When to start packing

Luckylow10

So we are buying a new home and we signed contracts, not exchanged yet but closing date is 2 weeks give or take a few days.

my husband says not to pack anything yet it’s too soon, but we have a large 4 bed house with kids , attic, sheds etc I’m in panic mode, trying to figure out should I start packing and organising storage etc.. but then I’m thinking if it all falls through I’ll be devastated and have to unpack everything .

separately, I can’t believe the prices of removal companies, got 2 quotes of circa 4.5k to remove everything and redeliver all within 20 minute drive and apparently FREE overnight storage..

Claw Hammer

Your husband is right.

stargazer 68

I wouldn't start packing op but I would certainly be starting a clear out of stuff you don't want and get rid of it.

Kids toys, junk in the shed etc

Toots

Are you getting the removal company to do the packing for you? If not, I’d start packing things that you won’t need between now and the move. I moved 4 times in 4 years and I can tell you the most stressful one of them all was when I left the packing til close to the move date. I got a load of the IKEA moving boxes and started packing them up, wrote on the side what was in them and stacked them up in the spare room. That way the house wasn’t stripped bare and full of boxes, but the ball was rolling and when it came down to the final countdown to the move, it wasn’t as frantic.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122594593#Comment_122594593

Yeah - sounds like last minute.com in OPs house - I’d be clearing out as much as possible - skip charity shop give away - get as much “crap” out of the house now -

Lots of kitchen stuff could be packed away - delf not in use - display cabinets stuff can all be boxed as could bookshelves - these are the things that take time to wrap and keep safe - wardrobes full of clothes could be sorted dumped and charity shopped leaving a lot less to then pack - pictures off walls; presses and drawers cleaned out - tons of stuff can be done now in advance of a move without disrupting your day to day living whilst your waiting on the move to happen

herbalplants

Join freecyle groups, few are on WhatsApp. Great way to clear stuff, you will be surprised how much stuff you own.

SupaCat95

There is a big difference between"Sale Agreed" and "Sold" .

I wouldnt start packing but start sorting with either Charity shop/skip in mind. If an item has not been used in two years then its for the Skip/charity shop. Saint Vincent de Paul have some great furniture warehouse shops around the country. Hiring a skip before you start to pack is very efficent.

4k is not an unreasonable sum considering wages, diesel, truck and insurance. They will possibly do it all in one or two runs. I would call relatives and friends and oranise them at both ends to pack and unpack. Lay out funds for a chipper or buffer for the weekend for helpers still a fraction of the cost. There is a Go Van for rent in your local Tesco car park.

Moving is one the most stressful events of your life after losing someone or losing your job.

TThe Rule of Three applies. You have three times more stuff than you think you have. You need three times more containers than you think you have. You will have three times more rubbish than you want to bring. You will have three times more van rides than you think you need. It will take you three times longer than you think you need an three times the effort.

Best of luck

beachhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122594593#Comment_122594593

Do this now.Start making a list of everything you are moving with and where you box it-so that you can find easily in your new house.This will help with decisions on what to dispose of.

o1s1n

I don't get folks saying it's too early. What harm is there in starting to box stuff up now? All it'll do is help relieve some stress.

Never to early to clear junk out of sheds and attics too.

The important consideration for me is whether you are under pressure to move out of your existing home. If not, I don’t see the rush to move in the day the purchase completes. If you have to be out by a particular day, absolutely start packing up. You don’t realise until you move house, just how much stuff you have to not just move out, but also move in, and dump.

watchclocker

You probably know already that moving is one of the most stressful things you'll ever do

I agree with others now is the time to dump the crap you don't need, and even in the cleanest of houses there is crap you don't need, things like checking the dates on tins of food, getting rid of old toys or the knife in the drawer you never use

You can organise without actually packing

Luckylow10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122594587#Comment_122594587

when would u start? If waiting till exchange, what if that doesn’t happen till a couple of days before closing, I think I’d have a nervous breakdown

yagan

What you could do now it separate out the stuff you don't want to bring to the next house.

Luckylow10

We are in a chain so yes we will a have to be out closing date.

I think I’ll start attic now and then work to shed. I am going to book storage container and start storing things there as I go.

I couldn’t pay €4500 for the bells and whistles removal, so I found a company that charge €135 an hour (2 men and a Luton van) who we will use to take all the big furniture to storage. The reckon if everything is packed and disassembled they only need max 4 hours.

