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Original poster

How bad will it be to move ourselves rather than use a removal firm

100 replies

PippaFawcett · 22/05/2016 11:14

We are moving from a three bed semi to a slightly larger three bed detached.

Removals quotes are coming in at £1000+ with one saying our stuff won't be insured unless we use their packing services which is more £££.

We don't have an excessive amount of stuff but have all the usual beds/two wardrobes/table/sofa/white goods etc and we are only moving 40 mins away so could do a couple of trips if necessary. But it would only be me and DH really as it will be a weekday and we don't feel we can ask any of our friends to take time off work to help.

The DC can go to childcare so at least they will be out of the way. We thought we could hire the car the night before and load it up at night - with help - so it is ready to drive the next morning.

Would we be mad to do this? Or is the saving worth it? We are going to be renovating the new house so every penny counts.

OP posts:

HeadDreamer · 22/05/2016 14:13

To those that did it yourself. How did you do it in a chain? We were told to be vacant by 12! We were the first house on the chain so maybe we have to be out the earliest and that make a difference? Basically once we are done, and our FTB money has gone through, the real estate agent gave the key to the FTB. And only after that our money is released to the house we were buying. So our stuff was in the van for a couple of hours. It was still very stressful with someone packing and loading. We still have to clean the house after they are all packed. Don't forget that

specialsubject · 22/05/2016 15:50

You've got me thinking... I recall that our vendors had already gone so we weren't waiting for them, but I don't know about our buyer - I don't remember crossing paths with him on the day.

For the second move we were top of the chain and went into rental, and had left a day before completion so that was easy. It is also cheaper to get removers if it isn't Friday.

RapidlyOscillating · 22/05/2016 16:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DooblieDooo · 22/05/2016 16:05

It isn't just the packing but all the heavy furniture, beds, wardrobes, chest of drawers, washing machines, sofas, dining table.

It does put a lot of strain on your body. Plus the physical box lifting.

It is in to the van and out the other side. I had 3 men move us from a 3 bed to a 4 bed and they were worth every penny.

We have moved ourselves twice and never again. Once we had children and a loft full of baby stuff, we paid people.

Also if you are sick or injured just before you move you are screwed.

The vendors of one house moved themselves, massively under estimated how long it would take and were still moving stuff out at 6pm and yes of course we were angry.

DartmoorDoughnut · 22/05/2016 16:09

We moved ourselves, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 3 cars and a 4 bed house of stuff, oh and a garage of stuff from North Yorkshire to Devon, took a week mind you

AppleAndBlackberry · 22/05/2016 16:11

I don't think this will work if you have to do it in one trip - we filled a large lorry with what we thought was a normal amount of stuff for a family of 4, so it would have been at least 4 van loads if we had a large one, probably 8-10 transit van loads. You may have less boxed stuff than us but presumably you have sofas, dining set, chests of drawers, beds, computer desk, TV unit etc? We didn't even take any white goods apart from the washing machine.

Gobbolinothewitchscat · 22/05/2016 18:06

I am literally having conniptions at the thought of this.

If I was your buyer, I'd pay for you to have movers. Your buyers will have commitments etc and will want to get into the house. The thought of turning up and you still have 4 trips to do is awful

SchnitzelVonKrumm · 22/05/2016 18:14

After moving twice in the last five years the very last thing I'd skimp on is removals. The cost is nothing in the context of buying a house and it makes life so much easier - the 200 quid extra we paid for packing was probably the best money I've ever spent. But shop around - we had quotes ranging from 1200 quid to 3000 last time we moved, no indication why they were so varied.

BreakfastAtSquiffanys · 22/05/2016 18:17

Don't do it.
£1000 is cheap compared to the divorce that will result from trying to move it all yourselves

eurochick · 22/05/2016 18:18

The people we last bought from did this. We finally got in to the new house at 7pm after having to pay our movers overtime during which time they loaded vans for them. Fucking twats. Don't even think about it.

Spottyladybird · 22/05/2016 18:21

We did on our last three moves but never again! Last move was 3 bed terrace to 3 bed detached. We hired a large van and filled four cars (family and friends) it still took several trips and was a nuisance.

You could get a local man with a van type?

