Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Has anyone moved house (sold and bought) and not used removals?

65 replies

NapQueen · 16/08/2018 21:46

Dh and I are selling a 2 bed and moving to a 4bed. He is baulking at the quotes for removals - two quotes around 700 inc vat.

We have two small dcs and will be moving to an upper flat. So lots of stuff and stairs to main floor plus another flight of stairs to bedrooms.

We are selling to buy so need to be out by (I assume!) 12noon.

Ive said to him to go do his own research and plans and we will discuss it next week. He seems to think we can rent a van, ask for some help from fuck knows who friends and do it for 200.

OP posts:

MervynBunter · 16/08/2018 23:24

Mate of mine did this. Hired van and got a working party (I was one of them). From the time they started packing up until the move took a whole week. He and his DW did the packing and, when they'd done that, we shifted it over two days. They moved all of 8 miles down the road.

The moving was nothing it was the packing up that was the real pain.

If I were your DP, I'd pay the £700.

tentative3 · 17/08/2018 08:02

We've only done it once without an overlap and even then we paid for a storage unit and shifted as much as possible in advance. Never again. We wanted to get it all out of the storage unit while we had the van, access to this house is difficult and it's three stories. It was a long shitty day and there was stuff everywhere, in absolutely no order, at the end of it. It took days to sort out afterwards. It's non negotiable that when we leave here it will be with removals costed in.

serbska · 17/08/2018 08:08

Yes with an overlap and no white goods and no children.

No way would I do this in your situation.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Property

Alwayscommuting · 17/08/2018 08:18

We moved ourselves, 2 bed flat to 3 bed house. No DC, we paid for a removal van to take our bed and sofa and moved everything else our selves. Absolute nightmare, we were shattered my mum and sister pitched in and we got it done. Would not recommend at all. We were skint so had no choice but if you can I definitely think you should pay for removals.

GOODCAT · 17/08/2018 08:32

We did it. We hired a lorry for 3 days and spent 2 days loading up. Left the house we sold by 11am, drove to new place and then had to wait to move in until 4pm because the funds hadn't gone through.

We decluttered ruthlessly before. I enjoyed it. However, we don't have kids.

We did have help from a couple of friends to unload which made a massive difference as we were unloading in the dark just before Christmas and (with permission) had blocked our new neighbours access off to get the lorry closer.

I wouldn't have done this without a husband who was fully on board about it because it took time to pack and we had to live around the boxes of stuff in the weeks leading up to it. It was a nice and relaxed process though. If you can't get some clear weekends and evenings in the run up to it, I would pay professionals.

JustLikeBefore · 17/08/2018 08:37

Pay the extra £500! we moved ourselves pre dc with friends and van, it was ok but hard work.

Moving after dc we hired storage trailers which were parked up infront of the house so will filled them up then they took them away for storage. this was becuase there was a month between us selling and contract signed for the new house, (thanks to the twats we were buying off) We had alternative accommodation in the mean time. when we moved in the trailers were dropped of at new house for us to unload. The twats thought they could move out with a transit van and cars. and took all fucking day and evening, long after the house was legally ours, and because it took so long for them to move out, the house was filthy as the didn't clean it at all as too busy going backwards and forwards.

3rd move, was 300 miles aways so massive removal lorry all done and packed and gone by 12.30ish.

Don't be the Twats taking all day with a van.

OllyBJolly · 17/08/2018 08:39

I did. And I would never do it again. Three bedroom house to a four bedroom 50 miles away. Had to do about five runs in the van with a friend. I'd estimated two.

Couldn't get a wardrobe down the stairs (there was a turn and small half landing). Went up to local rugby club to enlist volunteers and it took four of them to manoeuvre it downstairs, out the house and into the van. Left it in driveway of new house because no way of getting it even up the three steps to the front door. Few days later, 80 year old uncle came to visit. Produced a screw driver from his car and in the space of 45 minutes, dismantled the wardrobe and rebuilt it upstairs.

A professional would have thought of that...

Foxyloxy1plus1 · 17/08/2018 08:45

So how is the cleaning of the old and new places to happen whilst you’re wrestling wardrobes, sofas et al? He may be a lush husband, but on this occasion he is just plain wrong. It will take you months to recover if you attempt it yourselves.

bobstersmum · 17/08/2018 08:45

Hmmm. We did this by ourselves 10 years ago. It was horrific, we grafted from 9am when we got the keys and were still not done after midnight, we were both ill for two weeks following, it was knackering, stressful and just bloody awful. I think that 700 pounds will be the best you've ever spent to have someone do it (properly) for you.

BarbaraofSevillle · 17/08/2018 09:20

We've done it and it was fine, but from the circumstances you describe, I'd pay for movers.

We have no DCs and were only moving 2 miles. DP got two mates to help (all three of them burly manual workers, which makes a huge difference) and they had a truck with a tail lift - check one of you has a licence to drive this - if you passed your test after a certain date quite a long time ago, you won't have.

With no capable help and DCs to look after, and the stairs, an extra £500 for it to be done for you sounds perfectly reasonable, especially as it sounds like you can afford it too.

Sandstormbrewing · 17/08/2018 09:22

Just remember that if you don't get out in time, the new owners can (and if I were them, would) charge you for any extra cost incurred by your delay, such as their removal company charging a waiting fee. Do that £500 may end up going to their removals company!

OutPinked · 17/08/2018 09:31

Every time I’ve moved I’ve done it myself with the help of family who can borrow vans from work or have their own. We’ve just bought a house 40 miles away and we’re still doing it ourselves. The money is far better spent on the actual house.

ShowOfHands · 17/08/2018 11:40

OutPinked, we're properly out of sync with the rest of MN. I've never spent money on removals firms and never had a problem. I quite enjoy it.

NoIsACompleteAnswerSometimes · 17/08/2018 13:09

Me too! Mind you, we've got a massive estate car, can put loads in there. We've usually had overlaps, or the facility to store stuff in the new house/ garage so most of it is done before the big stuff goes. Getting older now so not sure if I'd do the next move myself.

DelurkingAJ · 17/08/2018 13:25

With no DC and no white goods I would (although I wished we hadn’t when we moved from Bristol to the SE as it took two days of holiday).

Since white goods and DC no way...too high a risk of damaging either ourselves or the furniture!

Flip

1 2 3