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.
I will never move by myself again in this life. It’s not worth the stress and hard work. The idea of using a van and driving 600 km (370 miles) doesn’t even cross my mind. Packing and unpacking can be easily done by yourself in one or two days, which already saves a lot. The logistics should be handled by professionals.
Have one to three local companies come by for an estimate. Then you’ll have a rough idea of the volume and can post the job again on MyHammer, where you’ll be flooded with offers. Only look at companies from your area with good reviews, and discard the unrealistically cheap ones. Done.
Have one to three local companies come by for an estimate. Then you’ll have a rough idea of the volume and can post the job again on MyHammer, where you’ll be flooded with offers. Only look at companies from your area with good reviews, and discard the unrealistically cheap ones. Done.
The idea of using 3.5 tons (7,700 lbs) Sprinter vans won’t really work if you want to move your entire household.
Here’s a recent example from us in 2020:
A 120 m² (1,290 ft²) house — the entire contents of the attic plus almost everything that was not needed before were already in the new house.
The moving company came with four people, a 7.5-ton (16,500 lbs) truck, and a Sprinter van. The space was fully utilized.
Also, remember garden tools, bicycles, and similar items—they take up space too.
So you will definitely need a large truck.
By the way, we bought used moving boxes beforehand and later sold them again.
Here’s a recent example from us in 2020:
A 120 m² (1,290 ft²) house — the entire contents of the attic plus almost everything that was not needed before were already in the new house.
The moving company came with four people, a 7.5-ton (16,500 lbs) truck, and a Sprinter van. The space was fully utilized.
Also, remember garden tools, bicycles, and similar items—they take up space too.
So you will definitely need a large truck.
By the way, we bought used moving boxes beforehand and later sold them again.
There are also quite a few templates available for "moving inventory lists," which I found very helpful for getting an initial estimate of the cubic meters.
Our move is within the same city, but I definitely wouldn’t organize it myself again. With a child, it’s already stressful enough, and the costs didn’t really justify the effort.
Our move is within the same city, but I definitely wouldn’t organize it myself again. With a child, it’s already stressful enough, and the costs didn’t really justify the effort.
C
Costruttrice25 Jan 2022 17:25Whether you can do it yourself definitely depends on the amount of furniture. For us, it didn’t seem like “that much” after we moved a whole van load ourselves, but the moving company still brought a 7.5-ton truck and a large truck with a trailer. They really estimated it well.
I didn’t want to unpack with friends or hired helpers mainly because we only had time to quickly wipe the place down before handing over the house, and everything needed to be perfect by then. I wouldn’t have been able to fix multiple spots on the plaster on the stairs or elsewhere if someone had chipped or dropped something. Professionals don’t usually cause such damage as easily as amateurs do (and if in doubt, the moving company’s insurance would cover it). In the end, we only had one tiny scratch on the stair plaster, which was quickly repaired and hardly worth mentioning.
I didn’t want to unpack with friends or hired helpers mainly because we only had time to quickly wipe the place down before handing over the house, and everything needed to be perfect by then. I wouldn’t have been able to fix multiple spots on the plaster on the stairs or elsewhere if someone had chipped or dropped something. Professionals don’t usually cause such damage as easily as amateurs do (and if in doubt, the moving company’s insurance would cover it). In the end, we only had one tiny scratch on the stair plaster, which was quickly repaired and hardly worth mentioning.
Tolentino schrieb:
A lot can fit into two 3.5-ton Sprinters or flatbed trucks (4.2m (13.8 ft) in length). You can drive those with a standard Class B driver’s license...And make 20 trips if “a house” is moving. You might do that moving into an apartment as a former student, but not here...
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