Coldtoeswarmheart · 22/05/2016 18:27

£1000 sounds like a lot, but I am very averagely fit/healthy and I am 100% certain I would have injured myself if I tried to carry a wardrobe upstairs like the removals men did. They are trained and have kit to do it. I saw it as part of the cost of moving, like stamp duty.

jip123 · 22/05/2016 18:36

Haven't read the full thread but DH and I moved from our 2 bed terraced, put everything in storage for a week (completed on sale before we completed on purchase so lived with my grandparents for a week) and then moved it out of storage and into our 3 bed semi. Did it with a hire van and it was fine. Not easy, but fine.

salsamad · 22/05/2016 19:00

We hired a largish van with a tail-lift for two days, which we picked up the day before the move and filled with several unimportant boxes overnight on driveway. We moved from a 2 bed semi to a 3 bed detached. We had my DB and DSiL, my DSis and DBiL, my DHs brother and my best friend all helping too. We needed the men to move the heavy double wooden wardrobes, the large sofa, washing machine, fridgefreezer etc. It was busy and quite frantic to be out for the set time but we managed. We also loaded up three people's cars as well as putting two full loads in the van - you definitely need extra help if your planning to do it yourselves. It helped us to send several people with first load to new house to unload asap and then the van driver (which was my DH) returned to others waiting at first property for final load. I was last to leave in our car, as I ran vacuum round and checked everywhere before I handed keys over at 12pm. Then I joined everyone at the new house. It saved us a lot of money doing it this way but it was only possible with all the help from family and friends - but that's what we all do for each other when help is needed .

notarehearsal · 22/05/2016 19:13

Last moved three months ago, downsized to a little three bed cottage. Had removal firm, it poured with rain and was freezing cold. Once at new house there was no way on earth my two sofas were going to get through the turning into sitting room. I had no instructions for dismantling and internet didn't work. At about 7pm the men managed to take one apart on the front lawn and get it in but, by then it was pitch dark, rainy and muddy. So they took the other away and came back the following day and got it in. If I'd been trying to do it alone I would have broken down

sailawaywithme · 22/05/2016 20:52

Don't do it yourselves! It will a nightmare. We've just moved and although it was a multiple step move (sold house to storage and rental house, rental house and storage back to new house) and it cost $9,000, it was worth.every.penny.

Pipbin · 22/05/2016 21:02

They seem like very high quotes.

The last time we moved was the first time we had removal people, we had always done it ourself before that. I would never go back to doing it myself.
As PP have said I just factor it into the cost of moving.

wowfudge · 23/05/2016 07:21

The prices you've been quoted will be based on how much stuff you've got and moving it all plus what the going rate is in your area. We paid more for our recent move, but we had a lot of stuff despite a lot of decluttering including cellars and a garage and access to our new place is tricky. We went for full packing and it's a cost of moving house we budgeted for. I would not entertain doing it myself. Horrendous.

whois · 23/05/2016 11:04

I've moved with a self drive bigish van.

'Stuff' that is packed in boxes and bags is totally fine. Just hard work and tiring but not difficult.

Wardrobes were difficult. Heavy and awkward. Sofa was ok, awkward but not that heavy.

Just needs 2 fit people and hard work.

Pack well in labed boxes and be prepared for a long day.

ExConstance · 23/05/2016 12:11

Don't do it! I did it once, when I got married and DH to be and I hired a van and moved all m stuff from London to Bristol, exhausting, frustrating and some stuff got damaged when we were too tired to be careful. The next time we had a cheap removal company for our move 10 miles up the road. We sat in our neighbours garden having coffee with her while the removal team packed up. When e were ready to go I just put the dog and her bed in the car and set out. There is still plenty to do when you arrive but you will at least have some energy and sanity left to do it.

Ifiwasabadger · 23/05/2016 12:16

If youve never used one before you will get on with it. If you have, you will die doing it yourself. I never realised how easy and smooth moving house could be until I used a removal firm!

RockNRollNerd · 23/05/2016 14:18

This, every single word of this. In the context of how much money you spend moving house, the best value you honestly get is the packing and removals IME. Proper removals folk know about how to take a bed to pieces and assemble it at the other end, the same for tables, sofas, wardrobes etc.

Shop around for quotes though - both times we've used removals we used a local firm highly recommended by friends and they came in at under £1,000 including packing (although this was 3 years ago)

sunnyoutside · 23/05/2016 14:24

When we moved we paid for a removal firm. For an extra 250 they packed. The total cost was £700 - a local firm. Honestly, look around - post on MN local, Netmums, FB. Ours were fab - took beds and cot apart, put them back together, plumbed in washing machine, they did so much and took the stress out of the day. They were fab and I would recommend them to anybody.

sunnyoutside · 23/05/2016 14:25

Oh and ours was a 3 bed too, with a full cellar, a heaving loft full of stuff and a garage that had more crap in it than I care to remember

SchnitzelVonKrumm · 23/05/2016 18:04

When we moved five years ago we stupidly agreed to complete on a Monday. I assumed they'd come and pack on Friday and we'd have to spend the weekend camping. Removals guy said no, we'll just do it all on Monday. I was VERY sceptical, particularly as we'd had a family event that meant we had to travel the week before and hadn't packed anything - literally nothing. They arrived at 8.30, packed everything in the house (we took the kids to the park), loaded it all up, drove to our storage unit, emptied it, drove to the other side of London, unloaded everything and we were all sitting in the garden drinking tea at 2 o'clock.

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