Make your DIY House Move a success with these useful tips…
According to CompareMyMove, the average removal company in the UK costs £1,181 for a 3-bed house travelling 50 miles. Moving house is expensive enough as it is, without the added expense of paying someone else to move your things. This is why more and more people are opting for a DIY house move.
In this article, we’ll cover some important considerations for if you decide to move house by yourself.
1 – Hire a Removal Van
The most important part of a successful DIY house move is hiring the right van for the job. At Pitter Self Drive, our most popular vans for removals are Lo-Loaders and Luton Vans. They’re both similar in size, with the difference being that the Lo-Loader has Air Suspension on the rear so you can lower it to make a shorter step, and the Luton has a tail lift which is good for heaver items.
However, if you’re only moving a few items, or you’re moving out of a flat, then a smaller van like a LWB Transit could be the better and more cost-effective option.
If you’re looking for removal van hire in Southampton or the surrounding areas and you’re not sure what size van you need, give us a call on 02380 474443 and we’ll be able to advise.
It’s also important that the van is clean when you collect it, so that it doesn’t make any of your belongings dirty, that’s why we make sure to clean and sanitise every van between every hire!
2 – Work Out How Many Trips You’ll Need
This is related to the removal van hire, as the number of trips you need to take between the properties will be impacted by the size of van you choose. It can be very tiresome to do multiple trips, so it’s usually best to aim for as few as possible.
You can limit how many trips you need by making sure that you stack items high from the back, and make sure everything is tightly compacted. Hiring a Luton Removal Van or 7.5 Ton Box Van can also help limit the number of trips, as the box sits on top of the wheel arches so you can fit more on the floor, whereas Panel Vans and Lo-Loaders encompass the wheel arches.
3 – Get the Timings Right
Once you work out how many trips you’ll need for your DIY house move, you can work out your timings. If you think you can get it all done in one day, then a single day van hire will be fine, but this will be a challenge! Generally, it’s best to overshoot when planning a house move as it often takes longer than expected and you’ll certainly need to rest at times!
This also depends on the size of property you’re moving out of. If you’re moving out of a single room in a shared house then one day should be fine, but for a large family home you will likely need a couple of days if not more.
4 – Consider Moving Insurance
It’s easy to forget about insurance, as you don’t think anything will go wrong, but if you’re transporting a lot of valuable then it’s a good idea to look at moving insurance. Some home insurance will cover you while in transit, but not all of them do. It’s definitely worth checking your home insurance, because most policies only cover transit if the items are packed and moved by a professional removal firm.
5 – Get some Help from Friends
This is one of the important points of a DIY house move. Its very hard to move house if there is only one or two of you. It involves a lot of heavy lifting, and walking back and forth, and up and down stairs and can get tiring very quickly. If you have some helpful friends and family who are willing to help, then it will make the whole process much easier and much quicker! If they need some convincing, then why not invite them for dinner in your new place as repayment?
6 – Buy Some Packing Materials
You’ll obviously need a lot of boxes, tape, and bubble wrap to package all of your belongs safely, but people regularly forget about materials to help you load the removal van or truck. Hiring a sack truck will help you move multiple boxes at once so you won’t have to make as many trips back and forth. Buying a roll of webbing tie will allow you to tie your boxes and furniture to the bottom and side of the inside of the van to prevent it from moving or falling over.
At Pitter Self Drive, we sell boxes, tape, tape dispensers, bubble wrap, webbing tie, and we hire out sack trucks, so you have everything you need to make your house move a success.
Moving house by yourself is definitely hard work, but if you use these tips then it’s definitely cheapest house move, so you can spend more money decorating your new place!
If you need to hire a removal van in Southampton or the surrounding areas, click here or call 02380 474443.
