Moving house can be quite a challenge, especially if you’re moving for the first time. There are so many things to do before moving out that soon you are likely to get overwhelmed by it all.
In addition to the multitude of tasks that you just have to finish before Moving day, you’ll be faced with many important decisions to make – from whether or not you should move any furniture to who’s going to pack up all the items you’re taking with you to the new home.
And yet, the most important decision that will shape up how you approach the entire house move is whether you should hire a top-rated moving company to help you pack and move your belongings to the new address, OR whether you should organize and perform a self-move without any assistance from professionals.
Both relocation methods have advantages and disadvantages, and it’s up to you to assess your unique house moving case and pick the better option in terms of price, safety, and lack of stress. Read on to find out what it takes to move by yourself – thorough information that will help you make an informed choice and get ready for all the DIY challenges that lie ahead of you.
Moving by yourself is not easy by any means… but it doesn’t need to be too complicated either.
Moving house is a stressful period when you’ll have to make a great number of decisions every single day while getting ready to move out. And yet, the most important decision you’re going to have to make early on is whether the time is right to organize a self-move, or whether you’d better trust a professional moving company to do it (almost) all for you.
Sometimes it can be pretty obvious which way you should go. When you’re moving long distance to another far-away part of the country, then it’ll make a lot of sense to hire one of the best long distance movers in the country. Similarly, when you’re moving just a short distance away and you know you can rely on your good friends to give you a hand, then you should seriously consider organizing a self-move.
However, things are seldom that clear from the start, so oftentimes, you will be faced with a real dilemma: hire movers or move by yourself? In fact, this is a critical decision that will determine how you plan your entire move from that point forward.
Here are some pointers to help you pick the best way to move: hire a moving company or move by yourself?
Distance
The move distance between the two homes will have a huge influence over your decision whether to move by yourself or hire movers. If you’re moving only a short distance away – across the street, across the town, or to a new place within the same state, then you may as well pick the option of renting a moving vehicle and transporting your things on your own.
On the other hand, when the final destination is located many hundreds or thousands of miles away, then you should take no big risks and hire an experienced cross-county moving company instead of driving a big moving vehicle across unknown territories.
Specialty items
If you don’t intend to move any specialty items with you, then you may as well think about organizing a DIY move as long as the rest of the house moving conditions are favorable too.
However, your decision to move a piano, grandfather clock, china cabinet, pool table, hot tub, or any antique furniture should automatically mean using the services of specialty movers. Keep in mind that trying to move a specialty item by yourself will most likely have catastrophic results for the item in question and possibly for you as well.
Time
Time is another critical factor that will help you decide whether to hire movers or move on your own.
The time you have until Moving day will determine how you approach the house move.
In case you have roughly a week or even less to pull off a house move, then you should really consider paying for professional packers and movers. The thing is that you just don’t know how to make things happen with so little time on your hands.
On the other hand, pulling off a self-move should be quite possible if you’ve got 3 weeks or more to plan a DIY move for the books.
Of course, your final decision will also be affected by a number of other major factors such as availability of moving labor, number of items to move, amount of move-related experience, and your ability to handle stress.
Follow the link below to review the 10 questions that will help you make up your mind: Hire movers or do it yourself?
Once you make up your mind that executing a self-move is the better option for you, it’s time to think about who will take care of the packing task. Interestingly enough, even though you’re set to organize a DIY move, you can still hire professional packers to help you with the most critical and time-consuming job within a house move.
But how to know whether it’s better to do your own packing or to pay professional packers to do the job for you?
Advantages of packing by yourself
Here are some of the pros of doing your own packing when moving house:
It’s cheaper. Without a doubt, self-packing is the cheaper option simply because you won’t have to pay professional packers to do it for you. And although you’re going to have to pay for all the packing supplies, the good news is that, provided that you have enough free time, you should be able to find most of the required packing materials very cheaply, or even for free.
It’s more convenient. Doing your own packing will mean that you’ll be packing on your own terms. Basically, that means that you can be flexible with the time you have and organize the packing hours as you see fit. In most cases, you should be able to control the packing speed too.
It’s more controlled. Arguably, the greatest advantage of packing your things by yourself is the complete control you have over the process. From sorting out your belongings to labeling the boxes yourself, you’ll know exactly where each item is, and that will make unpacking after the move so much easier as well.
