Take the DIY route when moving house

If you’re strapped for cash and about to embark on house relocation, then you don’t have to get a loan to hire a professional moving company. You can actually take the DIY route, but remember this is not without its drawbacks, such as added stress, renting your own removal van and making the time to pack all your belongings and take care of moving furniture. It is a rather daunting process, but if you don’t have any other option then this guideline could prove helpful in allowing your to carry out a successful home removal without the help of professional house movers.

So you’re reached the decision to go it alone. What you’ll need to do first and foremost is write a moving checklist, which should include all the tasks ahead for a successful moving house process. Work out what you need to take with you and therefore you can calculate the moving van size you’ll require. Next check there is access and parking space for your van both at your current and new location. You don’t want to have to park two streets away and lug all your heavy furniture and boxes to your new home!

Next up is the tiring and energy-consuming task of packing, which we all dread! However it doesn't have to be as stressful as it sounds. First of all get your hands on some durable boxes and other packing materials like tape and bubble wrap. You can take two different routes when it comes to obtaining boxes. You can buy them from a removals company or you can go hunting at your local supermarket for second hand boxes. Remember that boxes have to be carried, so don’t pack them so they are too heavy to lift! Colour-code every box so you know what’s where when you embark on unpacking at your new home! It’s important when packing fragile items to first wrap them in bubble or newspaper. Packing shouldn't take more than a couple of days, but remember to take the time to do a good job. You don’t to unpack your moving van only to find your fragile items have been broken during transit!

If you’re loading your own removal van, remember to place the heavier boxes on the bottom and use old blankets to protect furniture from damage. It’s also a good idea to have wrapped furniture in plastic sheeting for extra protection. A good tip when loading a van is to use drawers for storage space.

If you have a valid driver’s license you can drive the moving van yourself to your new home. But remember to drive slowly as you’ll have less control in a heavy van than you would in a car. While driving a modern van might prove to be easy, you should take extra caution when reversing and parking. Now if you don’t have a driver’s license or simply don’t want to get behind the wheel on moving day, another great and cheap alternative is to hire a man with a van. This service comes with exactly that… a moving van and a man who will transport your belongings to your new address. While you don’t get the added service of packing, furniture removals or insurance coverage with a man and van hire that you get when hiring a removals company, it is the cheaper alternative.

Finally you’ll need to tackle the task of unpacking. When unloading the moving van take all furniture and boxes to their rightful rooms – this should be easy if you’ve remembered to label your boxes! Once that’s done, start unpacking one room at a time, which will save you time and mess!