Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Property/DIY

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

Flip

Original poster

Moving house - what do you wish you had thought about re: moving day?

20 replies

olivo · 31/01/2010 12:03

We have just found out we are moving in less than 4 weeks. this is the first move I have to properly orchestrate, with 2 young DDs in tow. Akthough I have lived in many different houses, they have always either been furnished, empty to move into or i have been able to move gradually. We are movning ourselves - DH and his DB hiring a van, i am packing up boxes as at home all day.

What did you/do you wish you had thought about about that really helped a smooth move? I plan to have a suitcase of clothes, overnight things, toys and bedding that I'll put in the car to get us through the first couple of days, and will make sure that kettle and mugs are in a box in my car.

any advice gratefully received!

OP posts:

piprabbit · 31/01/2010 22:38

I think that having essentials in the car is a good idea - I did it myself, mostly cos I was worried about getting stranded with no belongings if the handover was delayed overnight for any reason.

I bought a set of post-it notes in different colours and colour-coded all the boxes as to which room they needed to go into - made things easy when unloading as everything went straight into the right room.

Also if you can hire/beg/borrow a couple of the hanging wardrobe boxes used by removal firms (a tall box with a metal bar across the top - so you just take your clothes on the hangers out of the wardrobe, hang them in the box and then rehang in wardrobe) it saves loads of hassle.

Good luck with the move.

DebiTheScot · 31/01/2010 22:39

we moved last week and there was a thread similar to this a few weeks ago that was very helpful.
Some other things to put in the car are: cutlery, plates, bowls etc (we still haven't found our cutlery)
scissors for opening boxes
cereal/ breakfast food
phone numbers for electric, gas etc to phone meter readings through

Sure there's more but can't think at this time of night!

Also, get rid of the kids until after teatime if possible then you don't have to worry about feeding them that night.

Doing it yourself with a van is very impressive, esp with kids. We used removal men and even paid them to pack.

purpleturtle · 31/01/2010 22:42

If there is a skip in the driveway of the new house, make absolutely sure it is removed before you want to move in.

(Although our removal men were fantastic, and only failed to lift the piano over it )

Original poster

olivo · 01/02/2010 08:38

thank you, these tips are really helpful.
am hoping MIL/SIL will look after my older DD for the day and the baby will come with me to the new house on moving day as I am bf. she is generally quite happy watching people coming and going so fingers crossed,she'll be ok.

We are only doing the move ourselves as we are going to be really financially tight until I go back to work in a few months, so are saving money where we can sensibly do so.

anything else anyone thinks of would be great!

OP posts:

OrmRenewed · 01/02/2010 08:40

Paying a vast amount for someone else to do it for us. And going on holiday.

Does that help ?

Original poster

olivo · 01/02/2010 08:41

actually Orm, i think you've got it right! only we have aholiday booked 2 weeks after!! we didnt know we'd be moving or we'd have saved the cash!

OP posts:

girlsyearapart · 01/02/2010 08:54

Get the tea/coffee/sugar cups and spoons and kettle and make sure you pack them in a bag you take with you!

And have a take away on the first night.

Original poster

olivo · 01/02/2010 12:08

oooh, will have to suss out the local take-away! am off to buy some coloured stickers nwo, before i begin packing some of our less used things. must also ask about the wardrobe thing, sounds like a great idea.

OP posts:

bran · 01/02/2010 12:19

If you don't manage to get a box with a hanging rail then the next best thing to do with clothes on hangers is to secure 5 or 6 hangers with clothes on together with an elastic band around the hook of the hangers. Then make a hole in the middle of the bottom of a black plastic bag, feed the hooks through the hole and pull the bag down over the clothes.

If you have a lot of books then don't completely fill boxes with them or you won't be able to lift the box. Put a few layers of books in the bottom and something light but bulky on the top.

Get yourself a good trolley, if you have a tool hire place nearby they will probably have one available, otherwise buy one from B&Q. It'll be worth the expense to save your backs.

wordsonascreen · 01/02/2010 12:28

Second getting a takeaway that night.

