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

[PippaFawcett]

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.

I can't believe people move themselves . We moved last week and had six men/two lorries/a lift for two days plus specialist movers for the piano and a television. And I have spent weeks packing and will spend weeks unpacking. DIY???!!!!

As well as the last move from North Yorkshire to Devon we've also moved ourselves prior to that from Kent to North Yorkshire and prior to that from Gloucestershire to Kent.

Don't get me wrong it isn't a barrel of laughs but it saved us shed loads and wasn't too awful tbh

Did it ourselves and have helped family to move on various occasions, it's no big deal.
Best thing is to label boxes with room you want them in and start packing much earlier than you think you need to!
A man with a van is a good idea, even two men if possible to lug the heavy stuff.
Good luck!

Get movers and some more quotes. Declutter as much as you can.
Ours gave us quotes for moving and for packing as well, gave us a pile of boxes a month in advance, and told us to pack as much non-fragile stuff as we could, then visited twice in the week before moving to give us more boxes and update the quote for packing.
Fitting everything even in two goes in the size of van you can self-drive is going to be tricky aand hiring a truck and man isn't going to be much cheaper than professional movers.

The family we bought from (2 adults, 2 children) moved themselves and had to come back the next day as they had underestimated - and they moved less than 10 minutes away. We were fine with it but not everyone would be.

We moved from a 1 bed flat no children at the time - hired a large van that FIL drove as our licenses' didn't cover it. We also filled our car, DH's transit, my PIL's, SIL's and uncle's car and my H has actual magic powers when it comes to packing.
I would seriously try and bite down mover's costs as another annoying house moving expense.

The only way self-moving really works is if you've got an overlap between properties (so usually rental - rental or rental to first house purchase) and you can do it over the course of a weekend or so. It's bloody hard going though and there is no way on this planet now we're on the property ladder and in the realms of house purchase chains that I'd do it again.

That is a really good point. I only self moved when it didn't all have to be done RIGHT NOW.

Seems like even though this isn't AIBU, IABU

Since I posted I have had one more company out and we have got another one booked for a quote. I am constantly decluttering but in areas they wouldn't see - drawers etc.

We have had several very cheap quotes through the AnyVan site linked upthread, but I am nervous about them as many of them are only offering a Luton van and I know that won't move our house in one go. We haven't exchanged yet so I have time to keep looking.

I think the "u" stands for unrealistic rather than unreasonable
If you do decide to self-move, you will manage it as many do, but it will make a very stressful day even more stressful. Our self-move nearly ended in disaster when FIL who was driving the van fell over - he was on a waiting list for knee replacement at the time. Fortunately he wasn't as badly hurt as it looked but I wouldn't under-estimate being able to push some responsibility on to other paid professionals'. (And don't wear moccasin slippers instead of proper footwear, especially if you have a bad knee and hip (!))

I've never been able to afford movers. I've done most of my moves with a rented van and the help of friends, and it's been fairly hellish, but ultimately manageable. I've done a couple with a rented van and jut my partner and I've helped a few friends move house. You need a van, the bigger the better, or you waste all your time driving. You need at least four people, so that you can have someone driving and someone keeping an eye on stuff waiting to be loaded or carried into the house. You need ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING PACKED before you start or you will find that you are still trying to pack what seemed like "just a few little things" at 3am and running out of boxes.

Last time I moved (3 bed maisonette to 3 bed house) I was 9 months pregnant, so I hired a man and van team - three strapping lads in a long wheelbase transit. They charged me about £80 and moved all my furniture and a lot of my boxes in about 4 hours. Total bargain and would absolutely do that again.

We moved in a Luton van with a tail lift hired for two days - think it cost us less than £100. I had a massive cull weeks before & boxed everything else up in one room. The day before we were able to fill the van, clean the place & only needed to dismantle our bed in the morning.

We ended up sitting about with nothing to do on the actual day of the move til we got our keys.

Had another quote for £1300 but this includes a full packing service and dismantling beds/wardrobes. I am swinging between thinking that it is an awful lot of money to thinking it would be very nice not to have to worry about any of it!

