After months (and months!) of planning, we can FINALLY start on our home build!
It’s taken us about 18 months to find an architect, finalise the designs for the house and get approval, and of course to get financing approval. But we made it and our demolition team is booked in to knock down our old house next month so it’s time for us to move out.
Having spent the last few days moving, and learning what not to do, I thought I’d share my top 5 tips for moving house yourself.
Related article: Top 10 ways to update your home for sale
Related article: Construction update 2: House demolition
1. Hire a removalist
That’s right. Don’t do what we did and move house yourself. It sucks.
There is a good reason why these people have jobs and they are worth every cent.
Removalists may cost a bit to employ but they can save you from damaging your goods — and from breaking your back!
2. Have a plan
If hiring a removalist isn’t an option, then having a plan is a must.
Moving is stressful and after seven years of living in our house, we had accumulated so much stuff we didn’t know where to start.
I didn’t have a plan to start so this is a snapshot of how Day 1 went: 30 minutes packing up the living room, 1.5 hours in the garden shed, 20 minutes clearing out the bathroom [Bruno walks in] “What are you doing?!”… I try to think of a logical reason for my haphazard packing style…
I recommend starting with a plan of attack. You could work room by room, sorting items into essential and non-essential boxes. Or you could work by moving largest furniture to smallest. However you choose to do it, just work out a system that works for you and do it methodically until the task is done.
3. Have an inventory list
You will save HEAPS of time once you move if you have an inventory list keeping track of what has been put in each box. You can ⇒download our free moving inventory template here⇐.
In a hurry, I randomly packed items without keeping track of what was in each box, or noting if they were essential/non-essential items. This created chaos and from now on, I will use this inventory template to stay organised!
4. Hire the right vehicle to transport your stuff
I own a small hatchback which isn’t ideal for transporting goods at the best of times.
Add a needy Rottweiler to the mix — Arnie takes up my entire back seat! — and there was almost no room left to fit my stuff.
Borrow a ute or truck from a friend, or hire one for a day, and get the move done in a fraction of the time.
5. Complete a moving checklist
There are so many odd jobs and things to do when you move house — from redirecting your mail to packing a survival kit — that it’s nearly impossible to keep track.
I have created a FREE moving kit to help you stay calm and organised for your own move. Download the free moving kit now.
Pack heavy items on the bottom of the box and lighter items on top.
Great tips. Make a list. Write everything down. Before you pack even one box, create a simple record keeping system. Create a computer-printed list of numbers with a space to write the contents.
Really helpful moving tips! Thank you 🙂
Glad they were helpful Julia 🙂
Arnie is too funny – surely you can strap some boxes to him and make the most of him tagging along 🙂
Haha, we need to work on his obedience a little more for that! 😉
Great tips!!! Love the template and kit! Meanwhile – Arnie makes your car seem tiny! 🙂
Thanks Gina, glad the tips and kit were useful. Haha, Arnie is a big boy but a gentle giant 🙂