JENNR8R

I'm going to be moving soon and will be using a moving company for the first time. For those of you who have had this experience, do you have any tips for me?

Also, do I have to pack everything in the dresser and chest in a separate box, or can I fill those drawers up with stuff and have them move it that way? It would be so much easier to fill the drawers up.

I'd appreciate your feedback.

juliasb

I would check with the moving company for their policy on what needs to be boxed and what can stay in drawers. Then there will be no mistake on the policy and this can save a lot of grief. I have only moved a piano and bench and I had to remove everything from the bench.

dunster

I usually leave the drawers full of lightweight things that won't be damaged if they're tossed around.

I have done several long distance moves in the past 19 years (SoCal to Northern British Columbia, then down to Oregon, and most recently back to SoCal). For the last move, I hired two U-Haul trucks in Oregon, the biggest they have. I packed everything myself into boxes. Through U-Haul I hired a team to load the two trucks. I drove one and my son (who flew up to Oregon to help out) drove the other one, with my car on a trailer behind it, down to SoCal. I hired another team here to unload. (Actually the team in SoCal unloaded into a storage facility, because I hadn't yet purchased a house here. About a month later, I hired a team to load into trucks and move everything into my new-to-me home.)

I got several estimates before the move from moving companies, and was not comfortable hiring any of them. Even though I asked specifically for firm fixed price quotes, what I received were quotes based on their estimates of weight. Since the professional estimators were all over the place in their estimates, I had no way of knowing how much the move would really cost. You can be pretty sure that it will be significantly more than the estimates.

U-Haul trucks, even the largest ones, are easy to drive, and the movers I've hired from their website have been reliable and professional.

lberna

Our moving company told us to remove what is breakable/valuable from drawers. They plastic wrapped our dressers and chest of drawers fully loaded with clothes. You might check what your company's policy is regarding that.

Teen

I recently moved and used a moving company and was very pleased, however, I did not know that they were going to disassemble furniture so be prepared for the potential for missing parts. When I saw what they were doing, I set up a box specifically for "parts" and made sure they wrapped the parts for each furniture in their own package....then, I wrote on the packages what piece of furniture the parts go to. For example, they disassembled a tri-level computer desk so there were screws and bolts and what not. They took legs off of living room furniture, removed glass doors from bookcases... My baker's rack had so many parts I doubt I would have been able to reassemble if not for this plan. They disassemble in order to make it easier to stack and pack in trucks. It's amazing how they do it but a little unnerving.

I had 3 estimates and the one we selected was within 100 lbs of estimate...so some are pretty good at estimates. In terms of keeping things in drawers etc. I emptied them since my stuff was being delivered directly to a storage unit until my new home was built; however, I did ask about this and they said I could leave unbreakable stuff in the drawers if I wanted to. My husband has a lot of tools and one fairly large tool box.....super heavy.....We thought we'd have to remove everything but they loaded it in truck fully loaded since it was on wheels......that thing was heavy...

Good luck on your move!!

tallchick

I agree with Dunster on boxing things yourself, getting the truck(s) and just hiring help to load and unload, you’ll save money and have peace of mind as well. It’s expensive! My daughter moved from Ohio to Florida for her job, and when she got quotes she about had a coronary! She called me, lamenting so I borrowed a truck and a 20 ft trailer from my ex and moved her myself.
But, if you do decide to use a company be sure to understand their policy on items that may get damaged, and get several quotes. Good luck!

Jingle

We haven't moved in 51 years. I keep everything I really want and donate others. We will never move unless it is for health reasons.

Good luck with your move.

Iceblossom

What I do with my dressers is stuff each drawer into a pillow case, then the pillow cases go in a box.

I've done many moves myself and every single job I've ever had we've either moved completely or rearranged enough that we had to bring in movers.

When I moved to this house, each room was color coded. On the door to the room there was a layout of bed, dresser, couch whatever along with a big color tag. Boxes for that room were stacked up against a designated wall.

I think it was a semi-sincere offer that if I wanted work as an estimator/consultant, they would hire me!

SusieQOH

We've had several company moves so we didn't have to pay but wow, so expensive!
I dread when we have to do it ourselves!!!

my-ty

Great moving/packing suggestions, my suggestions are:
- On each box mark the room name and number it. (Keep an inventory on your computer/phone of what is in each box).
- Group things for each room based on when you will need the item in your new house. Items that will be required in the next week or immediately were packed in the same box, and marked with a star. This was really helpful as I knew which boxes needed to be unpacked first and which could wait.
Good luck with your move.