If you happen to be a person who hates it when other people touch your things, then packing up your home by yourself seems like the only option you’ve got.
Disadvantages of packing by yourself
Packing by yourself comes with its own set of disadvantages too. Here are the major ones:
It’s time-consuming. It’s a mistake to underestimate the time you’ll need to pack up your things. In most cases, you won’t even know how much stuff you’ve accumulated through the years until you start sorting it out and packing it into cardboard boxes. Usually, it takes many days (weeks!) to box up all of your things, and you just may not have the time for that.
It’s not easy. Packing for a move is not as easy as you may think. Sure, packing clothes and books is pretty straightforward but when you come to all the fragile and breakable items in your home – glasses, mirrors, china plates, vases, electronics, artwork, jewelry, etc., then the packing process tends to get more complicated as you have to make sure those delicate items survive the move in one piece.
Ultimately, using improper packing techniques when packing on your own can lead to more troubles than you anticipated in the beginning.
Follow the link below to learn the pros and cons of professional packing services too so that you can compare effectively the two packing options and pick the best one for you as a result.
Packing by yourself will help you minimize the moving costs (you won’t have to pay for professional packing services) and enable you to have greater control over the packing process in general. So, you’ve made up your mind – you’re going to pack up your things without using the assistance of professional packers.
Packing by yourself may result in a classic bite-more-than-you-can-chew scenario.
So far, so good. But in order to pack your valuable possessions quickly, safely, and efficiently, you’re going to have to follow a packing checklist that will not only tell you what to pack and when to pack it, but also it will inform you how to go about packing up your stuff for a move.
Here are the main steps that you are advised to take when packing by yourself:
Inventory your possessions. The very first step is to figure out what you’re up against in terms of the sheer number of items to pack and move, so it’s time to create an inventory of your home. Go through each room and make a detailed list of the things you own – their types, current condition, and other relevant info.
Inventorying an entire home will take a lot of time to complete so to cut drastically that inventory time, take advantage of modern technology to assist you in that rough task. Moveadvisor is a cutting-edge moving app with a built-in house inventory tool.
Sort out your items. It’ll be a mistake to pack up all the things you own and move them to the new home. Why? It’s simple – you just won’t need all those things.
So, once the home inventory is complete, it’s time to sort out your things into 3 groups: 1) thingsto be discarded (things that are too damaged, worn out or useless), 2) thingsto be sold or given away (things that are still usable but you just don’t need anymore), and 3) thingsto be packed (things you’re taking with you).
Gather packing supplies. Your decision to pack by yourself means that you’ll be responsible for securing the necessary packing materials for the job: cardboard boxes, wrapping paper, bubble wrap, packing tape, permanent markers, and so on. At that stage, cardboard boxes should be your major concern because those containers constitute the biggest packing expenses during a DIY move.
Purchasing all packing supplies brand new is easy but it’ll cost you. The great news here is that you should be able to get most of your packing materials for free. Where to find free moving boxes? It’s not too hard, actually.
Packing up your home without using professional packers will also mean that you’re going to have to follow the FIVE major rules of DIY packing. These rules are also known as the golden rules of packing for a move:
DECLUTTER your home before packing the items found in it. Packing fewer things will save you both time and money.
INITIATE the packing task as soon as possible to guarantee that all boxes will be packed up and sealed prior to Moving day.
START packing from the most difficult rooms to pack (storage areas) and work toward the easier premises to box up in order to maintain your energy and motivation.
PACK safely by making sure your boxes are in good condition and by using enough padding materials for fragile objects.
ASK friends and family members to help you pack. Packing by yourself does not mean that you have to do it all by yourself, without any friendly assistance at all.
When moving by yourself, one of the most important things you’ll have to do is secure the help of your loyal friends. The thing is that even if you somehow find enough time to pack up your things without your pals’ help, you’re still going to need their physical strength with the heavy lifting that’s bound to occur on the day of the move.
In most relocation cases, your final decision about whether to move by yourself or hire movers will depend on the actual chance of securing the friendly assistance you need so much. If you know that you just can’t rely on your buddies to give you a hand (for some reason or another), then the situation will most likely force you to hire a full-service moving company or hire moving labor only.
