We are moving about 800 miles and getting quotes for movers, and the quotes are… really high. We have a small 3-bedroom house. Estimates of our quantity of stuff are about 1200 cubic feet and 8,000 lbs, and the estimates we’ve gotten for moving that are $6500-7500.
I can rent a 26’ U-haul for $1600, which has 1600 cubic feet of capacity and a 12,000 lb max load. $500 in gas and another $1000 (generous estimate) to hire people to load an unload it on both ends comes out to just over $3000. I don’t really want to drive a U-haul up there, but it seems kind of crazy to pay someone $3-4000 to avoid it.
Anyone have experience doing this? Things I should consider? We are going to stop for a few days to visit family so I found a secure truck parking lot to park the U-haul in for $50 for a few days.
Who do you have to help you with that self-move? You’ll need people with healthy backs and some strength to do it on “your own”. If you have sufficient, physically able helpers then go U-haul.
If you don’t have such help then paying professionals might actually give you a better result in the end.
Last time I moved I had one person with bum knees and an arm that had only recently recovered from reconstructive surgery to help and objects too large for me to move on my own. I hired movers for the big/bulky/heavy stuff and don’t regret it, even though yes, it did cost more than doing it myself.
I’ll also point out that the pros, who after all do make a living at this, were able to tackle things like disassembling my bed frame, negotiating tight turns on stairways, and other moving obstacles with speed and efficiency greater than I’ve ever seen during do-it-yourself moves. They also come already equipped with all the ropes, ties, bungy cords, padding, and other items needed to secure the more delicate things during travel.
Have you considered doing it split like that - you hire a U-haul and take the smaller/lighter stuff yourself, and hire pros for the biggest/heaviest stuff? Sort of split the difference.
There are also those systems where you pack the stuff into a container or a giant box and the movers transport it. I think they leave the container at your origin and destination for a week or so while you load and unload it. With a U-Haul, there’s the pressure of wanting to get it unloaded so you can stop paying for it.
Personally, I like my back so I’d prefer to hire professionals, although the estimates in the OP are really high.
Who are these helpers you’re going to hire at each end? Are they insured? What happens if they don’t show up on moving day? What happens if they are injured while moving your shit?
Local moving companies. Yes, I’ll make sure they’re insured. If they don’t show up on moving day that sucks. But presumably I have the same problem if the other guys don’t show up with the truck, too?
I’ve done it both ways, tho when we had movers, it was part of the relocation package for a new job, so we didn’t pay. I wasn’t too impressed with two of the professional companies we had (can’t recall which they were.) One of them messed up the front of my piano by letting it hit the door frame, plus the smashed several lampshades by packing them badly and broke the antenna on my TV (this was 40 years ago, so hush!)
The other one subcontracted the packing to a couple of local yokels who did a terrible job. They didn’t wrap several fragile items, and one box was full of miscellany they literally dumped in and taped closed. It might be explained by the liquor that went missing. It was also obvious that no one read the special instructions from the estimator, so the packout dragged on past the day we were supposed to vacate.
We’ve had other movers who were very professional, so there are good ones out there.
We did our self-moves when we were lots younger, lots stronger, and lots poorer. But there was no breakage, because we were careful packing the fragile items. It also helped that the houses were single-story.
My daughter and SIL did a move with the pod units - it fell between the cost of pros and DIY, but they were spared having to drive a truck and 2 cars on an 800-mile trek.
The bottom line is - what is your time and your effort worth to you? Sometimes DIY is great. Sometimes, the best tool is your checkbook.
While you can get a one-way rental in a U-haul, the movers need to come back. 800 miles there (figure 50mph average - remember it’s a truck, not a sports car) probably means 2 days there, + 2 days back, + a day to unpack, + hotels & meals for the two (or three?) of them for a week. Not such an outlandish price.
Have you ever driven a 26’ truck or at least a large vehicle? They don’t drive like a Corolla.
It’d be worth pricing out both PODS and Pack-Rat. These are companies that will drop shipping containers at your residence on the day you want, pick them up when you want, hold on to them as long as you want, drop them at a new location when you want, and leave them there until you want them to remove the empty containers.
That plus the cost of your arranged man power at both ends to load/unload should be cheaper that a full move.
My most recent move was done using U-Haul’s version of PODS, U-Box. They didn’t put it at either home, so I still had to get stuff to and from the U-Haul facility on either end myself (with the help of friends), and they were about a week and a half later to arrive than they said they’d be. It all got there in the end, and there wasn’t any damage, but it was still stressful until it came through.
Is your move out-of-state? I’ve heard that there’s almost no regulation on out-of-state movers, resulting in many horror stories (and some good reputable professionals, of course, but you don’t know who they are).
This, for sure. I’ve driven a larger U-Haul truck a couple of times, and it was pretty nerve-wracking for someone who isn’t accustomed to a big vehicle with massive blind spots, or how a fully-loaded truck handles.
Also, if any of your route (particularly at your old house or your new house) involves older city streets, that’ll make driving it yourself even more “fun.”
The largest vehicle I have driven is either a smaller U-Haul or my father-in-law’s (full size) pickup. So, no, but I think I can probably swing it. Maybe I should just go rent one for the day and drive it around and see if I’m terrified.
Yes, the move is out of state. Unfortunately, PODs and Pack-Rat don’t provide service to where we’re going (Bend, OR).
This is considerably lower than the suggestions on U-Haul’s website, which run about $300 on each end. When we moved into our current house using a local mover, the whole bill loading and unloading from one house to the other, including the truck, was less than $500, so I would be pretty surprised if I can’t do just loading a truck or just unloading a truck for that. We will do boxing of things ourselves. We just need people to carry furniture and boxes to the truck. and back.
I want to be clear that I’m not saying that these moving companies are loafing. They do have higher costs since they have to pay for food and accommodations for drivers. But I have to pay all those costs for me regardless, so when comparing the two options, I can pay myself $200 an hour (after tax) to drive a U-Haul.
Might not be a bad idea. Beyond being potentially terrified by it, there’s the aspect of “how willing will you be to drive a big truck like that for 12 hours or longer?” And, as you noted you’re moving to Bend, I’d add, “…and in the mountains?”
Don’t get me wrong, moving companies are quite expensive. But, will you be making yourself crazy or nervous as hell in order to save money?
I used U hauls and hired Craigslist movers at both ends. It worked awesome. I think I saved 4K based on the few quotes we got. My recommendation is to use some of the savings on good “Bankers Boxes” and rope. Have everything ready before the movers arrive because they are fast. I think the Craigslist movers had a minimum 2 guys, 3 hours, and a travel fee. Worked out to a few hundred bucks (cash) for loading and unloading.