Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Would we be idiots to move ourselves?

70 replies

Bobshhh · 09/08/2022 10:45

Starting to talk completion dates so need to get our life in order.

We're moving a 5 minute drive down the road, going from a 2 bed with garage and loft to a 4 bed.

Would we be idiots to hire a van (husband and dad are comfortable driving it) and try and do it ourselves? Is it worth just paying the extra cost for movers to take the pain away?

OP posts:
HappyAsASandboy · 09/08/2022 12:39

We did this moving about 80 miles, and collecting significant amounts of stuff from two other addresses that were another 80 miles in different directions. Did it over a weekend.

You need to pack in advance, Ana have a timetable to stick to. And no kids or pets with you!

A580Hojas · 09/08/2022 12:44

The last time we did this we were child free, in our 30s and moving from a tiny 2 bed rental to a small 3 bed house less than 5 minutes drive away. We had a Luton van and my brother to help us.

And we both swore never again! It was actual hell. Never, ever, ever do this if you can afford removers. Why we didn't even go for a man and van for one day I'll never know, it probably cost us just as much to hire the van alone.

mindutopia · 09/08/2022 14:09

Dh and I have moved 3 times in the last 10 years, most recent one was 1.5 hours away, and we've always moved ourselves. We put dc in childcare/school the big move day. We already have a van, and friend with a van also comes to help. Then get cleaners in to sort out the mess at the end.

The only thing I'd say is that we've never done this when we only had one day to move. We've always had some overlap in dates or started moving smaller things out early into storage. Most recent time, we were moving from rented into purchased house and we had a whole week of overlap between completion and needing to be out of rental. That said, it was a 3 hour round trip between the 2 properties.

Becky6758 · 09/08/2022 14:23

Always moved ourselves.

Family help. Kids in school. Hire a van. Pack everything the days before and dismantle it.

Tip runs done the week before.

CrotchetyQuaver · 09/08/2022 14:41

The last time I moved was a 5 minutes up the road job but the first time with a family ,my DM gave me some money for removal men. The best quote included them packing everything so we went with it, those guys are machines honestly! Just about everything packed and loaded up the day before bar our bed, armchairs and kettle. DC age 3&4 staying with my parents. We cleaned the house the night before, got everything down from the attic to the front room ready for the movers in the morning, so just a final quick wipe and hoover round. Then they unloaded everything at the other end. Kids came back the following day when we'd got their bedroom all set up for them. It was about as easy as it could be and well worth the money. Previously I'd moved myself in my car with a hire van for the large items, but I'd always had the time to do that, it was always possible as home to rented, rented to first purchase, from there back to parents home (relocation) so never up against the clock like you are on completion day.

EluneBePraised · 11/08/2022 14:31

We'll definitely be hiring a moving and packing service. I was 6 months pg when we moved into our current house and we used movers who packed for us, was worth every penny and would do it again. We have over 20 steps up to the front door of our mid terrace and both DH and I have back/hip issues plus two DCs so in our situation it's a no brainer.

DinosaursEatMan · 11/08/2022 14:37

We did this when moving locally but had a couple of weeks overlap with end of rental contract. We hired a tail lift van for one day for the large furniture, and a smaller van for multiple trips over several days. It was pretty stressful but we’d do it again because it saved so much money.

MrsMontyD · 11/08/2022 15:14

I wouldn't consider moving furniture myself, certainly not to things like wardrobes down stairs and heavy sofas, I wouldn't risk me or DP putting our backs out in the middle of a move.

housemaus · 11/08/2022 15:18

I've moved 8 times in 13 years (a lot of times between house shares, but 3 full-house moves) and always done it myself, so it's perfectly doable!

BUT... if I could have afforded to have paid movers the last time I would have, because it was bloody hard work. If you can genuinely afford it it'll be worth the reduction in stress, in my opinion.

alanabennett · 11/08/2022 15:18

I don't even pack myself! We have moved 3 times in the past 6 years (including a short term rental) and we always use a packing and moving company. It has cost thousands and is worth every penny. No way are we going to disassemble four beds and lug sofas and chairs around!

BarrelOfOtters2 · 11/08/2022 15:18

Last time we moved we got packers as well as moving. And had friends' help to unpack at the other end.

We were literally moving round the corner.

It was the best move ever.

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 11/08/2022 15:24

We’ve always moved ourselves. Now we are older, (60s) I don’t think I would again.
Moved MIL, and hired movers who packed and unpacked and removed everything that was to be skipped/recycled/charity shopped. Not cheap - but omg worth every single penny. If you can afford it..