Here’s what you need to know before you ask friends to help you move:
Do it early. Reach out to your good friends as early as possible for a greater chance of getting the number of yeses you need. Put yourself in their shoes – would you like it if somebody asked you to help them move in the last possible moment? Of course not. Therefore, you’ll need to show respect to your pals’ previous plans and commitments
Ask them in person. It can be very tempting to ask friends for moving help via Facebook or Twitter – it’s so much easier and you won’t need to be facing them when some of them say No. Nevertheless, the preferred alternative is to ask your good friends in person, or whenever that’s impossible, to do it over the phone. Social media networks are rather impersonal for such important requests.
You’re asking your friends for a big favor, so the least you can do is be open with them.
Be honest with them. Remember to be completely honest with your best friends when asking them to help you pack and move. If there’s going to be plenty of heavy lifting instances, tell them that in advance even when you risk getting turned down. That’s better than having to answer to your unhappy or even angry buddies on the day of the move. If most of them do say No, then you still have the option of hiring professional moving labor, so the risk of deteriorating some of your friendships won’t be worth it in the end.
BE ready for their arrival. Keep in mind that you’re asking your good friends for a favor, so the least you could do for them is to be ready when they show up. Depending on the situation, your level of readiness can mean different things: from securing the necessary packing supplies when you need packing assistance to getting the required moving equipment and a moving vehicle when you need help with moving and loading heavy items. Show your friends that you respect their time and efforts by preparing in advance a detailed plan of action.
Asking friends to help you pack and move is never an easy thing to do – it can be awkward and it can definitely put some strain on some of your relationships. Follow the link below to learn how you can turn the whole request thing into a game so that you can have a bit of fun with your buddies while getting the job done.
Your decision NOT to hire professional movers will also mean that, in case you wish to take any furniture with you, you’ll have to find a way to pack and move those furniture pieces by yourself. Of course, you shouldn’t do it all by yourself – instead, you’ll need to secure the help of family members or friends for increased safety and greater physical strength.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when moving heavy furniture by yourself:
Don’t move any furniture
If possible, you are advised NOT to move any furniture with you. Most furniture pieces are big and heavy – beds, couches, dressers, armoires, cabinets, tables, desks, and even chairs, meaning that they will be very difficult to move around and stay protected until their destination home.
Do the math beforehand. Each and every furniture piece you decide to move will require time and money to protect it. Also, each piece will take space on the moving truck, possibly forcing you to leave something else instead.
Unless you’re moving antique furniture, moving standard furniture pieces may get to be more expensive than purchasing those items, brand-new, after the move.
Get the right furniture moving equipment
When moving furniture by yourself, there are two pieces of moving equipment that you must have in order to guarantee a safe move.
Furniture dolly. A furniture dolly is a flat, low four-wheel platform that will enable you to wheel heavy furniture items out of your home with minimum effort and without any damage to the floors, walls, or doors.
Furniture sliders. The small pieces made of hard plastic or rubber will let you slide big and heavy furniture items across the room pretty effortlessly and damage-free. Get quality sliders from a local moving company, a home goods store, or online.
Disassemble the furniture pieces
One of the critical steps when moving furniture without movers is to disassemble the large furniture pieces whenever possible. Remove detachable elements such as arms, legs, shelves, and doors, and then pack those detached parts separately.
By disassembling your furniture units before moving them, you will reduce their overall weight, make packing much more straightforward, and ensure the disassembled furniture items will pass safely through all door openings and hallways.
When moving furniture by yourself, your ultimate goal is to keep those units protected at all times. That is why you’re going to have to protect the pieces well for transport.
Protecting your furniture well is the first step to a successful self-moving experience.
Cover all wooden surfaces with soft moving blankets, then use tape to secure the blankets. Never use packing tape directly on the furniture.
Protect the more fragile parts of your furniture by wrapping them in packing paper first, then using bubble wrap on top.
Attach pieces of corrugated cardboard around the furniture corners for extra protection.
Secure all movable but non-detachable elements with pieces of twine to keep them secure during the move.
Don’t make the mistake of trying to move large and heavy furniture pieces entirely on your own. Why? It’s too dangerous.
