or wardrobes etc. to move, I feel more stressed thinking of trying to get everything done by a removals firm on moving day itself?

Any pointers appreciated :beer:

Doozergirl

It is stressful.

I have had a bad back for 8 years as a result of moving ourselves. It was the thing that finally taught me not to do it again, despite vowing previously that I wouldn't. And I'd had manual handling training before.

Aside from the pain, the chiropractor's bills have really outweighed any saving since!

penguingirl

Have you costed up removals? For the amount you have I don't think it would be more than £400 and it sounds like a lot less hassle

Bossworld

penguingirl wrote: »

Have you costed up removals? For the amount you have I don't think it would be more than £400 and it sounds like a lot less hassle

Not got quotes in yet as I'm waiting for a potential completion date from our buyers, but your point is at the forefront of my mind.

I'm in two minds, and for me the idea of staggering it slightly is winning at the moment, plus it would be less disruptive for the cats and our daughter.

That aside, there's a lot to be said for getting it all over and done with.

ripplyuk

That plan sounds like a nightmare to me.

Leave the cat in a local cattery for a few days and use a removals company. I think it'll be much less stressful to everyone if all the stuff is moved in one day rather than staggered, with bits all over the place.

eddddy

Bossworld wrote: »

I feel more stressed thinking of trying to get everything done by a removals firm on moving day itself?

In my experience, if you have a decent removal company, it's relatively stress free. You just keep out of their way and let them get on with it.

(Either label boxes and furniture to say which room it goes into in the new house... or stand by the front door at the new house and give instructions as each item is carried in.)

Kynthia

I saw how much hard work it was for the removals men to move us from a 2 bed flat with not much furniture (beds, sofas, bedside tables, drawers, a tv stand, desk and a garden bench). I therefore would always get a removal company in as it looked ten times harder than I imagined. Plus as it wasn't too much furniture and was on a non - peak day (Tuesday) I think it only cost us £400 or £450 so I doubt doing it ourselves would have been that much cheaper anyway.

Bossworld

Thanks all. Need to double check the cost of a cattery, seen a preliminary quote for one around Whitley Bay for about £45 for three days for the pair of them. Will probably cost more to get their injections updated in fairness.

I'll get some quotes done over the next week or so - from further reading on here, it seems as though if you get them to pack, they're ruthlessly efficient, so hopefully wouldn't be as disruptive as feared.

kerri_gt

We've just moved - 3 bed house to 3 bed house, we don't / didn't have a massive amount by some standards but its amazing how it all adds up when in a van.

We paid for a removal company to do a full pack and move us - given the overall cost of moving, and the stress, this was the best money spent. about 20 - 25% of the removal cost was the pack service - the guys just did it in a couple of hours the day before we moved, leaving us with essentials overnight. Given the amount of effort / time it would have taken us to pack ourselves I totally recommend it (they also provided all the boxes and materials required). Last time we moved ourselves (less furniture) the amount of things that got damaged / broken really upset me. This time (touch wood, not all boxes unpacked) it's all arrived in one piece.

Btw, we kept our cat at home and I just put her in the carrier once I was ready to vacate the old property after cleaning it. She settled into the new house faster than we did, but is very much a people not place cat, so as long as we are there, she's ok.

Moving is disruptive whatever, staggering it might be even more stressful as you're virtually moving twice. Have your daughter pack her own 'essentials' bag between pack / move day - make a game out of it a bit like camping (assuming she's old enough), that will help her feel involved and in control of something herself.

Newbiebuyer2016

For us to move is £280. If we used storage it was about and extra £20 then £280 to move it back. I'd rather do that than do it myself!

xHannahx

If you can move in a day, it's easier to use a removal firm and probably not much dearer.
We got a quote for a 50 mile move in March at £300 using their 18ton truck. We thought nope cheaper to hire a van, hired a hi top lwb transit which was £120. And it took 5 round trips, so once paid diesel was almost as much as removal firm as well as having had to do everything ourselves.