CreateIn · 11/08/2022 16:12

We've always done it ourselves, just DH and I, 4 bed contents, but no pets or kids.

It's a long day but worth the £2k saving!

Starseeking · 11/08/2022 16:31

Moving from rented 2 bed to an owned 3 bed property, we (or really DP at the time as I was 8 months pregnant) moved ourselves over a period of 3 weeks. He had 3 friends helping, and spent about 2 weeks before that packing the house up.

Moving from owned 3 bed property to a larger owned 3 bed property, I refused to let him DIY it again, especially as this time he wanted me to do the bulk of the packing (not pregnant this time), which I knew would be backbreaking, and didn't fancy it with two under 3 at the time.

Movers only cost £800, and they loaded up in 4 hours, having turned up at 8am and unloaded at the other end in 2. Easiest and least stressful move ever!

I wouldn't recommend doing it on your own, as you forget you'll be packing up the house for weeks beforehand, so you'll be tired from that even before you start loading vans.

Thesehills · 11/08/2022 18:13

We're moving ourselves on the 25th of this month. DD (14), me and the dog.

BUT we're going two minutes away into a friends rental flat (waiting for our new build). We've had a busy few weeks already, sorting stuff to the skip and charity shops, packing and are taking bits over from tomorrow.

It's on my mind and I have endless lists but it'll save me a lot of money and I have got rid of a lot of old big furniture so its not too bad.

mondaytosunday · 11/08/2022 18:14

Yes it is worth it.

Juicesausagecake · 11/08/2022 18:23

We did this twice in the last year.

What we didn’t do was pack particularly effectively, so getting organised again has been hard work.

We booked a van and some blokes off task rabbit. There was a piano that went up to the first floor and had to come down again.

Good luck. One day, I hope to get the full professional moving experience. Although I never want to move again, either.

PastMyBestBeforeDate · 11/08/2022 18:53

The minute you start thinking about two van loads, it's not a good idea.
If you can do it in one It works but you can't unload into a house you don't own yet to free up the van for a second run. By the time you own the house to unload, you should be out of the old one, because you don't own it.

Baker90 · 12/08/2022 07:38

We hired a van and did out last move ourselves with the help of parents. Hired a Luton and did a 3 bed to 3 bed in about 2 and bit loads and about 6 hours total. This time we are opting to pay for movers but we're doing the packing/dissassembling etc. Hoping it will be worth every penny though to not have to do the heavy lifting!

UnboxedThoughts · 12/08/2022 07:47

I would sell a kidney in order to pay for movers. I recently just swapped bedrooms between DC and my god there's no way I'm shifting an entire house worth of contents myself. When I was younger, yes, but not anymore.

I've just mentally gone over all the contents of my house and garden and feel exhausted at the thought of moving it myself.

Quitelikeit · 12/08/2022 07:49

You can easily do this. We have done all our moves.

even better no white goods or wardrobes.

tip: throw out all your junk/old clothes/kitchen junk before you move

Summersdreaming · 12/08/2022 07:54

I've never used a moving company, I've moved 6/7 times. It's a long hard day but very doable if you have enough strong people and are very organised. Can you rope in a couple of helpers to shuttle boxes between houses in a car with the seats down. That frees up the van for bigger items. Label all your boxes with the room AND something memorable that's inside so you aren't searching through 10 kitchen boxes looking for cups etc.

LittleGreenBeetle · 12/08/2022 07:56

What's the price difference?

If it's hundreds, I wouldn't hesitate to get removers in. When we moved here I remember remarking how glad I was that we had decided to go with the professionals. I meant we were all done by 6pm and able to start unpacking boxes.

Thousands, and I might consider doing it myself. But definitely start putting non-essentials into the van the night before - it all takes a lot longer than you think, and can feel overwhelming when you're doing it yourself.

Candleabra · 12/08/2022 07:56

Yes if you:
Declutter everything/throw out anything you don’t need
Are incredibly organised
Start early

Time and resources are the most important factor. Can you move yourself? Well of course…eventually it’ll get done.
Can you move yourself if you start packing a van on the morning of the move and expect to make several trips? Probably not.
Removals companies have several vans/lorries at their disposal and usually lots of people to get the job done quickly. You will need to be out of the house by lunchtime on moving day so it all comes down to whether you can manage the logistics.

MassiveSalad22 · 12/08/2022 07:58

Honestly the packing service is so worth it, they’re amazing and so fast! We had it when we moved a mile down the road too.