Instead, ask trustworthy friends to give you a hand with the furniture lifting and don’t forget to use the proper lifting techniques throughout the house move.
When you move by yourself, it’s critical that you select the appropriate moving vehicle with which you will transport your household items to the new home. Of course, the cheapest option of them all will be you moving your own things short distance in your own pick-up truck. However, that dream relocation scenario is rare, so in most DIY moving cases, you’ll have to rent a moving truck from a truck rental company and drive it further than just across town.
Be mindful that the moving truck rental costs will be your biggest self-moving expense, so as you’re renting a moving vehicle, you should also do your best to keep those costs to a minimum.
Pick an affordable truck rental company
Some moving truck rental agencies will be more affordable than others for roughly the same services. So why pay more when you can pay less, right?
Visit the websites of the major moving truck rental companies in the country: U-Haul, Penske, Budget, Ryder, and Enterprise – and check what they have to offer in terms of prices and conditions. Also, don’t make the mistake of overlooking smaller local truck rental agencies because you just never know.
Then, use the quote calculators on those websites to compare the affordability of the different companies.
Pick the right size of moving truck
It’s critical that you choose the correct size of moving truck for your house moving needs. Picking a vehicle with too little storage space means you’ll have to leave behind some of the things, do multiple trips between the two homes or rent a larger truck – moving scenarios that are far from ideal. Picking a truck with storage space that’s too big is not perfect either because you’ll have to pay more money for storage space you’re not using.
Here are the types of moving trucks you should be able to rent when moving on your own:
Pickup truck. Great for moving small loads or performing a partial move.
Cargo van. Ideal for moving a studio apartment, a partial move, or moving to college / moving from college.
10-12 ft. truck. Small moving trucks do a great job when you’re moving from a studio or a small one-bedroom apartment.
14-17 ft. truck. Medium-size moving trucks are the most popular moving vehicle because of their excellent price-usefulness factor. Renting a medium truck is a great option when you’re moving from 1-2 bedroom apartments, small houses, and offices.
20-26 ft. truck. The biggest moving trucks available for hire are a good option when you’re moving out of a large 3-4 bedroom apartment or a big house. In most cases, those large-capacity moving vehicles run on diesel fuel.
When comparing the moving truck rental quotes from various companies, one thing that should always be on the back of your mind is how to pay less money in the end. See if any of the truck rental agencies offers good deals, promotions, or packages. Look hard for seasonal discounts, reduced rates, and the Holy Grail when renting a moving truck – unlimited mileage.
Follow the link below to learn more about the concept of moving one way and the clear advantages of one-way moving truck rentals.
Also, check out our special Moving Trucks Guide to learn everything you need to know about moving trucks.
How to load a moving truck
Once you rent a moving truck that satisfies your needs as a shipper of household items, the next step is to learn how to load that moving vehicle properly. Loading a moving truck does not seem particularly difficult but the truth is that there are a number of things that can go wrong, potentially leading to a variety of problems that can jeopardize the safety of the entire DIY relocation mission.
The correct way of loading a moving truck.
Before you can start loading a moving truck, you have to be ready to handle the tricky task in the best possible way: select the right type and size of moving vehicle, prepare the required moving equipment and tools (a moving dolly, furniture straps, moving blankets, etc.), disassemble and protect large furniture pieces, make sure the pathway to the moving vehicle is clear of any obstacles, and secure the assistance of reliable friends who will provide the manpower you need for loading the moving truck.
Follow these steps to load a moving truck in a safe and efficient manner:
Load the biggest and heaviest household items first – furniture pieces and house appliances. Position those bulky items evenly in the front of the vehicle – next to the side that is closest to the driver’s cab.
Use well the vertical space inside the truck. Arrange items from the floor to the ceiling but create a stable base by having the heaviest and sturdiest items on the bottom.
Position longer items (furniture pieces, for example) along the inside walls of the vehicle and secure them to the sides using straps
Load all boxes and arrange them carefully so that the heavier and stronger ones remain on the bottom while the lighter and less sturdy ones go to the top.
Load miscellaneous items and secure them well to avoid unnecessary shifts during transit.
Load Open-First boxes – boxes with absolute essentials – last so that you can unload them first when you reach your destination.
