To believe that we can unpack from a move in under a week, and ask for your best tips to be able do so?

[OptimisticReindeer]

We'll be staying in a local holiday let for the week of the move, and I really want to take advantage and get as much done as we can at the house.

Much preferable than to be living amongst the boxes, and we can dedicate a fair amount of time to it each day.

We have movers and opted for the packing service, so hoping that the boxes will be better organised than if we had done opted DIY. We've never had packers, or movers before so have no idea what to expect.

Is it manageable for a four-bed? How long did it take on your last move? Any tips also very welcome.

Well I find a lot of things unrealistic in terms of 'property stuff' to be honest, people that decorate a bedroom in a weekend or renovate this or refurb that very quickly. Good on them but I just dont find it realistic

From memory we didnt have a loft ladder when we moved here and I cant do ladders so I had to rely on OH (most of that was his stuff) and he was at work so it was slow going and then each box needed shelving and places to put it

I also personally like to have the feel of a place before I decide how I want the space used, do I want that side table over there, or over here, do I want these on shelves or in a cupboard, what drawer for reaching over to the oven or fridge for this or that utensils, do I want the bed facing this way or that way.

Loads of other reasons.

Depends how much stuff, time and help you have?

If you've got boxes in the loft from years ago, sounds like you need to declutter first, no point moving things you don't need.

Make sure everyone does their share.

I moved from a 3 to a 4 bed. Did all the packing ourselves but we had movers. The new house was absolutely filthy (it looked fine when we viewed so obviously no cleaning done since then). We were all unpacked in less than a week.

Of course you can. We were done in 24 hours and we have a large 5 bedroom house and packed and moved ourselves.

Put a list in an envelope on the outside of the box with the boxes contents. As a military wife with lots of moves under our belts it was a lifesaver. No more unpacking boxes looking for something

My favourite house moving tip was not really about moving. In the weeks before when you have more heads space, book a food shop to be delivered.

Include in it things you may not normally- drinks and biscuits for movers plus meals that don't require much in the way of effort or equipment to make whilst you get unpacked. Maybe some cleaning products. (Even if you are at your other place for breakfast and dinner you will need lunches).

Good luck. We had a week set aside too, though I was heavily pregnant and the house needed a very good clean.

Put kettle, cups, teaspoons and tea making equipment in car, or you will never find a teaspoon.

If you have things unpacked from last move, ask yourself, do I still need this. This is a good opportunity to decanter and start how you want to go on.

Also Facebook marketplace is good place to get rid of cardboard boxes as someone always needs for a move.

DH unpacked in about a week - mostly 2 days - whilst I was at work but we are not stuff people. 1 medium van to move - the normal for a house our size was the larger van and often a second small van. The removal people made comments that they were glad because it was a rural move and the big truck gets tricky

we didn’t need to decorate or clean much

I think it’s easy to get the house habitable quite quickly - bedrooms, kitchen etc. But there’s always those last boxes that don’t have an obvious home or are not immediately needed that take a lot longer. (And they’re the ones that are still in the loft 10years later - looking at your CDs DH).

Key is to ruthlessly declutter before the move and the packers so you take nothing to the house that you don’t need and you’re not distracted by sorting and reminiscing. For boxes from your previous move I would check there are no essential documents in there and then get rid of them - you haven’t needed anything in them in your current house, why would you suddenly need them in the new one? Also make sure your removals folk are assembling all furniture at the new place as that saves a lot of time - bedrooms first then kitchen table, other rooms after that.

Last time me moved we had been in our house for 11 years and had a child since we bought it, we were doing a fast move for various reasons and we spent all the preceding weekends (about four of them I think) decluttering etc (sooooo may trips to the recycling centre). Packers came Wednesday, we had boxes in the new place by about 5pm Thursday and we were fully unpacked by Saturday lunchtime with a friend helping set up dc room on the Friday.

Bloody hell! It takes me way longer than you lot! Just unpacking, sorting, and properly shelving my books can take a week or so! So they get started usually a month or so in, and I’ve usually got boxes lurking a year or so later 😂

It depends how much stuff you have of course but I would think its realistic if you are moving into a house with enough storage space and you are organised.

However, watch the packers like hawks and supervise everything they do. We had Pickfords pack us a couple of years ago and I nearly had a breakdown. They had no idea what they were doing. I had to get them to repack things. I saw one guy literally throwing books into a box. After the first day we stayed up half the night packing anything valuable ourselves. It was a nightmare.

It took 2 days to find the kettle as they had packed it in a box labelled 'coats'. We moved in August and had no reason open a box of coats.

I would never, ever pay for packers again.

