Ways to Move Home: The Pros and Cons of Every Home Moving Option

Moving home can seem like a round of twenty questions.

How do I move home? What are my options for moving home cheaply? What is the quickest way to move home?

And there is no generic answer for everybody.

Deciding how to move home may be dictated by the amount of stuff you have to move.

Large house moves, or overseas home moves, will invariably be handled by a removal company, but you still may consider packing your own things.

But smaller, local home moves open up many more options for you.

Your physical ability to move yourself should also be taken into consideration, moving home is very hard work and your wellbeing and safety should always be a top priority.

In this week’s home moving blog, we will look at the different ways that you can move home.

As with most things in life, however, the final decision often comes down to time, and how much it will cost you to move to your new home.

And what initially can seem an inexpensive way to move home can often turn out to be far more costly in terms of both stress and money.

There are a variety of ways you can move home, each has pros and cons, and some are better suited to certain types of home move.

We’ll look at each of your home moving options in more depth so that you can make a more informed decision as to what will work best for you.

What are the Different Options for Moving Home?

• Hire a full-service Removal Company
• Pack yourself and hire moving labour and transport
• Hire a professional packing service only
• Move home yourself by van
• Move home yourself by Car
• Use a freight company
• Two-step move using storage

Is it Better to Hire a Full-Service Removal Company?

For a quicker, safer, less stressful home move you can opt to have a company do it all for you.

From the packing to the loading and unloading and the safe transportation of your household goods, a full-service removal company can do it all.

Should you hire a removal company?

Nearly everyone will benefit from hiring a good removal company.

Your home move will be quicker, safer, and less stressful.

However, if you are moving very few items and no furniture it may not be cost-effective to hire a removal company.

What Are The Pros of Hiring a Full-Service Removal Company?

• No physical hardship for you. The removal company will do all the hard work for you, no packing, no lifting, no loading.
• No packing. Opt for a full-service move and all your packing will be taken care of by professional packers. Just be sure to declutter your home first to save on moving costs.
• No stress. You won’t have to worry about how to get a wardrobe down 2 flights of narrow stairs, or how to negotiate narrow streets in a big van. The removal company will take care of it for you.
• The move will be at a fixed price. A good removal company will provide you with a full survey of the items you want to be moved so that there can be surprises for the removal company on moving day and no hike in price for you.
• A Moving Day plan will be made. The removal company will make a moving day plan so that it all goes as smoothly as possible.

You may like to read: What is a Full-Service Removal Company? This is an invaluable guide if you have never moved using a full-service removal company. It tells you exactly what services they offer, how long on average it takes them to move you, and how much on average you can expect it to cost.

What Are The Cons of Hiring a Full-Service Removal Company?

• Hiring a removal company can seem expensive. Well on the face of it that may be so. But as we will see, by the time you have factored in time, materials, and stress, a full-service removal company can represent outstanding value for money.
• You may become a victim of a removal company scam. Although rare, it does happen. There are rogue removal companies out there so be sure to pick your removal company carefully.

You may like to read: How to avoid removal company scams. Whilst the vast majority of removal companies are honest and their employees trustworthy there is inevitably the chance that you may come across a scam firm that looks legitimate. In this guide, we show you how to spot the scam moving companies.

Do I Pack Myself and Hire a Removal Company to Move Home?

Should you pack for a home move yourself? Packing for a home move is probably one of the worst aspects of moving home but some people choose to pack their things as they believe it will save them money. This is not usually the case and improperly protected items often end up damaged costing you more in the long run.

If you are moving very few items then it may be cheaper for you to do it yourself.

What Are the Pros of Packing For a Home Move Yourself?

• You pack when you have available time. Packing for your home move is very time-consuming, but if you do have the time to pack yourself, then you choose when the packing is done around your availability. If you hire professional packers they will want to do it in as short a time as possible, just prior to moving day.
• You control the packing process. Packing your own things means you are in control of exactly how they are packed and you decide what gets packed in which box and how much protection each item is given.

