A prayer for moving day? As you begin packing boxes and storage containers, you may get a much better idea of how much space you need in a moving truck. After all, it can be challenging to estimate truck space you need for all your kitchen items stored in cabinets and drawers. After you pack non-essentials, you can determine how many additional boxes you need for the essentials that you will pack at the last minute. In addition to considering boxes, pay attention to how many furnishings or appliances you own and the dimensions of each. Remember to take advantage of vertical space in a truck. For your upcoming move you have decided to rent a moving truck but have no clue what truck size you should get – Sound like you? If you search the web you will find many references and opinions, some extremely generic (14′ will move 1-2 bedrooms) and others offering a more advanced opinion (12 ft. truck = 450 cu. ft.). The problem, we believe at least, lies in the interpretation of information provided – 1-2 bedrooms may mean something completely different in Arizona than in New York City.
It is time to move and all you can think about is how much you have to pack and get ready for. Not only do you have to pack up the households belongings you have to pack your families too. In my experience most families try to move during the summer or winter breaks from the kid’s school; that way it does not interrupt them too much. Since moving is stressful for parents, imagine how stressful it can be for young children and even teens. Not only are they moving households they could potentially be moving to Los Angeles to start a new life. If the rental agency doesn’t provide an estimate of what the trucks can hold in terms of equivalent spaces as in the list above, you can guess using this general guide: one room = 3 cubic feet of truck space. Again, this is just an estimate, and you should always err on the side of caution and rent a slightly larger truck than your estimate.
Does everything fit your new home? Furniture that is in your existing home may well not fit into your new home, and it’s best to know this up front so you can sell it / donate it before you move. Take some time to measure doorways etc. and work out whether the larger items of furniture (your sofa/dresser etc.) will fit into your new space. There would be nothing worse than leaving a sofa on the front garden on moving day! TIP – This is also a useful exercise for working out whether you have suitable space for all your furniture. If you are downsizing it’s worth working out what can and cannot fit into your new home, and sorting these out before moving day Many movers come with insurance, which means if something breaks, they have to compensate you. You might want to weigh the pros and cons though – they won’t want to be responsible for a television that isn’t properly packed in its original box and could end up charging you upward of $150 to pack it as they see fit. Also remember to book them weeks in advance – you’re not the only person trying to get out of your space on the last day of the month. Find additional info on house moving season info. Tips and tricks to make moving house easy and stress free. If you plan to pack and load your moving truck by yourself or with help from your friends you should defer to a larger truck size. Professional movers are trained to maximize the overall space, whereas those not professionally trained may not be able to achieve the same level of efficiency. If you are considered about space consumption consider hiring moving labor to properly load your truck. Moving trucks between 14′-17′ are the most common sizes rented. They tend to be the most inexpensive trucks because of the quantity available. Small rental trucks should be used primarily for local moves. Only consider renting a 10′-12′ truck if you have a studio or small one bedroom apartment with minimal furniture.
Take a look behind your living room TV. What do you see? Chances are it’s a mass of wires and plugs – working perfectly for you but confusing to say the least. A really great tip is to get some coloured stickers** and stick the same colour to each socket and each end of the cable – so that you can easily set everything technical up in your new home. To go one step further – why not take a photo of the setup so you can have a visual reminder as well. Once the moving date is confirmed, make a start on packing as soon as you can. Get together a plan of action with a room by room checklist of how you will pack along with all of the packing material you’ll need.