OV9

Jobbo wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 10:16 am

GG. wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 10:09 am I've decided I don't ever want to do this again

Simon, our removal company didn't do everything on the completion day. They picked up a large chunk of our stuff a few days before we moved, and brought everything over 2 days. Definitely makes the day of completion much easier.

Yep that's right. Majority of the contents get collected the day prior to completion with just beds and remaining things they can't get into the first lorry on the morning of completion and in reverse unpack the bulk on Friday as they wouldn't get it done on completion day.

After having spent a whole weekend emptying the attic of 8 years worth of junk and odds and ends (997 back box anyone?) I'm very thankful they do a packing service. Equally I'm not certain they'll be able to get the lorry between the brick gateposts at the entry to the drive and if not they're going to be walking all the furniture up the drive to the house

I'm expecting chaos to be honest -add to that a load of the furniture will not be going into the equivalent rooms at the new house so its going to be a full day of directing where stuff is going on the Friday.

Marv wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 10:30 am After building the house I'm in now, I'm not keen to build another one either

With the price of materials I expect it would be double the cost as well which would certainly put you off!

Yep, professional movers with packing service is essential! Best thing is to try and get rid of the wife and kids for the day, they’ll be way more stressful than the movers!

Ugh, yeah, moving in the worst. I swore we'd get some kind of all in service and go on holiday for a few days or something if we ever did it again. No doubt we'd be too tight in the end and do more ourselves.

I said we wouldn't move for at least 10 years when we moved here, I can't believe it'll be 7 years this year. Gone in a heartbeat.

Speaking of doing removals, I did it through an agency a handul of times during my uni holidays. Absolutely horrendous work and learned a few things too.

If any of your stuff gets 'lost' and they blame agency workers they're lying. It usually means the gaffer took the opportunity of having agency workers and pocketed something, then blamed the agency workers.
Likewise, if you tip in cash, make sure it gets evenly distributed. Some gaffers are a bit greedy.
Clients who offer drinks, food or both are the very best clients and we will be more helpful as a result

GG. wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 11:50 am

Marv wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 10:30 am After building the house I'm in now, I'm not keen to build another one either

With the price of materials I expect it would be double the cost as well which would certainly put you off!

Yeah, some places wouldn't quote us for various things at one point a few years back, because prices were so volatile.

I got an email from Huws Gray a few weeks ago saying they're starting to get supply chain issues. Apparently Celotex/PIR insulation and other petro-chemical based products (which is probably amost everything!) are running short on supply

Rich B wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 11:51 am Yep, professional movers with packing service is essential! Best thing is to try and get rid of the wife and kids for the day, they’ll be way more stressful than the movers!

I hear that costs an fortune now too! (the professional movers, not getting rid of the wife and kids for a day )

Marv wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 2:20 pm

GG. wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 11:50 am

Marv wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 10:30 am After building the house I'm in now, I'm not keen to build another one either

Yeah, some places wouldn't quote us for various things at one point a few years back, because prices were so volatile.

I got an email from Huws Gray a few weeks ago saying they're starting to get supply chain issues. Apparently Celotex/PIR insulation and other petro-chemical based products (which is probably amost everything!) are running short on supply

With the price of materials I expect it would be double the cost as well which would certainly put you off!

Rich B wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 11:51 am Yep, professional movers with packing service is essential! Best thing is to try and get rid of the wife and kids for the day, they’ll be way more stressful than the movers!

I hear that costs an fortune now too! (the professional movers, not getting rid of the wife and kids for a day )

Compared to what though - hiring a van, storage, countless evenings/weekends, your sanity…

For a family of stuff, you can’t do it yourself in the timeframe you have on completion day, and double handling stuff into storage is way too much time.

Don’t get me wrong, i’ve moved plenty of times in the past when it was just 2 of us, but as soon as you have more stuff and childcare to factor in too it’s money well spent!

For what they do I think professional movers are incredibly good value. What is the alternative - hiring a van? How many trips would you need and how much time to shift the entire contents of a house?

Jobbo wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 3:31 pm For what they do I think professional movers are incredibly good value. What is the alternative - hiring a van? How many trips would you need and how much time to shift the entire contents of a house?

I did that last time, because at the time I couldn't afford more than van hire - for two days. Empty the place out one day, move it the next, return it the following morning. Across 70s miles.

