Moving cost calculator that doesn't demand personal info?

[Amethyst]

Have been searching for a moving cost calculator, that doesn't link you to "quotes from movers in your area." We aren't moving right away, and don't want to be bothered with spam (or god forbid, phone calls) from moving companies. Does such a thing exist?

 

[COcheesehead]

It would be great if there was one. If there is, I have not run across it. Having just moved, the bid I got required an in person visit. They look at stairs, appliances, what they have to unhook, how many rooms, etc. We moved a 3000 sq ft house locally that we packed for about $1500. It was two trucks and 4 guys. I got $200 back because they scratched a frig.
We have a second move planned from our current rental to our permanent home in a few months. They quoted me $3000 for that one, but it includes a 4 hour drive.

 

[Music Lover]

They not only have to look at size and weight of items, they also want to know how many stairs and steps, distance from door to truck, etc. For example, a side drive next to a door is far easier than a 60 foot sidewalk to the street. There are too many variables to plug into a calculator.

 

[travelover]

I can't help with the calculator, but I'll offer up that we moved 2500 miles relatively cheaply by hiring local guys at each end to load and load a U Pack trailer. We did pack the boxes and wrap the furniture ourselves, but they did all the heavy lifting.



https://www.upack.com/moving-services/moving-trailer.asp

 

[Amethyst]

Travelover, that looks like a really neat service. Do they sell the boxes/packing material too? Didn't see that on the web site.

We are no longer able to move furniture on and off a truck, but can and will pack all the fiddly stuff (we have a lot of it, including books). If we move furniture, it will be just the basics and a few favorite pieces - the rest we'll donate or have hauled away.

I can't help with the calculator, but I'll offer up that we moved 2500 miles relatively cheaply by hiring local guys at each end to load and load a U Pack trailer. We did pack the boxes and wrap the furniture ourselves, but they did all the heavy lifting.



https://www.upack.com/moving-services/moving-trailer.asp

 

[travelover]

Travelover, that looks like a really neat service. Do they sell the boxes/packing material too? Didn't see that on the web site.

We are no longer able to move furniture on and off a truck, but can and will pack all the fiddly stuff (we have a lot of it, including books). If we move furniture, it will be just the basics and a few favorite pieces - the rest we'll donate or have hauled away.

I just bought boxes and other packing supplies at Home Depot. They sell two grades, buy the heavier boxes. Amazon also sells all kinds of moving supplies. You want to keep the boxes uniform size so they stack properly. I bought moving blankets at Harbor Freight ($6 w/ coupon) and wrapped the furniture myself, finishing it off with plastic wrap. YouTube has a lot of good videos on packing. We only kept some furniture pieces, so most of the move was boxes. Packing a moving van takes some skill to avoid damage and maximize space, but unpacking it is pure labor.

 

[Amethyst]

Good advice.

Is there a particular size of box (dimensions) you would recommend as most universally useful/manageable?

I just bought boxes and other packing supplies at Home Depot. They sell two grades, buy the heavier boxes. Amazon also sells all kinds of moving supplies. You want to keep the boxes uniform size so they stack properly. I bought moving blankets at Harbor Freight ($6 w/ coupon) and wrapped the furniture myself, finishing it off with plastic wrap. YouTube has a lot of good videos on packing. We only kept some furniture pieces, so most of the move was boxes. Packing a moving van takes some skill to avoid damage and maximize space, but unpacking it is pure labor.

 

[travelover]

Good advice.



Is there a particular size of box (dimensions) you would recommend as most universally useful/manageable?

Sorry, I was not clear. They sell four different sizes and I used them all. Heavy small stuff in small boxes to keep weight under 40#, larger boxes for larger items. What I meant to warn against was reusing a bunch of random sized boxes like from Costco. It is critical to completely fill every box so it can support several boxes being stacked on top of it and bounced down the road. Again, YouTube had lots of moving tips videos.

 

[COcheesehead]

We bought a bunch of the plastic tubs at Costco for a good price. They then become reusable for storage. We packed all the fragile stuff in those. They nest into themselves and are almost impossible to crush.