Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I grew up moving about every year and my parents always, always, always used U-haul or Rider for the good ol' DIY move. We generally had help loading/unloading from people at church. Now my husband, new baby, and I are moving out-of-state on our own. We've got a big tax refund that will fund the move, but I'm wondering if the extra money to have a moving company do the whole thing for us is really worth it. Either way, I'll be packing myself, but the estimate for UT to NC for U-Haul is $1847 (obviously I haven't included gas which'll add another $800 at least, I guess) and for most of the load-transport-unload companies it's about $4000.
I guess I'm looking for folks' take on whether it's worth it to pay nearly double just to spare ourselves the pain of loading/unloading and driving a big truck. We just moved a couple months ago (local) and it only took 4-6 guys about 3 hours on each end to load/unload the 17' truck. I'll take any ideas or experiences you have, only do spare me the specific horror stories from U-Haul as I'm well aware of the risks there.
We're either moving to Chapel Hill, NC or Seattle, WA from Salt Lake City, UT. Obviously there's a big distance difference between the two, so maybe the answer will vary depending on where we go. We're more likely going to NC, so let's assume that.
I grew up moving about every year and my parents always, always, always used U-haul or Rider for the good ol' DIY move. We generally had help loading/unloading from people at church. Now my husband, new baby, and I are moving out-of-state on our own. We've got a big tax refund that will fund the move, but I'm wondering if the extra money to have a moving company do the whole thing for us is really worth it. Either way, I'll be packing myself, but the estimate for UT to NC for U-Haul is $1847 (obviously I haven't included gas which'll add another $800 at least, I guess) and for most of the load-transport-unload companies it's about $4000.
I guess I'm looking for folks' take on whether it's worth it to pay nearly double just to spare ourselves the pain of loading/unloading and driving a big truck. We just moved a couple months ago (local) and it only took 4-6 guys about 3 hours on each end to load/unload the 17' truck. I'll take any ideas or experiences you have, only do spare me the specific horror stories from U-Haul as I'm well aware of the risks there.
We're either moving to Chapel Hill, NC or Seattle, WA from Salt Lake City, UT. Obviously there's a big distance difference between the two, so maybe the answer will vary depending on where we go. We're more likely going to NC, so let's assume that.
Thanks!!!
I would use the full service company. I would not want to do the loading and unloading and have to deal with the baby. Add to that a minimum drive time of 12 hours (Salt Lake to Seattle) and then having to unpack. No thanks. I have done several moves and if it is at all financially possible we get the full service movers. The last time we did a uhaul move we were 12 years younger, had no children, it was a 1 bdrm apt, and the drive was it little over 2 hours.
I have lived in Salt Lake City as well as Seattle. Both great cities for different reasons. I stayed in South Carolina/North Carolina area (RockHill) for a bit when I was younger. Also a nice area of the country. Good Luck with your move!
Try a partial move. Pack things with you in the car or in a Uhaul trailor that you can tow behind you, then let the movers to the heavy stuff. You especially want to pack things with you that you don't want to lose like computer, photos, jewlery, and anything of sentimental value or that's irreplaceable. I learned that lesson the hard way when my computer didn't make it in one of my cross country moves. Lost a lot of photos and files on there that I failed to back up.
Thanks to both of you. We've officially decided on NC, and with that comes a significantly higher cost for the full service move. We'll see if hubby is willing to spend that much!
If you have the scratch, get the full service company to do it. Tip the guys, if they do a good job, and realize that there is wear & tear with moving trucks too.
I just finished a 2000 mile move I did on my own. It sucked.
I used Arpin from NC to CA five years ago, and it was great.
We've moved both ways: full service and self move.
We went to self move due to extensive and expensive damage from every full service move, despite buying the top insurance available. Not everything damaged could be replaced, i.e., vintage furniture. Some items disappeared. Self move was a LOT of work and we needed help with loading/unloading, but the peace of mind made it worthwhile.
However, we never moved the distance you've indicated. If you have antiques and valuable items, at a minimum, move those yourself. Consider hiring movers to haul those items that can be easily replaced and buy the best insurance you can afford. And LISTEN to the above advice about U-Haul. Penske has the best trucks, hands down.
Thankfully, we're just young married kids with some nicer furniture from the wedding, but mostly stuff we've inherited and the stuff you put together yourself! =)
There's nothing like waking up in a motel somewhere in Nebraska, only to discover that your U-Haul truck is missing ... along with most of your belongings.
DIY is fine for local moves. If you need to travel more than 500 miles one way, go full service.
The heck with Uhaul or Penske. I went with ABF U-Pack. They drop a 28' trailer at your home and give you 2 or 3 days to load it up yourself. 2 or 3 days later they drop off the trailer at your new home and give you 2 days to unload.
My move from MI to FL: Uhaul qouted me $1350 and I would have to drive the truck and fuel it, (A loaded 2 bedroom Uhaul truck gets rotten gas milage), I'm guessing it would have been $300 for gas alone. It's another $300 to rent a tow dolly to tow your family vehicle behind it.
ABF U-PAK $850 flat, they pay for the gas and I don't have to drive a big truck. I drove my car so that was around $120 for gas.
ABF has big sturdy ramps, the driver will pull them out for you on both ends. I'd get a hand truck or in my case I used a wheel barrow and loaded and unloaded in about 2-3 hours. End the end I saved roughly $1000, which comes in handy when you have to turn on cable/electric/phone in your new place.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