Even for my fairly portable life, it was absolutely backbreaking work - I didn't finish till 3am, soaked through (because it was pouring down) and utterly physically ruined, because that's what happens when you have to single handedly move a king size mattress and other bulky, heavy items up a narrow staircase by yourself - after you've moved half of your life already (yes, I should have thought about the load/unload order....)

I'm never doing that again. I can at least afford to pay someone to do it for me in future, these days.

Beany wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 5:33 pm

Jobbo wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 3:31 pm For what they do I think professional movers are incredibly good value. What is the alternative - hiring a van? How many trips would you need and how much time to shift the entire contents of a house?

I did that last time, because at the time I couldn't afford more than van hire - for two days. Empty the place out one day, move it the next, return it the following morning. Across 70s miles.

Even for my fairly portable life, it was absolutely backbreaking work - I didn't finish till 3am, soaked through (because it was pouring down) and utterly physically ruined, because that's what happens when you have to single handedly move a king size mattress and other bulky, heavy items up a narrow staircase by yourself - after you've moved half of your life already (yes, I should have thought about the load/unload order....)

I'm never doing that again. I can at least afford to pay someone to do it for me in future, these days.

Yes I've done this a fair few times in my life (at one point I seemed to be moving every 6 months), though the last time was moving from rented into the first flat I bought about 12 or so years ago. That was from Islington all the way across to Saaf London and it took two hour long each way trips in a large van and was a massive faff. When you're moving to/from rented you can take your time a bit more but when you have to be out on the day of completion you can't really make it work unless you have very little stuff.

The guys we are using are premium and therefore, given London weighting on top as well, very expensive sadly. That said I don't want to run the risk of stuff going missing as @Gavster mentioned and we used them before so I know they're good.

@GG. Are you moved in? Congratulations on your new home

Rich B wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 11:51 am Yep, professional movers with packing service is essential! Best thing is to try and get rid of the wife and kids for the day, they’ll be way more stressful than the movers!

Just make sure you pick out what you need before they swarm your place. Such as your passport when you are about to move to Australia

GG. wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 7:53 pm

Beany wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 5:33 pm

Jobbo wrote: Tue Apr 14, 2026 3:31 pm For what they do I think professional movers are incredibly good value. What is the alternative - hiring a van? How many trips would you need and how much time to shift the entire contents of a house?

I did that last time, because at the time I couldn't afford more than van hire - for two days. Empty the place out one day, move it the next, return it the following morning. Across 70s miles.

Even for my fairly portable life, it was absolutely backbreaking work - I didn't finish till 3am, soaked through (because it was pouring down) and utterly physically ruined, because that's what happens when you have to single handedly move a king size mattress and other bulky, heavy items up a narrow staircase by yourself - after you've moved half of your life already (yes, I should have thought about the load/unload order....)

I'm never doing that again. I can at least afford to pay someone to do it for me in future, these days.

Yes I've done this a fair few times in my life (at one point I seemed to be moving every 6 months), though the last time was moving from rented into the first flat I bought about 12 or so years ago. That was from Islington all the way across to Saaf London and it took two hour long each way trips in a large van and was a massive faff. When you're moving to/from rented you can take your time a bit more but when you have to be out on the day of completion you can't really make it work unless you have very little stuff.

The guys we are using are premium and therefore, given London weighting on top as well, very expensive sadly. That said I don't want to run the risk of stuff going missing as @Gavster mentioned and we used them before so I know they're good.

Last time we moved, we did the packing ourselves. Not doing that again if I can help it. We stayed in a hotel the night before moving day, with everything boxed up to the point of leaving the house uninhabitable, but I remember thinking the burger that night was about the best I had ever tasted, and that must be how it is to do a physical job.

Explosive Newt wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2026 7:01 pmbut I remember thinking the burger that night was about the best I had ever tasted, and that must be how it is to do a physical job.

You’d think that, but it becomes such a regular thing that the satisfaction stops, until you do something particularly special/difficult

Jobbo wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2026 10:25 am @GG. Are you moved in? Congratulations on your new home

Thanks, Simon! Yes we are in (kind of - stuff still being unloaded as I write). Couple of quick iPhone pics from last night.



Looking more at home!

Lovely, you must be happy!

That looks very nice.

Looks a lovely place @GG..

Looks fabulous - congratulations! Your cars look right at home outside it.

I should have tried harder in school...

Seriously though, lovely looking place to raise a family in London... Kudos and Congrats...