You may also like to read: How Much Does it Cost to Pack a Home for Moving? In this guide, we look at the costs involved in packing various size homes for moving, from packing materials to hiring plastic tote boxes, this is an invaluable guide for home movers.

What Are The Cons of Packing For a Home Move Yourself?

• Packing is laborious. Packing is arguably the worst part of any home move as it is so time-consuming.
• Costs can escalate. Packing materials are not cheap and it is very common that a person moving will underestimate the number of boxes or how much packing tape they will need.
• You may be uninsured. Often insurance companies will not cover your items against damage if you have packed them yourself. It would be best to check with your insurance company.

Useful reading: How Many Boxes Do I Need to Move Home? Most people wildly underestimate the amount of packing materials they need so in this guide we look at the average number of boxes and packing materials you will need for various sized homes.

The Pros and Cons of Hiring a Professional Packing Service

Should you hire packing services for a home move? You may have some particularly valuable or fragile items that require specialized packing skills or custom-made crates. In this case, a professional packing company should be hired.

Due to the pure volume of items you have to move, a lack of time, or you are not physically able to pack your goods, then good packers will make your home move easier and quicker.

What Are the Pros of Hiring Professional Packers Only?

• Professional packers will save you time. A professional packing team will know the best and most efficient ways to pack your things to prevent damage to them. Not only that but they will pack your things in probably half the time that it would you to do it.
• Less packing materials will be used. Because a professional packing team will know how to pack boxes to make the most efficient use of the available space they will likely use far less packing materials than you would.
• Professional packers will optimize space. Professional packers will know the best way to fill the packing boxes, saving not only packing material costs, and loading and unloading time but also space in the removal van.
• You will be covered by insurance. Many insurance companies will not cover your household goods in transit to your next home if they are not packed by the removal company, so it would be wise to check your insurance policy.
• You won’t have to live with piles of boxes. A professional packing service will pack your home in the minimum amount of time possible and will often do this just before moving day. Therefore after you have decluttered you can pretty much live without being surrounded by boxes for weeks on end.
• Professional packers can produce custom crates. If you have particularly valuable pieces of art or breakables, a professional packing company will be able to produce custom crates to safely transport those types of items.

What Are The Cons of Hiring Professional Packers Only?

• Will the Packers take as much care as me? If you have chosen your removal company carefully there is no reason why the packers would not take as much care as you would when packing your home. If you do not spend the time to research and find out all you can about the quality of service the removal company offers then you could end up with a less than satisfactory packing service.

You may also like to read: Are Home Packing Services Worth the Money? In this guide, we look at exactly what professional packers do, how quickly they will pack your home for moving, and the average costs involved.

The Pros and Cons of Moving Home by Yourself With A Rented Van

Should I rent a van and move myself? If you are physically able to carry out the home move yourself, with only a few light items of furniture, then you may want to consider hiring a van and moving yourself.

What Are the Pros of Moving With a Rental Van?

• For small moves, that involve moving small distances, with no damage being caused to the van, it can be a cost-effective way to move home.

What Are The Cons of Moving With a Rental Van?

• Especially if you are not used to driving a van, it can be quite a challenge to negotiate busy towns or small country lanes.
• Rental companies are notorious for adding on charges for even the slightest damage.
• If you are moving from one end of the country to the other, one-way van rental can be very expensive.
• You will still need to physically load and unload the van yourself.
• You will be restricted as to when you can start and end your move by the times of the availability of the van from the rental depot.
• Be especially wary of how much stuff you need to move. Underestimating the size of the van you hire means either multiple trips or the hire being extended into another day.
• Often rental companies will over-hire the number of vans they have so you may end up with a smaller van than you requested.

You may also like to read: Self-drive removal vans – Everything you need to know. From licence requirements to safe driving techniques to how to safely load a van, this guide is essential reading if you intend to hire a van and move home by yourself.

