Moving house is often regarded as one of the more stressful events that we go through, so many worry about what it will involve, how much time it will take, and how expensive it will be. It is certainly a big process and the planning, as well as the move itself, needs to be undertaken with care and organisation.

Approaching your move in a chaotic, unorganised manner is a surefire way to guarantee that it will be stressful. With a measured approach and sensible planning, on the other hand, your house move will be a far less stressful experience and, hopefully, an exciting change.

We’re going to look at five of the biggest worries that people have when they move house, so you can plan effectively and prepare for your move.

1. How long will it take me to pack?

How long the packing process takes will depend on a few factors, but primarily it comes down to the size of your home and the amount of belongings there are to move. Moving one room’s worth of stuff to a single room in a new student house will take considerably less time than clearing out the belongings of a lived-in, five-bedroom property, for instance.

If you plan your packing process and make sure that you have sufficient boxes and containers to hold your items, it will make it easier and quicker to pack everything up. If it is going to be a huge undertaking, don’t feel bad about drafting in friends and family to help, or hiring people for a day or two to assist you with the project.

2. What packaging will I need?

Relying on some broken, flimsy cardboard boxes from the supermarket is really not the way to approach packing up your belongings to move home. Instead, buying boxes and cartons that are designed for house moves is a sensible approach, but the exact ones you need will vary according to what you own. Protective materials, such as foam and bubble wrap are also important to factor in.

It’s worth considering the process room by room; we have some advice on packing up your kitchen, for instance, which involves different boxes and supplies to packing up your bedroom. Think about the number of items you will be moving, as well as how heavy or bulky they are, and make your packaging choices based on these considerations.

3. How many van runs will it take?

Moving your son or daughter to their halls of residence for the first year of university will probably require just one trip in the car, but moving your whole household across town, or to the other end of the country, will call for a bigger vehicle and much more time.

First, think about how far you are moving. If your new home is a few streets away, the journey will take minutes. If it’s several hours away, you’ll need to factor that into your planning, as you’ll probably want to do it in as few trips as possible. Next, consider how many boxes and how much furniture you will be carrying, and what size they are. Finally, think about the vehicle you are hiring and how much it will fit in it.

Always assume that you have underestimated the number of belongings you have. Once you’ve emptied the attic and the cellar, you might be amazed by how many boxes of old school textbooks and photo albums you actually own. This all takes up space in a van and could mean more trips than you initially imagined.

4. How long does it take to get out of my old house and into my new one?

The more people you have on board, the quicker it will be. But it might also get a bit chaotic if a lot of people are trying to move items through your front door at once.

Before you start placing items in the van, do some calculations so that you can maximise the space you have available. Don’t put tiny boxes in first and then try to add the sofa and the fridge into the space you have left!

If you’re downsizing, you may well find that loading the van takes less time than you had anticipated. But, as with the number of van runs it will take and the number of storage boxes you’ll need, the answer to this question is like estimating the length of a piece of string.

5. What shouldn’t I forget to do?

You’ve packed up your belongings — check — and remembered to empty out the bins — check — but what else do you need to do when you are moving house? We recommend checking the following items off your list, too:

• Let people know you’ve moved! Whether you do this by email, on Facebook, or with ‘new address’ cards, tell friends and family, as well as your work and other important contacts
• Forward your mail. Royal Mail will forward any correspondence to your new address for a small fee and this will help you to identify the companies and organisations you might have forgotten to notify of your new property
• Get meter readings from your water, electricity and gas meters. Take photos if you suspect there will be any debate about the reporting
• Cancel your gas, electricity, TV, telephone and broadband contracts for your previous house and set about re-arranging those you want to keep for your new one.

Moving house is a big task and requires organised planning. But with enough preparation, you needn’t worry about these key common concerns. If you’re looking for more information on moving house and the materials you may need, take a look at our range of moving supplies.

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Remy Courtois

Remy has been a contributing author since late 2011, when he arrived at Davpack from a major packaging competitor. Originally a product buyer with many years of specialist knowledge in the fields of custom cardboard boxes and corrugated products, Remy now combines his purchasing and literary skills to maximum effect in our marketing team as a content writer. Born to French and British parents in Nottingham, Remy had a bilingual upbringing and has lived for the past twelve years just South of Paris. He presently commutes twice a month to France but is in the process of re-locating to his birthplace. Davpack

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