ᐅ Long-Distance Domestic Move – How to Find a Moving Company?
Created on: 25 Jan 2022 10:42
K
kati1337
Hello everyone!
So far, I have only moved within the nearby region using a company.
Now I have a move coming up this summer that’s about 600 km (370 miles) away.
What is the best way to search for a moving company? Should I look for one at the destination or at the original location?
How is it usually organized? Does the company load the truck the day before and then drive off early in the morning? Has anyone here done something like this before?
Our last move (40 km / 25 miles) already took almost an entire day (from about 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.). If I have to add another 550 km (340 miles) on top of that, will this become a multi-day operation?
When I first moved up here, I barely had any belongings (was a student) and organized the move myself with a van. But now we definitely need a truck, and none of us can drive one.
I’d appreciate your tips and experiences.
So far, I have only moved within the nearby region using a company.
Now I have a move coming up this summer that’s about 600 km (370 miles) away.
What is the best way to search for a moving company? Should I look for one at the destination or at the original location?
How is it usually organized? Does the company load the truck the day before and then drive off early in the morning? Has anyone here done something like this before?
Our last move (40 km / 25 miles) already took almost an entire day (from about 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.). If I have to add another 550 km (340 miles) on top of that, will this become a multi-day operation?
When I first moved up here, I barely had any belongings (was a student) and organized the move myself with a van. But now we definitely need a truck, and none of us can drive one.
I’d appreciate your tips and experiences.
Musketier schrieb:
You will probably visit the new house a few times beforehand. If you have storage options at the new place or with friends, you could already transport a larger load with a van like a Sprinter. That's pretty much what I'm thinking as well.
I checked van rental prices, and even if we move in two trips, it will likely cost at least a three-digit amount.
Here in the north, I don’t really know anyone well enough to ask them to help with the move. But I do know a moving company here; I would ask if they could assist us for a day as movers and help load the vehicles. If we then drive down in one go, I would try to get help from family. For example, they could take the train up to us and bring a van down with them. Two trips with two 3.5-ton trucks should be enough. I still have several months to declutter.
Maybe also get rid of very heavy furniture.
Once we are on site, we could either ask the family for help unloading or inquire with a local moving company to assist with unloading. That would at least save the cost of overnight stays or mandatory rest periods for the workers.
andimann schrieb:
Don’t underestimate the volume involved. For my mother, that was the “fill” for a 130 m² (1,400 sq ft) house—which is actually quite full. It filled an entire truck convoy, meaning a large truck with a large trailer.
You can move a 40 m² (430 sq ft) apartment with a van like a Sprinter, but not a whole house...Exactly! And I remember the original poster has a small child and limited childcare options at their current location?!
I wouldn’t have wanted to do our move of a 100 m² (1,080 sq ft) apartment myself—about 50 cubic meters (1,765 cubic feet) of moving volume—and only 150 km (93 miles) away. That required a 12-ton (26,400 lbs) truck!
kati1337 schrieb:
You might want to consider selling or clearing out all our IKEA furniture through local classifieds like eBay Kleinanzeigen, then drive to IKEA in person and transport the rest in 1-2 trips with a van. Whether using a moving company or renting vehicles yourself, I would recommend calculating how many cubic meters (m3) of furniture you can transport for a given price (rental, fuel, etc.). Then estimate how much space your IKEA item takes up.
For example, if you pay 20€ per cubic meter in a van rental, and your shelf requires 4 m3 of space, is it cheaper to buy it new for 80€ or less? If yes, then it’s better to get it new on-site and sell the old one via classifieds.
Moving party,
a group of young people travel to your place in one car,
they pack, celebrate, and sleep on air mattresses,
then drive 600km (370 miles) back in one car and rental cargo vans,
unpack and continue the party on the terrace. Experienced firsthand, until 5 a.m. at the destination.
a group of young people travel to your place in one car,
they pack, celebrate, and sleep on air mattresses,
then drive 600km (370 miles) back in one car and rental cargo vans,
unpack and continue the party on the terrace. Experienced firsthand, until 5 a.m. at the destination.
Planning: 600km (370 miles) move, with packing done by a company but unpacking done myself.
I searched in Munich for a large company with multiple branches and found one that had locations at both the new and old places. I contacted the one at the new location, assuming prices would be cheaper there in NRW than in Munich. They sent a sales partner from Munich to estimate the volume. The guy went through my 88m² (950 sq ft) apartment with me, I showed him all the closets and the basement storage. His assessment: “You’ve made good use of the available space.”
The plan was: 1 day for packing and loading, drive overnight, unload the next day.