Move Everything Yourself by Car

Can I move home by car? If you have no furniture to move and very few items you could consider moving home using a car. Student moves especially are suitable for this type of home move. But you will need to be very strict on what you take as space will be limited. And if you don’t have your own car or access to a friend’s car, you could always see if hiring a local taxi would be possible.

What Are the Pros of Moving Home By Car?

• Convenience. For really small home moves, using a car can be very convenient. You have the flexibility to move at a time that suits you.
• It will be cheap. If you have your own car then it will be a relatively cheap way to move home. Even if you need to borrow a friend’s car then it will probably cost you no more than fuel and a pizza or a few beers.

What Are The Cons of Moving Home By Car?

• You will have limited space. You will be limited not only by the available space but the weight that the car can safely transport.
• You may need to make multiple trips. It may be worth factoring into your plans that more than one trip may be needed to transport your things.
• Not really suitable for moving furniture. The majority of cars will not be able to safely convey large pieces of furniture to your new home.

You may also be interested in reading: How to Pack a Car for Moving Home. This is an essential guide if you intend to move home by car. From preparing your car to how to safely load it, safe lifting techniques to how to transport pets and plants by car.

Can I Move Home Using a Freight Company?

If you have only boxes to move, using a freight company to move your things may be an option.

Usually, you will need to palletise the boxes yourself and the freight company will come and transport the pallet to your new home.

You will want to ensure that the boxes will remain on the pallet and not split as this will increase the risk of damage to your things.

It is always a good idea to wrap the pallet in industrial cling wrap to ensure the boxes’ safety.

What Are the Pros of Moving Home With a Freight Company?

• This may be a cheaper option for some people moving as your pallet will be part of a load and therefore the transport costs are distributed between each of the users based on volume.

What Are The Cons of Moving Home With a Freight Company?

• This option still requires you to physically move the boxes yourself.
• You will need to load the pallet and stay with it until it is collected.
• You will need to ensure your pallet can be protected from bad weather so that your boxes do not get water damaged for example.
• Your property may not be accessible to a large lorry.
• You will need a safe place to be able to load the pallet.
• You may have to wait for a delivery time slot at your new home which may be many days in the future.

You may also like to read: Small Home Moves: Moving Home With No Furniture. In this guide, we look at all the different options for shipping boxes to your new home.

Do I Need Storage When Moving Home?

If the home you are moving into requires renovation for example then you may want to store your things in storage until the new home is habitable.

Another option to utilize storage when moving is that you move your things over a period of time into storage and then move them again into your new home as time allows.

It may be that you need to move home quickly and are staying with family for example, but cannot take all your belongings with you. Your things can then be put into storage until you get your new home.

It is also a good idea to check whether your removal company can store your things should there be any delays on moving day.

What Are the Pros of Using Storage to Move Home?

• You will have your things safely stored until you need them.
• You can take things to your new home as you need them or as time allows.

What Are The Cons of Using Storage to Move Home?

• Just like removal companies, storage units are not all the same. Consider what is important to you, such as 24/7 access or climate control, and be sure to choose your storage unit carefully.
• Moving day will turn into two or more moving days. Usually moving day is just one day of upheaval but you will have to set aside two days at least when things go into storage, a moving out and moving in day.

You may also like to read: How to choose a storage unit. There are many types of storage available and the costs can vary greatly, so in this guide, we look at your storage options and the average cost of hiring a storage unit in various parts of the country.

Not every option listed here is suitable for every home move or indeed every person wanting to move home.

Your physical ability, the available time you have, the costs involved, and the amount of help you can get from friends and family will all influence the way you choose to move home.

So weigh up your home moving options carefully and consider everything that could end up busting your home moving budget and causing you far more stress.

If you take the time to choose a really good removal company then your home move will be stress-free and extremely good value for money.