Jonathan2712

It's worth asking the removal company to quote for packing also. Last time we moved it was only a few hundred extra, and honestly well worth the money. You just go out one morning and come back that afternoon to a fully packed up house.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122596794#Comment_122596794

Without casting aspirations on the man with a white van, the true value of the service may only be apparent after the move. Removals companies are experienced. and no doubt insured, which is not important if your furniture is cheap tat, but might be if it’s valuable and you want it packed and moved by professionals.

RichardAnd

I've moved house more times that I would like. When we were little, my parents always started packing up about a month before the move. Start off with small things that can be boxed up. It's also a great time to get a skip and do some clearing up.

crisco10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122597096#Comment_122597096

We moved in a chain last year, and got a proper removals company to do it (and paid the €4k). It was €200 extra for packing service. Best money we spent, we lived in the house right up to the final day; and the company just arrived and like a whirlwind of gentle giants emptied the entire house in the morning. There is enough other things to be worrying about, best 4.2k we spent.

If you're not able to spend this, I see no harm in starting to pack asap. There's always something you could be tipping away at. Particularly the shed, attic, spare bedroom etc where there's a tendency to dump stuff that doesnt have an easy home.

o1s1n

4k+ sounds like absolutely mad money for people just to move your things.

I've used the guys at Vantasks.ie with three big house moves now, including arcade machines and very large objects.

I just started packing everything up about a month before, had it all ready to go in boxes and then on the day, the guys loaded up their truck with all my stuff and brought it to the new house where we all unloaded. Probably only cost about 400-500 in total.

You can then just have one of those A1 skip bags out front to throw all the bits and pieces you don't want from the shed/attic etc.

Sure, you still have to box up your own things but tbh there are other things I'd rather be spending 4k on than this!

Claw Hammer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122596774#Comment_122596774

It is a matter for the husband.

beachhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122597792#Comment_122597792

Of course

Candlel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122596794#Comment_122596794

Why are you moving stuff you keep in the attic?

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122597831#Comment_122597831

I'd imagine they probably want to hang onto their Christmas decorations, ski gear, winter duvets etc.

Candlel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122597845#Comment_122597845

That’s fair enough,I’m talking about all the other stuff not opened in over 2 years.

Kurooi

Pack the stuff you won't need to unpack anytime soon. Time to go through the old stuff, throw things out, organize, label.

Another reason I have for doing that is because that stuff isn't worth as much either so it'd be the things I move over first, before I even get new locks sorted or start living there. I wouldn't want to move my immediate belongings before it's GO time.

SupaCat95

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122597639#Comment_122597639

Yeah you got experience of moving. You probably had friends that gave you help with a weekend and lend of a Truck. It is traumatic and emotional moving house. You have rent of a truck, doesn't say how far the move is, at least two guy and diesel and insurance. That is all a real business. The goods are moved in only one or two moves. That is a lot of stress taken when you are trying to move by car or multi load vans.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122598267#Comment_122598267

I just said I used a moving company called vantasks. Did you not read my post? They arrived with two guys to move my stuff and a truck with a tail lift.

One load with them and I had my three bedroom house moved.

Cost 400-500. Not 4000

Luckylow10

to the poster asking about the attic contents, lots of Christmas/halloween stuff, winter and formal wear, Suitcases, small furniture pieces that we want to keep.

We are moving from Dublin to Kildare only about 15 minute drive . For insurance I looked at our home insurance and it seems we are covered for storage up to 7 days and during transport also.

I’ve started to pack the spare room, office and clothing/shoes we don’t use often. I’ll make a move onto the kitchen once I hear contracts are exchanged. We aren’t far from the local dump so it’s economical for us to do a few runs with any rubbish we don’t want.

D n G

We sold, and bought, a house 2 years last June/July (2022). We packed up the more delicate/breakable items a good few weeks in advance of our move and got a skip to dispose of stuff. We hired a removal company to pack up the rest of the house, shed etc. They came that morning and were like whirlwinds as someone else said. We were bloody delighted that we decided to go that route as we'd have been shattered trying to work and pack a house up. You never realise the amount of stuff you have until you’re having to pack it into boxes!

