6 guidelines for transporting your stuff to a new house without damage: 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 Make a detailed corresponding list of what’s in each box by number. This makes it easier to make sure you didn’t forget any boxes, or god forbid, someone stole one. AND, if there’s anything valuable in there, you won’t be broadcasting it to the world by writing it down right there on the box.

Here are a few tricks from our favorite Los Angeles moving company. If you happen to have older kids or teenagers you can get them involved using the same techniques or maybe a simple promise of a night out on their new town. Take them out to see a movie, go to the mall or out to eat at a local popular eatery. Try being creative, Los Angeles is a fun town for all ages. Museums, theme parks, theatres, plays, sport complexes or school groups. Before you rent a moving truck, find out how much you have to move to ensure you get a truck that’s the right size. A truck that is too small will mean you’ll be making several trips from the old house to the new, too large and you’ll be paying for space you don’t need. Or, if you’re moving a long distance, you may find that you have to leave stuff behind if your truck is too small. In this case, always rent a larger truck than you need just in case you miscalculated.

Are you moving? Whether you’re shifting to an apartment or a house, upsizing or downsizing, planning is the most important thing you can do. 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. With the exception of the 20′ U-Haul, all of the trucks in this size range require diesel fuel. Remember to factor the cost difference of diesel fuel into your overall moving budget. Most small moving trucks have rear wheel wells that stick out and reduce the amount of flat cargo space.

I always suggest going around your home and taking photos of your valuables and breakables before they get packed up. If for any reason things get broken, damaged or lost during the moving process, at least you have a record of them. (Just quick snaps on the camera on your mobile phone will be good enough). TIP – It’s worth doing this anyway for things in your house, as it can help with insurance claims if you get burgled or there’s a fire etc.. – I use the home inventory in my Home File for this. 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. Explore a few extra info at moving companies.

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.