Don't forget a corkscrew you'll be needing wine.

fruitful · 01/02/2010 12:40

check whether your mobile phone will have reception at the new house, and it doesn't, switch networks now!
do not allow your dc to come into contact with anyone who might have chickenpox in the next couple of weeks

My phone didn't work at our new house. NTL failed to get the landline/tv/internet connection sorted as promised. Dh went to work the day after we moved in, 'cos we needed the money. Dd went down with chickenpox on moving day. So I was stuck in a house that didn't feel like my home, unable to go out because of dd, unable to communicate with the outside world, with ds1 climbing the walls and all our stuff in boxes. It wasn't a fun week!

Also, do not allow your dc to "look after" the treasured toy that they have to have to get to sleep, pack it yourself!

Original poster

olivo · 01/02/2010 17:24

thanks! hmmm, you've really cheered me up, frutiful
chickenpox doing the rounds as usual, at nursery!

debithescot - cant find that thread in the archives - any chance you could link?
am worrying a bit about it now!

OP posts:

DebiTheScot · 01/02/2010 22:51

ds1 got chicken pox a few days after moving here too! We were very glad he hung on as ds2 had it 1st so were fully expecting him to have it on moving day.

Here's the thread here

Are you buying? We were lucky that we were in a very short chain which helped things move quickly on moving day but also we transfer all the money to the solicitor 2 days before completion so they had cleared funds the day before and then were very efficient and paying everything on the day. We could have picked up the keys at 11.30am!

notcitrus · 01/02/2010 23:02

If parking might be an issue (city streets), your council should be able to issue permits for you to block off an area for half a day. In reality when the councils at each end claim there's no such thing, park your own car outside your house and put big signs on wheelie-bins at each end, and bribe a new neighbour at the other end to do the same - great icebreaker.

We did the former but not the latter - so new neighbours came home from work, moved their car so the van could move outside our house, and told us we should have just asked them...

Ask neighbours to recommend decent local restaurant or take-away when you arrive. Internet shop booked to arrive 2 days after (so you can remember to cancel it if there's some problem).

Get rid of as much crap as possible beforehand. Tins and frozen food in particular. And no matter how much you do, you'll still say about 100 times "Why on earth did I keep that?" when unpacking and throwing stuff out...

penona · 01/02/2010 23:11

Keep your phone charger handy. Make sure you do a post redirection. Keep some loo roll out! (and a hand towel and soap). Keep the cleaning stuff handy - our place was filthy when we moved in so couldn't start unpacking until clean. Same for the hoover/carpet cleaner if you have one.

Our movers said 'don't try and unpack it all the first night' and they were right (14 mths on we have one box still unpacked, clearly full of things we don't need!!)

theITgirl · 01/02/2010 23:36

Unpack the living room first. Boxes that you will not unpack in the first day, label for the spare room.
Essential to have one room looking normal to relax in, if you are surrounded by boxes you will not be able to relax.

Also label the boxes with what is in them, makes it easier to unpack the essentials first.

Find out where you can recycle newspapers and cardboard boxes, they take up nearly as much space as the actual things that were packed.

Original poster

olivo · 02/02/2010 09:21

thanks debi. yes, we're buying, only a small chain, ours is being bought to let by a cash buyer and the people we are buying from are moving abroad so that shuld make for less hassle.

have noted all your suggestions, thanks everyone. parking shouldnt be a problem as it's kind of country-ish. phone charger and loo roll added to my in-the car list!

I'm getting quite excited now! fingers crossed it all goes ahead......

OP posts:

dilemma456 · 02/02/2010 10:05

Message withdrawn

sb6699 · 02/02/2010 10:28

I didnt take the clothes out of drawers, just put a bin bag round them!

Write on the boxes what is in it (sounds obvious but I ended up with loads of boxes full of random crap that took ages to unpack).

Anything breakable (like the telly!) would be better going in the car if it can fit - take it from one who knows

I'm moving in April and although I really cant wait to get into our new house, I am dreading "moving day".

bran · 02/02/2010 12:10

Make up the beds quite soon after you get into the new house. There's nothing worse than having a screaming exhausted child and making him wait while you find the bedlinen and put it on. Also do your bed early so that you can just stop working and fall into it when you're tired.

Flip