Pack all your belongings in a tight manner so that there are no shifts during transport. Use soft non-breakable items such as bags full of clothes to fill in any empty spaces and serve as cushions.
Use your best judgment to distribute the weight of all loaded items fairly evenly, from back to front and from side to side.
When loading a moving truck by yourself, safety is of paramount importance. Observe these safety rules to ensure your Moving day won’t end up badly for anyone involved in the house moving process.
Make sure the loading ramp of the moving truck you’ve rented is fully extended on Moving day and that it is secure, clean, and dry.
Wear comfortable clothes, closed-toe shoes with anti-slip soles, and work gloves for a good grip.
Use proper lifting techniques when handling heavy objects – always lift with your legs while keeping your back straight to avoid a back injury.
Plan several steps in advance and don’t push your limits – if you can’t deal with a complicated situation, ask professionals for help.
If you’re really serious about organizing a self-move – one where you prefer not to use the services of a professional moving company, then you know that you’re going to have to drive the truck you’ve rented to the new address. Having loaded the moving truck properly, the time has come to make yourself comfortable in the driver’s seat and start the (dreaded) relocation journey.
Driving a moving truck across the county is anything but easy. Soon enough, you’ll realize the great responsibility that rests on your shoulder – your valuable possessions loaded in the back of the van and maybe even your family members inside the rented moving truck as well.
Here are some useful tips for driving a truck across the country when moving house:
Inspect carefully your moving vehicle before you rent it from a reputable truck rental agency. Check for any damage to the truck’s interior, then check the tires, signals, lights. After that, get familiar with the basic controls of the truck – that should be pretty straightforward.
Check whether all items have been secured in the back of the truck before you drive away. Sudden braking could damage some of your more fragile possessions if the latter are not fastened well to the truck walls.
Avoid accelerating too abruptly because that will increase the fuel consumption (more money out of your pocket) and may force the loaded items in the back to shift unnecessarily. Instead, get to the speed you want gradually
Remember that moving trucks are very heavy and cannot stop as quickly as cars can. That’s why, you should apply the brakes early and avoid slamming on those brakes, especially when the weather is bad (rain, snow, ice), as that may lead to you losing control of the moving vehicle.
Keep your distance from other vehicles when driving a moving van across the country. Moving trucks take longer to stop so keep twice the distance from the vehicles in front than you would when driving your own car.
Be extra careful when you change lanes or merge due to the lack of a center rearview mirror. When on the highway, keep driving on the right lane and let faster vehicles pass by you.
Driving a rental moving truck across the country can be a dangerous affair.
Use the emergency brake every time you park the rental truck. Park the big vehicle with its wheels away from the curb when facing a hill and toward the curb when facing downhill. Always park the truck in well-lit areas.
Pay attention to all truck-specific road signs – after all, you’re driving a moving truck now. The three types of road signs you should keep an eye out for are the ones about overhead clearance, weigh station stops, and lane restrictions.
Driving a large moving truck across multiple state lines is a risky endeavor. Follow the link below to read more truck driving tips, including the most fundamental one: whether you’re ready to take that risk at all.
It’s never any fun to make mistakes… but to make any mistakes during a Do-It-Yourself move may easily turn the entire self-move into a disaster.
The good news is that not all moving mistakes have serious consequences – some errors are minor ones and you’d wish you hadn’t made them in the first place but those minor (judgment) errors cannot possibly hurt your budget, time management, and nervous system as much as the serious blunders you should avoid at all costs.
Moving by yourself can be very tricky, even more so when you’re moving house for the very first time in your life. Here are the top self-moving mistakes that you should avoid in order to write a successful end to your own DIY move story.
You assume self-moves are always cheaper than hiring movers
Assuming that moving by yourself is the cheapest option to move to another home could get you into a world of trouble. Remember that DIY moves tend to be more affordable than movers-assisted ones only under the right house moving conditions such as
moving only a short distance away,
having good friends to help you pack and load the heavy items,
having previous experience in moving house,
moving a relatively small number of possessions that do not include any specialty items.
Whatever you decide to do, don’t forget to factor in the numerous hidden costs of moving on your own: getting packing materials, renting or purchasing moving equipment, buying extra moving insurance, paying for road tolls and taxes, renting a moving truck + paying for fuel, and so on.
