How many moving boxes do I need?

keith969

Last time I moved (4/5 bed house to a 3/4 bed one) I had a removal company come in the day before, it took 3 Lithuanian guys the whole day to wrap and pack stuff, then on the day of the move there were 2 lorries to move it all, they worked like stink those two days and charged just under £1000. Nothing got mislaid or damaged, stuff was put in the right destination rooms, all went like clockwork.

It was worth every penny.

toc25

Slinky

That's not what I'm worried about, it's the invasion of privacy that would put me off.

NeilCr

toc25 wrote: »

Slinky

That's not what I'm worried about, it's the invasion of privacy that would put me off.

Not sure what invasion of privacy you are thinking about?

When I moved I used the packing service. Anything personal I made sure I'd sorted before they came (the day before). I was there all the time while they did the rest.

It was great. I'd definitely do it again if I move in the future

Katgrit

toc25 wrote: »

There's no way I would let a stranger come in my house and pack my stuff. I can't be the only one that would hate that.

We are planning on hiring a van that is big enough to get everything in to it in one go, So we can fill up the van and just wait for the call saying the keys are ready.

Theres 2 separate things to consider.....packing and moving.

You can PACK yourself and then get a removal company to do the donkey work of lugging the heavy boxes and packing their lorry. That way no-else gets to see your tighty whiteys and you don't have sore arms for 3 days after completion.

Round where I live a 3 bed house to a 3 bed house on 3 floors, only half a mile round the corner, with boxes and packing tape and wrapping paper (for china and glasses, not birthday presents!) was under £500. Used their medium sized van, and it still took 2 trips because we couldn't QUITE get the sofa in. It's perfectly normal as well to pack the van as you say and then sit waiting for the cal off your solicitor. Usualy the chaps disappear off for lunch/a brew and you ring them as soon as the deal goes through and they meet you at the new house.

Having moved house 5 times and done it myself and also with removals I always PACK myself but I'd never ever move it all myself again. Removal men are worth every penny.

Yazmina

Katgrit wrote: »

Theres 2 separate things to consider.....packing and moving.

You can PACK yourself and then get a removal company to do the donkey work of lugging the heavy boxes and packing their lorry.

Exactly. Especially for moving a sofa down a flight of stairs.

kerri_gt

dancing_star wrote: »

Last time I got the removal guys to dismantle the furniture where required - sofa and bed.

I really wish I'd double checked under the bed first, and removed the box of 'adult toys'.

:rotfl:

:rotfl: They've prob seen it all and more in their time, I think ours found a banana box of food under the spare bed quite comical.

For clothes they simply took the draws out as hey were, packed them in the van and then put them back in the unit at the new house. I'm not sure why people are funny about their smalls being seen, they've been on display in a shop or handled in a warehouse prior to purchase. I'm sure the guys are far too busy trying to get he job done to take much notice of a few pairs of undies.

Slinky

toc25 wrote: »

Slinky

That's not what I'm worried about, it's the invasion of privacy that would put me off.

The overwhelming knackaredness I felt when I packed my own stuff overcomes any worry about privacy I may feel when we move again for hopefully the final time. Anything truly private will be packed by us. I'm sure the removal men won't remember a single possession of ours 2-3 days down the line when they've been packing other people's stuff.


Don't look on it as an invasion, look upon it as an opportunity for all these nice people to admire the contents of your home and your wonderful good taste in acquiring it.

SuboJvR

Slinky wrote: »

The overwhelming knackaredness I felt when I packed my own stuff overcomes any worry about privacy I may feel when we move again for hopefully the final time. Anything truly private will be packed by us. I'm sure the removal men won't remember a single possession of ours 2-3 days down the line when they've been packing other people's stuff.


Don't look on it as an invasion, look upon it as an opportunity for all these nice people to admire the contents of your home and your wonderful good taste in acquiring it.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. But I do find the packing incredibly stressful too; it would be easier if I could take some time off work to really hammer it but I just don't have enough annual leave left this year to do it. What I am doing, and I'm sure plenty of people do, is take the opportunity for a really good clear out and using my free weekends to try and tackle one job at a time.

By using the pack + removals service last time, we were each able to finish work on the Thursday in one place, take only Friday off, and start work at the new place the next working day. Really wouldn't be able to do that if we had to pack too!

So there's a whole big picture to look at and every person's circumstance is different. Hopefully we've all given the OP some food for thought

easilydistracted

Argos do a number of moving packs. There are guidelines for what size you need depending on size of your current place. You could either buy the pack from there or use it to estimate size. I have to say 23 seems quite a good idea 😊 I found my last couple of movers on anyvan. People bid for the work and there are reviews. Much cheaper than a general firm. I would not move myself again far far too stressful! Plus you probably won't have enough time to empty your flat and move.

NicNicP

Yazmina wrote: »

Really? We have to hand over the keys by lunch time and we are planning to do most if it ourselves. Just to add a further headache the front door was installed at an angle and doesn't open to a full 90 degrees. Going to have to get a handyman to take it off it's hinges and prop it up outside while we get the sofa out.:o

We got ours keys around 12 and moved ourselves no problem. There was only myself, the husband and my father in law loading up the van, and my husband worked a night shift the night before so was in bed until 10am! We found it to be an easy task to be honest.