We did it ourselves last time - 3 bed to another 3 bed.... and afterwards we swore we'd never do it again

And this was with 3 days to do it in, just 2 miles up the road, no wardrobes, no washing machine, no sofas as we'd sold them and ordered new ones...you get my drift.

We moved ourselves, twice in six months. For the first move, we downsized from a generous 3 bed to a much smaller 2/3 bed. I decluttered like a banshee. We even got rid of the setee and chairs; there wasn't enough room in the smaller house. We lived amongst boxes in the smaller house while we bought our current house. We moved last week, and are now in a 6 bed house, so even though boxes are everywhere I don't feel the walls closing in on me anymore!

We've always had an overlap, and even now I need to nip back to the tiny house to get a few boxes and clean. It has taken two big trips and a few small runs to get all our stuff out. Now that we are on the property ladder, moving ourselves will not be possible. Not that I'm ever moving again. Oh no.

Re Anyvan - you can email them and ask for a larger van, or amend your job to ask for a big van (what is the name of bigger than a Luton ? I think you need the next step up driving licence for one?)
We paid £20 for an extra man and they just lifted the piano up (no tail lift)

We've always moved ourselves, usually with help of friends but last time just me, DH and teenage daughter. It's exhausting but you'll recover!

I just cannot see how you can do it if moving on exchange day.

You won't get keys to your new house until around mid day most likely. At the same time your buyers will be wanting to get into your place - after you've dropped the keys off.
40 minutes drive, fannying around with keys at sol8citors/estate agents, unpacking just the 2 of you then another 40 minute drive back if one load isn't your entire house and the time to repack - all with your buyer on your heels.

If you are not moving on exchange day then it will be doable but don't under estimate how hard it is.

Get movers with kids its so much easier, they can see the first box go onto the lorry then get dropped at childcare and told that they can go to the new house later. when they get to the new house you will prob have time to back there room ready and get there fav toys out.
Top tip is strip beds/cots and put bedding in the car so you can find it and it still smell like the old house

It might seem like a lot of money in isolation but in the scheme of things it is a cost of moving. We got quotes early in the process and factored the cost into our budget.

H and I are on our 6th house, and we've never paid for movers or packers. The last 4 moves we've had children (although we have purposely moved on a week day so they'd been at nursery / school).

I think it depends on your approach, your budget, how organised you can be, how practical you or your H is (for dismantling furniture, un-installing washing machine etc).

My H is super practical, I can be super organised and our philosophy has always been that £1000+ is just not worth it to us for an easier / less stressful couple of days. Don't get me wrong, I understand why other people may have a different opinion - but for me, I'd rather have a manic couple of days and use the money for something else.

namechangedtoday15

A manic couple of days? Does that mean you have never been in a chain, and had to be out by early afternoon? and you can't put stuff in the new house until early afternoon too?

If you have the time, I'd say yeah move yourself as you have the luxury of time.

In a chain moving a family home contents, I definitely say you should have, one big truck with a couple of removers, to help get everything on the truck.

We've done 2 moves where we weren't in a chain (into rented and then out of rented again - yes that's definitely easier) but all the other moves have been as part of a chain.

We've always packed up over a period of days / evenings before, hired a van the night before "move day" (the biggest you can with a normal driving licence and with a tail-lift). Actually the last move (given that we'd accumulated so much) we hired 2 vans. Day before was manic trying to clear as many rooms as possible so we could clean / be organised for move day.

Early start on move day, loaded them both up in the morning, final round of cleaning, dropped keys with 1 estate agent about lunch time, collected new keys from other agent about 2pm and unloaded at new house (into a couple of rooms / garage). V late night. Returned vans the following day.

I'm not saying its easy and without stress, and its probably more time consuming (you're busy packing / unpacking for days either side of the move day) but its a way of avoiding such (for me) an unnecessary cost.

OP I am sure if you say where you are the other posters could give you recommendations. If you don't want to out yourself then start a thread on your MN Local?

1. Don't attempt to move yourselves, it will be absolutely hideous.

1. Get some more quotes. We moved from a 2 bed terrace to a (nearby) 3 bed townhouse and Pickfords charged us £900, including all packing. If you get someone local it might be a bit cheaper, but you will need to negotiate.