Packing service?

[Powerless]

Morning 😴 I woke up at 11pm and have been up worrying about my impending house move (primarily packing) ever since.

For context, I'm disabled (not quite wheelchair bound...yet!), have a 3yr old daughter who I'm a full time lone parent of and I live in a 3 story house! I don't have family who can or are willing to help.
Sooooo.... Should I look into a packing service?

What I'm asking is, those of you who've used a packing service:

Is it expensive?
How much do they actually pack?
How much do they unpack?
How long does it take for a small-ish un-cluttered house?
How much roughly do you think will be the ball park figure I'll be quoted for a very small 3 bed townhouse (with minimal furniture, one room has none, only toys) and no garage? I know it will vary a lot - I'm up in North Yorkshire, not London or South East! - but are we talking like £500/£600??? I'm dreading getting the quotes!
Am I being daft?!

Thanks 

If you're using a removals service, getting them to pack too is cheaper than you might expect. Definitely priced to make you think it's worth avoiding the hassle. They prefer it because they know it's packed 'right'

They pack everything. I remember unwrapping a Dominos menu for our old city, and one of those little stubby free IKEA pencils after our last move.

Not sure if they unpack, we've never used that service. For packing up, they're quick. Sounds like your house would be done and on the van in 2 or 3 hours.

Sorry, no guidance on price as I can't remember at all how much it cost last time. Good luck with the move.

I think it would be more like double that. We paid about £1500 for packing and moving the contents of a rather cluttered 2-bed. Plus another hundred for insurance as the home contents policy wouldn't fully cover the stuff while in transit.

The packing service is very thorough but they literally pack everything with no rhyme or reason eg I unpacked a box to find it contained a wastepaper basket full of rubbish.

if you don't pay for unpacking too, you will be left with a huge stack of boxes and no idea what is in any of them - it took us 3 days to find the kettle.

But yes it's worth it imo.

We’ve had the removers do the packing and it has always seemed worth the extra money. In fact of all the moving costs, that part actually felt like value for money.
When you get the removal company to quote you for the move ask them to quote with and without packing. They’ll talk you through the logistics of how long they’ll need to do it.
What is marvellous is how swift and efficient they are. They don’t get distracted by emotional connections to the stuff they’re packing up as I would.

Thanks. So they'll pack EVERYTHING??? Even the food in my cupboards? My daughter's toys?

£1500 is insane!!!!!!! Where do you live @tenorladybeaker ????

We used one. £200 on top of removals. Best money I’ve ever spent. Just got a quote, £250 on top of removals. 4 bed house, not uncluttered. (V expensive area!)

I paid £1700 the last time to be packed and movers but I had a big 4 bed house full of stuff. I've downsized massively recently and paid £800 plus vat to move us. That was £500 to move and £300 to pack. It's the best money you'll ever spend!

All you need to do with packers is pull out the clothes you and your dd will wear the next day for moving house and they pack everything else, food, toys, everything! As for unpacking its usually just the stuff they dismantle to get out of the house like beds etc, but they do put everything in the correct rooms for you. It is worth every penny!

Oh and i used to live in North Yorkshire, chaps i had are marvelous, they moved me 3 times and never paid more than £400 for the packing service and that was for a 4/5 bed house. If your near Ripon its Ripon removals, lovely chaps.

Yes, they pack everything. Put last minute things in the car or you may find yourself without clean underwear.

Our last move, four years ago cost about £700, I think. They don’t unpack, just put the boxes in the room they’re meant to be in.

We moved from a 3 bed this year. We paid about £3k but that was for moving 80 miles plus some storage. And we had quite a full garage and loft and a lot of books. The actual packing bit was only about £500 of that. They came the day before and got everything into boxes. Took about 5 hours. Quite mesmerising.

I know PPs have said this but DO IT! It’s the best money we’ve ever spent. It was about £200 on top of the removal cost (in Bristol about 5 yrs ago for context) - I thought it’d be much more. I had previously I’d refused to consider it but was 9 months (and a bit...) pregnant and honestly I wish we’d done it every time.

Oh and if they pack it - it’s usually insured!

Yes the packing service wasn't too much on top of the removal cost. We did our loft though.

The unpacking was additional so we didn't have that plus I wanted to be putting stuff where and how I wanted it.

Our biggest additional cost was doing the beds - we paid for them to take apart and reassemble. (Bunk bed and mid sleeper)

Oh and mine included reassembling beds

Most quotes are based on how much space the contents of the house will take up in cubic feet so it may be cheaper than you think!

£1400 for everything to be packed. This is in SE kent

Do it.

Did it for the first time a few months ago. Will now never pack or move myself again.

It was £450 for the removal (2 bed flat over three floors with crap parking) and an extra £250 for packing (south east). We did furniture disassembly/assembly ourselves.

We buggered off to Costa and left them to it. Met them at the new house. Went for more coffee. Job done.

My advice:

1. pack clothes for two days and the kettle/mugs/ a couple of plates separately. Take these yourself.

2. don't watch them pack. They rip through like a careful tornado, it's sometimes better not to see especially if you get emotional.

3)they pack everything. Everything. We discovered a half open pack of revels in one box.

It sounds expensive but the alternative is:

A) doing it yourself. Which will be in the evening whole the little one is asleep. So long nights.

2)hire a van - lwb transit is what, £100 a day. Plus deposit on top (refundable, but still). A Luton will easily be £150 a day.

3. people that help may be few and far between plus no matter how willing they are rarely will they be as fast or efficient as a pro mover. Plus if they drop anything insurance won't cover it.

4. if you have people help you are probably want to bribe them with drinks and fish and chips. So £5 a head at best.

For us doing it ourselves would have been £200+. The extra £500 was more than worth it for an easy life.

@Phillipa12 THANKYOU!!! I am near Ripon! Im in Harrogate. Moving to Otley! :) I will try them! Sooooooo glad to have found a semi-local recommendation! 

To everyone who's commented - Thankyou!! I finally feel justified and calmer about the whole process. These people sound like total angels!!! 😇

I can't even GET up to the second floor without nearly collapsing in pain, so you can imagine my fear about packing & moving it all! 😱

OP I’m just jumping on your thread to ask.. will removal companies pack up lofts too? We have so little storage in our house the thought of decanting the loft into the house even for a day before we move makes me . Just about to start asking for quotes but wanted to know what was likely to be asked for...

op they moved us from Harrogate to Ripon. I also used them when i got divorced, half the stuff was staying it was an absolute nightmare of a move as half of what i was keeping was going into storage, but they were amazing and very competitive. They also arrived at my new property with my storage items at 9am and i had moved 280 miles away to Wiltshire!

Good to know! My Mum is also moving and she has a loft. Would be interesting to know this for her sake. I doubt she'll use a packing service as she's steadfastly old school but she SHOULD really as she's 74 and I'm frankly, no use to her!

Phillipa - That's amazing!!! I'll be calling them later, thanks so much again :)