The company stored the contents overnight and drove up to Donegal, from Dublin, next day. They unpacked the van and divided the boxes up between the various rooms. All in all I think we paid just over €2,000. It was well worth every cent.

extra-ordinary_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122598267#Comment_122598267

Stressful yes, but if you think moving is traumatic then you're doing it wrong.

SupaCat95

@extraordinary Oh I dont find it traumatic, I have moved several times in my life, I see it as another door another adventure. Other people I know would have a hissy fit if they thought they had to leave a country village or possibly go outside Dublin.

TThe more stuff ye have the harder it is.

HazeDoll

I'm going to go out on a limb here and take a guess that the husband who thinks there's plenty of time is not going to get himself too involved with the millions of small practical tasks that need to be accomplished when the time comes. He sounds like the type to let other people take care of tedious details.

Here's what you can do. Make a list in which you divide your current house into 'zones'; Bedroom 1, bedroom 2, bathrooms, kitchen, shed 1, shed 2 etc. Let him know which zones he will be taking care of and get started on your own.

Buy a big roll of bubblewrap. I think Woodies or B&Q might have them, or you can get them online. Invest in good quality tape too.

Every house has a collection of 'good' glasses and china that you hardly ever use, or ornaments, or a drawer full of potentially useful junk. The top presses in the kitchen might be full of things you haven't used in years. These all take a long time to pack up but you can manage very well without them. If this house falls through it won't be the end of the world if these are packed away and inaccessible for a while, but you'll be that bit more prepared for the house that does eventually work out.

Things like books can be packed away now, apart from the kids' favourites, just don't fill entire boxes with them or they're very heavy. I had boxes labelled, for example, 'books and dog toys', 'books and office' and 'books and hats.'

Make a list of things you will definitely need to be able to find on the first night in the new house. Kettle, teabags, cutlery, toilet paper… write the list on a box and tick things off as you add them to the box in the final run-up to the move.

Whatever you do, no matter how methodical you are, you will leave the house for the last time holding a binbag containing one sock, a broken hairbrush, a collection of hose attachments and sixty six cents in change.

antodeco

Im moving from an apartment to a house so thankfully don't have a huge amount of things. Alot of the *smaller" items I can do in 4-5 journeys in my own car (it's a Dacia Duster so has a fair amount of space in it).

Equally I'm going to rent a GoCar van for the bigger items. I think it's about €15 an hour for the van. That's for the larger bits of furniture I have. My plan, as I have the luxury to do, is move over the period of a week. I'm possibly not moving for another two months but I've already started going through cupboards and presses and either organising or dumping stuff. It's a good excuse. My only difficult item I have is my 75" TV. Literally no idea how I'll move that!

Luckylow10

so, with around 1 to 1.5 weeks left, I started packing up all house decorations, books, games, unused clothes and shoes, attic is ready to go, shed and garden ready to go.

I haven’t touched the kitchen or taken any lights down ( we are bringing some chandeliers), or shelves, or disconnected any speakers etc

I have booked container storage which we will bring some stuff ourselves with a large rented van, and also booked a removal for the large furniture.

youcancallmeal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122621369#Comment_122621369

We're the same but not signed contracts yet. Hoping to do that in the next few weeks and then solicitor says it'll likely be 3+ weeks after that the sale closes. Probably November or even December before it all goes through. Anyway my wife is mad keen to get a storage unit already but I said no not until we've signed contracts and get a closing date. For now though we are doing clear out work every weekend. Still working on the attic the last 2 weekends. If my wife had it her way we'd have 90% of the house in a storage unit already 😅

I don't want to panic you but if you've only 1 week to go I would be scrambling to have everything ready

Luckylow10

We found it very hard to find storage units available in south Dublin/kildare location, so I might be inclined to say get the unit sorted as soon as you can .

the storage containers are generally cheaper and much more user friendly for house moves than the units inside the warehouses (which are a pain because you have to use elevators and trolleys to load/unload)

We also need two 20 foot storage containers, one is no where big enough for a 4 bed house.

Initial closing date is looking unlikely now, we have drawn down our mortgage already so I’m praying it gets sorted this week or we are paying for 2 mortgages ! Waiting on our purchasers to be in funds.

gerogerigegege

Hiya, can anyone recommend removal companies and storage places in Cork, please?

Also, when contacts are signed on both sides is it two weeks the seller has to vacate?

Cheers