Moving day is a stressful time, and most people prefer to leave it to the professionals. Though they provide an excellent service, the charges can be high, so some people decide that they will undertake the move themselves. Are you considering taking it on? If you are not moving far away from where you are now, you can get your friends and family to help. You will save a lot of money with a DIY move, so it is worth your consideration.

Planning

The success or failure of the project on the day is all down to planning. Treat it as a military operation and leave nothing to chance. I suggest that you draw a timeline on a big sheet of paper to keep you on a tight path, and start the line with tomorrow’s date and finish it at the other end with the date of the move. You must mark all of the days in between and assign jobs to each of them. Only when you see a visual representation of the project can you deal with all the parts separately. Here are a few things to put on the chart.

• Get lots of boxes and start packing. It takes a lot of time to do the job well, so allow plenty.
• Contact the utility suppliers to find out how to transfer your accounts to the new building.
• Locate somewhere for your pets to stay. If you need to use a cattery, book it in plenty of time.
• Is there somebody who could look after your children for the day? Ask them well in advance and check again nearer the time.
• Find a new school for your kids and take them along to see it. A house move is a big thing to children, and we often underestimate the effect it has on them

Transport

You will need a van on moving day to cart the bulky items. Maybe you have a massive fridge-freezer and a bed that doesn’t come apart. Look at the biggest piece of furniture and hire an appropriate vehicle for the day. It doesn’t have to accommodate all of your things; your friends and family can carry a lot of them in their cars.

Arrival

When you eventually get the keys and arrive at your new 2 bedroom end of terrace bungalow, the hard work begins once more. If you packed well, each box should have a label and the person carrying it will know in which room to set it down. You might be tempted to put a lot of your belongings in the garage until you decorate the house, but that’s a mistake, in my opinion. Though it seems like a good idea at the time, you will need things from those boxes, and you will have to search for them. Put them in the rooms where they belong and work around them if you have to.

Don’t forget to read the electricity, gas and water meters to make sure that your first bills are accurate when you receive them.

At the end of the day, you will all feel exhausted. Don’t worry; that’s only normal! As long as you haven’t had a nervous breakdown, we’d call that a good day. You haven’t got long to sit and enjoy a cup of tea; those curtain rails won’t install themselves!

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