Move It !

One of our forum members was on the phone with me today and in our discussion it came up that they were going to self-move themselves to their new home in June to save some money. I gave her a few tips on how to have a damage free move and thought I would pass them on here. I've never hired a professional mover myself, always self-moved. But then again I'm in the furniture business so I have all the gear.

Let's assume that you have some good stuff, and don't want to tear it up. Here's some basics I've accumulated over the years:

Move using a truck, not a trailer (if you're renting). Trailers are sprung very strongly and are far more likely to have movement damage in the load from the bounce factor. A trailer is axled in the middle, trucks have suspensions at the ends, so you get a smoother ride with a truck.

If you don't want to drive yourself, this is a great service and reasonably priced. They drop off a trailer at your driveway - you pack it - they haul it - and you un-pack it. Less costly than renting a truck in most cases (no fuel, remember big trucks get 8 - 9 mpg if gas engined, 11- 12 mpg if diesel). They give you plenty of time to load and unload, and you only pay for the space you use.

http://www.upack.com/

Packing furniture is a jigsaw puzzle in reverse. The goal is to isolate movement during transit. Movement equals damages. Plan your load, heavy items up front and lighter to the back and distribute evenly side-by-side. Go vertical to the roof. When you pack, build modular sections from the nose of the truck body to the tail. Don't pack the lower layer front to back then come in and put stuff on top of the low load. Pack vertically about 4' at a time. Sofas can stand on their ends (arms) for example. Tie in heavy cupboards to the truck wall using cleated tie-downs (not rope, it stretches). If you are moving items with glass in them - such as breakfronts - place a piece of thick cardboard over the glass area then pad it and wrap it tightly with stretch wrap. Always isolate glass pieces.

Don't cheap out on moving materials. You're saving plenty on the move, get good packing materials.

The basic building block is the furniture pad. Most the pads they rent at U-Haul, etc. are useless. Too thin, too small, too flimsy. You want a professional mover's pad, like the better ones here:

http://www.americanmovingsupplies.com/moving-pads.php

You don't have to buy new. Call any moving and storage company and ask if they have some old pads to sell. They always do, because they'd like to get rid of the older ones and get new ones. Typically they are sold by the dozen. I buy the best pads on the market and keep about 300 of them in my storage area. Cheap and thin pads = damage.

Now that you have good pads, you have to lock them on the furniture so they don't slide off. Two ways to do that, mover's rubber bands and clear stretch wrap. Also get some grippy gloves - you'll thank me later....

http://www.americanmovingsupplies.co...must-haves.php

Rubber bands are fast and easy. Also, they hurt like the devil if they snap back and hit you in the face, so don't over-stretch them. Use wrapping film on your high-value items. It takes longer to apply than a rubber band, but it locks in drawers and shelves and wrapped pieces stick to one another thereby minimizing movement once again - which is our goal on the pack. Also, with film you can pack it before taking into the truck and flip pieces upside-down and the pad will stay on. Useful when going vertical in the truck load.

Tiedowns. Make sure you use them. And no string, no rope. That stuff is useless. Cam-lock tiedowns work best, get them in big packs at Costco or Wal-Mart, and make sure they are long enough. When renting a truck, try to get one that has tie-down rings rather than wooden slats to tie into.

Bend with your knees ALWAYS. Never lift over something and stretch out to pick something up, even if its just 5 lb. You're asking for a back pull if you do. You don't need those silly spandex back lift belts, just lift with your legs, not your back.

Remember all trucks over 10,000 GVW have to go through weigh stations, just because you're a rental doesn't exclude you from that. There are hefty fines for blowing past weigh stations and the State Trooper may or may not take the 'I didn't know' excuse.

If you need help, contact a local high-end furniture store in your area for manpower and get the names of a couple of guys. Most the delivery guys would love to make some spare cash and they know how to pack and unpack. My guys in my store do it all the time. Pay them $ 20 an hour in cash each and they're happy. They can load and unload in half the time you can.

Finally, expect to have some small amounts of damage. If you chip something wooden, recover the chip and keep it. Repairs to wood pieces are far easier that way.

Oh....and if you rent a truck, remember the roof over your head is NOT THE TOP OF THE TRUCK! Don't go through drive-thru fast food lanes and mind the fuel station roof clearances.