In addition to moving your belongings from one location to another, you must also determine where each of those items will be placed in your new home.
In short: Before you move into your new home, plan the layout to save time and stress. By labelling boxes with the room they belong in, removal workers can put them there straight away, rather than having to pile them in the hallway. Also make sure that large items of furniture will fit through doors to their new rooms and consider which items you need to take off the van first to make the first night easier. You may even change which items you decide to take as your new layout develops.
Plan Where Every Box Goes
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Considering the layout of your new home before you move in can save you a lot of stress on the day that you are moving. By knowing which room each box belongs in, the removal workers will be able to place the items in the correct rooms as soon as they enter your home. This avoids the common sight of boxes building up in the hallway while everyone tries to figure out where each item should go.
Measure for the Big Furniture
Another consideration is the larger items of furniture. Will the sofa fit through the front door? Where will the wardrobe go? How much space will be available to walk around the bed after it has been placed in the room? These questions are all much easier to answer prior to the arrival of the large van that will transport your furniture. For Removals Cheltenham, visit express-removals.co.uk/removal-companies-near-me/removals-cheltenham/
Unload the Essentials First
Also, a little planning in advance can also help determine which items to unload from the moving truck first. Needed items like bedding, toiletries, kitchen items and cleaning supplies should likely be unloaded before any other items. It would make little sense to unload decorative items from the moving truck before finding the essentials that are required for daily life.
Decide What Comes With You
Also, the layout of a house can even influence what items you decide to bring with you. For instance, a piece of furniture that was perfectly suited for your old home may not be suitable for the layout of your new home.
Moving provides an opportunity to reassess how you use your living space.
Related reading: What can you do to reduce removal costs?
FAQs
How can I check furniture will fit before moving?
Measure the height, width and depth of large pieces, then measure doorways, hallways, stair turns and the rooms themselves at the new property. A floor plan with measurements, or a visit before moving day, lets you sketch where each item will go. Some furniture can be taken apart to get round awkward corners.
What should go in an essentials box?
Pack one clearly labelled box with what you will need on the first night: kettle, mugs, tea or coffee, phone chargers, toilet roll, basic toiletries, any medication, bedding, a few tools and cleaning supplies. Keep it with you or load it last so it comes off the van first.
When should I book a removal company?
As soon as you have a likely moving date. Fridays, school holidays and the end of the month are usually the busiest times, so availability can be limited if you leave it late.
Packing tricks that save time
Labelling boxes by room is the foundation, and a simple colour code makes it even quicker. Give each room its own coloured tape or sticker, and put a matching mark on each door of the new house, so anyone carrying boxes knows exactly where they go. A few other tricks save a surprising amount of effort. Pack pillows and cushions into large bin bags; they are light and make useful padding between furniture in the van. Leave hanging clothes on their hangers and pull a bin bag up over each bundle, tying it at the top, so you can hang them straight up at the other end.
Protect plates by stacking them with paper or foam plates in between, and pack a first-night box with bedding, towels, toiletries, toilet roll, chargers and any medication, then carry it in the car. Pack room by room over several days rather than all at once, and ask local shops or neighbours for spare sturdy boxes.
What a removal team handles on the day
A good layout plan works best alongside a removal company that knows what it is doing. Trained teams can usually finish in a single day what might take a family several days, and they handle everything from homes to offices.
Most will supply packing materials and advise on how to pack, and they bring furniture pads to protect larger pieces in transit. Keep the items you care about most, along with documents and valuables, in your own car. The crew loads and unloads the van and keeps an inventory of everything, so nothing goes missing between the two addresses.
Importantly for your floor plan, a removal team will not just drop boxes at the door. If every box is labelled with the room it belongs in, they will carry each one to the right place. Some firms also help with jobs around the move, such as cleaning the old property and clearing away rubbish, which leaves you free to focus on settling in.
Sorting each room before you pack
Planning the layout of the new house is far easier once you know exactly what is coming with you, and the best way to find out is to work through the house one room at a time.
Choose a room to start with and gather all the smaller items into the middle of it. That leaves the furniture on its own, so you can look at each piece and decide whether it is coming to the new home. Anything that is not should be set aside to donate or put straight into a skip if you have hired one. Then work slowly through the pile, sorting each item into keep, donate or throw away. For the things you are keeping, decide whether they can be boxed up now or whether you will still need them in your current home before moving day.
Label every box clearly with the name of the room it belongs in at the new house. That way the removal team can put each one in the right place on the day.