Why aren’t your teens also unpacking?!
if you’ve boxes from the last move, don’t move them again unless it’s to the tip…

Our last move was downsize and despite decluttering and selling stuff, it took ages to be sorted. We had no wardrobes, so the packing wardrobes were in use for far longer than I wanted, which meant there was a storage difficulty too. The garage was crammed and we found we still needed to sell things and replace with more suitable items.

100% possible. Movers are a great idea, we are in the armed forces so have moved 3 times in the last 5 years. Tips are as follows:

• Keep your kettle and some tea/coffee/mugs/biscuits in your car for unpacking side. Also the movers will really appreciate a brew
• Which ever room is your priority, ask the movers to pack it last so it’s offloaded first. You can start unpacking this while they offload into the other rooms
• Pack personal/valuable/sentimental items yourself & move them in the car for piece of mind
• The more you can unpack while they’re there - the more empty box’s you can send back with them
• keep a little bag of tools in your car to rebuild beds etc
• get some duck tape and when you take your beds etc down, stick the screws/nuts to the frame itself. Tape the smaller pieces together like the longer pieces so you know it will all arrive together.
• Keep Hoover & cleaning stuff in your car and go early to the new house to give it a once over before your stuff arrives.
• have some plastic sheeting & tape handy or ask the movers for some of the carpet protector so you can cover any items you need to put in the garden while you unpack in case it’s rains!

Our last move was in May. It’s worth 1 adult being there with the movers to help/oversee packing of the old house and everyone else being out the way. We slept in the new house the same night (with a 3 year and 7m old) and I would say we’re unpacked fully in less than 3 days. 3 bed house, shed and 2 lots of military kit.

edited typo

If you have teens who will do their own rooms and then help with breaking down boxes etc maybe a day?
Two max. I think the longer you have the longer you drag it out tbh.

If you still have boxes from your last move in the loft, you don’t need that stuff! Decluttering is the key.

Very possible, pack logically and unpacking is easy.

I've been in my house for two years and still haven't unpacked all the boxes!

Moving boxes from one loft to another is madness. Bin the lot (Christmas decorations aside).

This is great advice, thank you and I'll be taking it for sure. Any other random, unthought-of tips are also very welcome.

I wouldn't bother with thr packing service. Moving house is the best time to go through everything and chuck everything you don't NEED. We got rid of so much stuff before our last move, and as we packed, we boxed things that would go into the specific room in the new house, and labelled the box, so the movers knew where to put everything. We did pay them to take apart and rebuild furniture which was a god send as they were so fast and while we were downstairs unpacking the living room and putting kitchen stuff away, they rebuilt all the beds, cot, and wardrobes and large chests of drawers, so upstairs was pretty much done by midday! This move was with a toddler, baby, two cats and three dogs in tow, so wasn't the smallest of moves. We were all unpacked within a few days, the only boxes I had sat around were full of things I decided didn't fit the new house, so ended up at charity shops.

Have moved around 15 times, family of four and always mostly unpacked in around 3 days.

Prioritise decluttering and organising things before packing. Make sure all child x’s toys are together, all kitchen stuff is in the kitchen, etc.

Movers will pack everything but I tried to be there when they packed and label everything myself. Be really specific with labelling - I.e. Kitchen - drinking glasses, Johnny’s Room - Lego.

I always had a box or two I packed myself with the essentials - soap, scissors, tape, hand towel, phone chargers, etc- which I opened first and that would give a basis for starting to unpack.

Then just unpack in an organised fashion - don’t open all the boxes and take a few things out of each box - as its overwhelming and takes longer.

Ive always given each person (including kids) a room to unpack themselves. Multiple people unpacking one room can be chaotic and takes longer longer as you’re working around people.

mHope your move goes well!

Yes, and this! Have a box of "essentials". We took this in our car with us so it didn't get wound up with everything else, with the kettle, tea bags, mugs, cleaning supplies, snacks, a handheld hoover, chargers, and anything that might be needed straight away. We also had the best new neighbours who brought round sandwiches and drinks for us and the movers, which made me cry 🥹

Totally agree with this question. All members of the family should be involved. It’s their home too. If not, you’ll spend all your time after the move in constantly answering questions about where their things are. I would also make sure that their device chargers are at the bottom of boxes (or in my handbag to miraculously appear after all the boxes have been emptied) but I’m mean like that 😈.

A PP mentioned keeping the kettle and toaster in your car. I’d extend that to include cutlery, a few plates, plenty of mugs, tea, coffee, sugar, milk, cutting boards and knives, rolls of bin bags, suitcase/bags of a couple of days clothes for everyone, hair brushes and toiletries, towels and a box of your important paperwork.

And finally, don’t change your duvets on the move out day. Change them a day or so before so they are relatively clean, and get some new, very large clear plastic bags to put all your bedding in and night clothes in. That way you can just put on the sheet and lay the duvet and pillows on the bed.