Packing — all of it, or just the hard bits.
Packing is the part of a move that expands to fill whatever time you have and then some. You can hand over all of it, none of it, or the specific bits you are dreading.
Three ways people do it
Full packing
We pack the whole property. You carry on with your life and come back to a house in boxes, labelled by the room each box is going to rather than the room it came from — which is the detail that makes unpacking bearable.
It usually happens the day before the load, or in the morning of a later collection. What we will not do is pack and load in the same frantic few hours; that is where things get broken.
Part packing
The most common choice. We do the things that are slow, fiddly or risky — the kitchen, glassware, pictures, mirrors, electronics — and you do the clothes, books and soft things that are hard to break and quick to box.
Fragile only
For people who genuinely enjoy packing but do not want to be responsible for the wedding china. A short visit, the breakables handled properly, and everything else left to you.
What we bring
- Double-wall cartons in the sizes that actually suit the contents
- Wardrobe cartons so hanging clothes travel on the hanger
- Purpose-made picture, mirror and glass boxes
- Tissue, bubble wrap and packing paper — not newspaper, which marks
- Mattress and sofa covers
- Labels, and a system for them
The bits people get wrong
Books in big boxes. A large carton full of paperbacks is heavier than it looks and is how backs get hurt and boxes give out. Books go in small cartons; pillows go in big ones.
Half-filled boxes. A carton that is not full to the top collapses when something is stacked on it. Fill the gap with soft things.
And the essentials box. Kettle, mugs, tea, chargers, toilet roll, medication, a change of clothes. It should travel with you in the car, not on the van, and the number of people who wish they had done this is very high.
If the move is going abroad
Export packing is a heavier standard again — goods crossing water are handled more times and meet humidity changes. See moving to Europe.
Packing is normally booked alongside a house or flat move, but we will do it as a standalone job if that is what you need.
Packing questions
How far ahead should packing happen?
Full packing is usually the day before, or the morning of a later load. Part packing can be spread across a couple of visits if that suits you better. What does not work is packing and loading in the same rushed morning — it is where breakages come from.
Is it worth paying for?
Honestly, it depends on you. If you have time and a methodical streak, packing your own boxes is perfectly sensible and we will happily carry them. If you are working full-time, have small children, or simply dread it, it is the single best thing to hand over. Most people land in the middle.
What if we have packed some things badly?
We will tell you rather than load it and hope. Underfilled boxes collapse, overfilled ones split, and heavy things in large boxes hurt people. None of that is a judgement — nobody is born knowing how to pack a kitchen — and we would rather repack a few than pick glass out of a van.
Do you unpack as well?
If you want. Some people want everything out of boxes and surfaces cleared the same day; others want only the kitchen and the beds done and would rather do the rest slowly. Say which and we will plan the time for it.
What happens to all the boxes afterwards?
We can take the used materials away rather than leaving you with a hallway of flattened cardboard. Mention it when you book so it is built into the day.
Want help with the packing?
Tell us the property size and how much you would like to hand over. We will bring the materials and the hands.