You believe time is on your side when moving by yourself
Time management is critical for a successful DIY move.
One of the most serious mistakes when moving by yourself is to underestimate the time you will need to finish the most important tasks prior to the move-out date. If you catch yourself thinking that there’s a lot of time until moving day, then that’s a sure sign that you’re on the wrong track.
Packing for a move alone is a task that takes forever to complete and if you keep putting it off for a later time or you start the packing process in the wrong order, then there’s a real chance that you fall behind on your packing schedule, thus risking true Moving day chaos.
Assume that TIME is your enemy when moving on your own, so to win the battle, your most powerful weapon should be a personal moving checklist.
Another serious DIY moving mistake is to rent the wrong moving truck, usually when it comes to its storage capacity.
Here’s the real danger: if you choose a moving vehicle with smaller storage space (because of the cheaper price), you may not be able to fit inside it everything you wish to take with you.
On the other hand, picking a much bigger truck means that you’ll be paying for storage you won’t actually use and you’ll be driving a bigger-than-necessary vehicle that’ll make the relocation trip even riskier.
To make your self-move easier, ask the experts at the truck rental companies to help you make the best choice when renting a moving vehicle for your needs.
Follow the link below to learn the rest of the DIY moving mistakes that you must avoid by any means necessary.
Without a doubt, the easiest way to move house is to hire a full-service moving company and let them do what they do best. However, since every house move is unique, you may still decide NOT to use a moving company to protect and transport your things.
When moving by yourself, it’s important to understand the risks and dangers involved in a DIY move with the purpose of making sure everything goes smoothly and without much drama, especially on the day of the move itself.
Be prepared for what’s coming your way! Here are the biggest risks when moving by yourself:
Damaged items
One of the biggest risks when moving on your own is to have some of your valuable items broken or damaged forever due to improper packing, incorrect lifting and carrying, or inadequate protection inside the moving truck.
Drop accidentally a box full of clothes or books and they should be alright. Drop a container full of highly-breakable items and you should get ready to pick up the broken pieces.
Knowing the best way to pack fragile items should help you keep major troubles away but it’s more complicated than that – you’ll need to know how to protect your prized possessions throughout the move.
Moving by yourself is way riskier than using professional movers.
While your main focus will be to keep your valuables intact and your breakables in one piece, you shouldn’t underestimate another serious risk when organizing a self-move – property damage.
If you don’t have the right moving equipment – a moving dolly with rubber wheels and quality furniture sliders, then you run the risk of damaging the floors, chipping or denting the walls and door frames, or even damaging the stairs, including breaking a banister.
Also, you should definitely consider placing protective blankets over high-risk zones – doors and door frames, for example – to eliminate the risk of damaging the home you’re moving out of or the place you’re moving into during a self-move.
The worst thing that can happen during a house move is somebody to get injured in any way during the process. Personal injuries during a move can vary greatly in their nature – from back injuries due to using improper lifting techniques, through muscle injuries (strains, contusions, cramps), and all the way to various injuries to hands, fingers, and toes.
When it comes to moving day injuries, remember that prevention is the best cure there is:
use appropriate moving equipment,
wear suitable clothes and shoes,
ask friends to help you lift and carry heavy objects,
use the proper lifting techniques, and most importantly:
always think and plan ahead before you do a task that seems somewhat dangerous.
Moving by yourself is anything but a walk in the park. The other two serious risks of self-moving are plenty of lost time due to uncertainty what you should do next (follow a moving checklist to manage your time) and a lot of lost money due to incorrect budgeting (create a moving budget to control your expenses).
Joshua Green is a relocation expert and a moving industry professional, one of the esteemed contributors to MyMovingReviews.com with specialized articles and informative guides which help people organize and execute their moves easily and comfortably.
Joshua is a recognized author of two books about moving one of which is Relocating Without Breaking A Sweat - Your Personal Handbook For A Perfect Move. Both books are well received and help thousands of people make the right relocation decisions.
He is known to skillfully incorporate his never-ending energy, utmost dedication and raw passion into his works.
You can contact Joshua Green at: joshua@mymovingreviews.com | Linkedin
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