On moving day, 3 people came from Munich plus 2 from NRW, arriving with the truck. They were shocked at the amount of our belongings 😎 and asked how long the move was supposed to take? When I said, “My colleague XY said we’d be sleeping in the new home tomorrow evening,” they waved it off and said that won’t happen, and that guy was an idiot anyway.
So:
1st day packing and loading until late at night
2nd day finishing packing and loading; we gave the movers a floor plan of the new house with the main furniture marked by location. They left in the evening with the truck, while we spent the night on an air mattress in the old apartment.
3rd day handing over the apartment, then heading off. We only arrived around 5 pm (driving with a toddler, many breaks) and by then the truck was almost empty. It was a large 9 or 12-ton (approximately 20,000 or 26,000 lbs) truck plus a three-axle trailer, which was packed to capacity.
It was chaotic, it cost my partner an extra day off work and a lot of nerves – I’m a bit more resilient 😎, but it was no fun. Even afterward – I had packed the kids’ room and labeled the boxes with the room name. The furniture movers didn’t do that – it took until we had unpacked everything before it was sorted :-D
PS The company here in NRW was great; we booked them again for the move from the rental house to our own home, and this time everything went smoothly, of course, since they knew the drama from the first time, even though it wasn’t their fault. We had them pack again, although I had already prepared about 100 boxes myself this time. I put at least one colored dot on each box, and on moving day I just supervised in front of the new house: Blue box = 1st floor right, Cabinet Y = living room, etc. – THAT was almost fun.
Long story short, quick conclusion:
In my opinion, one of the most important things is a realistic assessment of the amount of stuff and the time needed. I specifically had someone come for this because I thought filling out an online form myself would be too inaccurate – but I probably would have done a much better job than that guy. And you ALWAYS underestimate it, after all, you’re not a professional.
I searched in Munich for a large company with multiple branches and found one that had locations at both the new and old places. I contacted the one at the new location, assuming prices would be cheaper there in NRW than in Munich. They sent a sales partner from Munich to estimate the volume. The guy went through my 88m² (950 sq ft) apartment with me, I showed him all the closets and the basement storage. His assessment: “You’ve made good use of the available space.”
The plan was: 1 day for packing and loading, drive overnight, unload the next day.
On moving day, 3 people came from Munich plus 2 from NRW, arriving with the truck. They were shocked at the amount of our belongings 😎 and asked how long the move was supposed to take? When I said, “My colleague XY said we’d be sleeping in the new home tomorrow evening,” they waved it off and said that won’t happen, and that guy was an idiot anyway.
So:
1st day packing and loading until late at night
2nd day finishing packing and loading; we gave the movers a floor plan of the new house with the main furniture marked by location. They left in the evening with the truck, while we spent the night on an air mattress in the old apartment.
3rd day handing over the apartment, then heading off. We only arrived around 5 pm (driving with a toddler, many breaks) and by then the truck was almost empty. It was a large 9 or 12-ton (approximately 20,000 or 26,000 lbs) truck plus a three-axle trailer, which was packed to capacity.
It was chaotic, it cost my partner an extra day off work and a lot of nerves – I’m a bit more resilient 😎, but it was no fun. Even afterward – I had packed the kids’ room and labeled the boxes with the room name. The furniture movers didn’t do that – it took until we had unpacked everything before it was sorted :-D
PS The company here in NRW was great; we booked them again for the move from the rental house to our own home, and this time everything went smoothly, of course, since they knew the drama from the first time, even though it wasn’t their fault. We had them pack again, although I had already prepared about 100 boxes myself this time. I put at least one colored dot on each box, and on moving day I just supervised in front of the new house: Blue box = 1st floor right, Cabinet Y = living room, etc. – THAT was almost fun.
Long story short, quick conclusion:
In my opinion, one of the most important things is a realistic assessment of the amount of stuff and the time needed. I specifically had someone come for this because I thought filling out an online form myself would be too inaccurate – but I probably would have done a much better job than that guy. And you ALWAYS underestimate it, after all, you’re not a professional.
Oh, something just occurred to me. True professionals can accomplish much more, faster, and for longer periods than acquaintances, relatives, students, welfare recipients, etc.
If you don’t want (or can’t afford) to invest in real professionals, then quantity does make a difference. The synergy created by one, two, or three additional people (and yes, women too) is truly greater than the sum of their individual efforts.
When working with amateurs, always link them together in a chain (something professionals wouldn’t do). This saves an incredible amount of energy, especially when working across several floors.
If you don’t want (or can’t afford) to invest in real professionals, then quantity does make a difference. The synergy created by one, two, or three additional people (and yes, women too) is truly greater than the sum of their individual efforts.
When working with amateurs, always link them together in a chain (something professionals wouldn’t do). This saves an incredible amount of energy, especially when working across several floors.
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