Tips for a DIY house move

Posted on: 8 September 2016

There's no doubt that moving house is considerably easier when you have the support of a professional removals team. However if you're on a tight budget and therefore can't quite afford this expense, then the only other alternative is to rent a truck and move your belongings by yourself. Whilst a DIY house move does present a number of challenges, it can be done. Here are a couple of tips which should make the experience a little easier.

Begin to prepare for your move as soon as possible

It is absolutely crucial for those who intend to move without professional assistance to begin preparing for this process as soon as they possibly can. Ideally, you should start getting organised and packing up your possessions at least one month before your move-in date. Whilst those who have hired a removals team might be able to get away with leaving everything until the last minute, the same cannot be said for those undertaking this task alone; if you aren't prepared early on, you're likely to find yourself surrounded by a chaotic collection of half-packed boxes come moving day, with no-one around to help you deal with the mess.

Begin by de-cluttering your wardrobe, bookshelves, kitchen drawers and cabinets; donate, sell or discard any items which you haven't used in the last year or two. Although admittedly time-consuming, this de-cluttering process will save you a lot of time and energy on your move-in date, as you won't have to lift and transport bags and boxes of items that you don't really want or need.

Once the de-cluttering work is complete, the next step is to start packing. Whilst you probably won't be able to stow away everything initially, as there will be quite a few items that you'll need to use on a daily basis up until moving day, you should be able to pack up things like seasonal decorations and clothing, decorative knick-knacks and artwork.

Use the right vehicle and load it carefully

Even if you happen to own a car, it's usually best to hire a larger vehicle when moving, particularly if you need to transport any bulky items such as chairs, shelves or  tables. Truck rentals are quite easy to arrange and usually very affordable. The size of truck you choose is important;  if you select one that's too small, you'll end up having to make dozens of trips, whilst if you go for one that's too large, you might find it harder to manoeuvre.

When loading your moving boxes into the truck, make sure that your heaviest belongings are positioned at the bottom of the pile and that they are strapped down securely. You should also take note of the maximum load limit of the truck and make sure that the total weight of your possessions falls under this figure. Lastly, be conscious of weight distribution; spread the items out across the truck container evenly, so that neither side is significantly heavier than the other. This is important, as an uneven distribution of weight could make the vehicle unstable. 

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