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So, I have an odd situation and need some advice from others who have faced a similar predicament.
I moved cross country last summer, moving into a partially furnished rental (including a complete kitchen and DR). I recently purchased a home about a mile from my current rental, and it needs some contractor work (which is inflight) before moving in. I've lived in the rental about a year, but I've only unpacked what was absolutely necessary. Heck, even most of my work clothes are still packed, thanks to COVID working from home! However, I have a whole house worth of furniture to move (it's just me, but I lots of antique furniture, it was a 28 foot truck), but I'd say 1/2 to 2/3 of my loose items are still in boxes.
Given I'm moving all of a mile, I have a month of contractor closeout in which I can start to move into some rooms, a LOT of my life is still in boxes, and overlapping the rental and home mortgage is not an issue.....I hate the idea of boxing every little thing back up like a long distance move. Instead, I'm thinking about doing a phased move.
This is the schedule I'm thinking about. Current contractor schedule is in italics (and I know it's wonky, but it's covid scheduling, so I'm taking what I can get):
Week of Aug 31st: All hardwood (whole house, except bathrooms) being refinished.
September: Floors curing (oil modified poly), so no contractors. I can walk inside the last 2 weeks.
Early September: Self move/unpack Garage (probably 5-8 boxes in total, plus a couple of metal shelving units)
Late September: Self move basement/boxes that will continue to be stored: Maybe 2 dozen boxes and 2 or 3 metal shelving units.
Late September: I deep clean kitchen/butler's pantry
Late September/First week October: Crown moulding removed in the LR (going to be be stripped and stained to match the original trim)
1st/2nd week of October: Finish electrical work is completed and plaster repairs completed (pretty much whole house, except kitchen)
1st/2nd week of October: I move/unpack most of my kitchen (leave skeleton at rental)
3rd week of October: Painters paint LR/DR/1st and 2nd floor halls
3rd week October: I do minor touchup work in bedrooms and bathrooms.
End of October: Movers move all furniture and any previously boxed up stuff that I couldn't get to
1st/2nd week November: I move the loose kitchen/bedroom/LR/office stuff I currently have unpacked
I'm fairly strong, VERY well organized (and every box is labelled to a T), and I have both a pickup truck and a hatchback to work with. Also, have a very flexible WFH schedule right now and have no problems hiring kids for a few hours to move boxes, if need be
My overarching goal is to be unpacked by the holidays...if not by Thanksgiving, then by a few weeks before Christmas
Thoughts?
Last edited by TechieTechie; 08-27-2021 at 03:38 PM..
IMHO, its worth considering whether you might need to move your belongings around in the new house to accommodate the remaining work. Why on earth move anything twice? It may make more sense to NOT move things as early as it appears possible. Be sure and save the energy.
Not quite your situation (a house still under construction) but I moved myself to a new house about 5 miles away from one I had only lived in for 3 years. I had some boxed storage in that one...never got unpacked from the previous move in. That house wasn't on the market yet so there was no rush to move out.
The new place was a smaller house, so I planned out what I knew I could use and did merciless purging. I was planning to build a garage there but that wouldn't happen until the following spring. I didn't want to rent a storage unit if it was possible to avoid it. They don't heat them around here and winter temps drop well below freezing for months. If I hadn't unpacked or used something for the past 3 years I could probably get rid of it.
Next, I started moving stuff over by car, starting with things I didn't need on a day by day basis. Made a couple of trips per day depending on the day. The library, media, recreational and hobby stuff, artwork & decor, seasonal items, etc. Approached it room by room, kitchen and bath essentials last. I only packed things enough to survive a short car trip, make loading the car more efficient, and reduce the number of trips between the car/house. Re-used crates and totes over and over again. At the new house I put everything away right where it would end up being used; master closet, kitchen cabinets, drawers, and pantry, secondary bedroom closets, coat closet, laundry, bathroom drawers and cabinets. No moving it again! I was careful to leave the rooms themselves clear for the furniture it would eventually get. No piles of boxes...it either got unpacked and put out of the way or it didn't get moved in.
There are no moving companies or helpers to hire here. For the stuff too heavy for one person to lift (and I mean the tired-at-the-end-of-the-day person...doesn't make sense to hurt myself and be unable to finish the job) and furniture too large for the car, I rented a UHaul box truck, some blankets, and a dolly for the day and hired my handyman to help move it. Between the two of us we got it all done. It was a added bonus that one of his previous jobs was with a national moving company!
Last edited by Parnassia; 08-27-2021 at 06:26 PM..
Not really. Virtually everyone who moves faces the same basic issues.
Most though seem obsessed about avoiding any double rents paid in the process.
WHEN ... the new place is fully ready (construction, cosmetics, all of it) ... THEN move everything in.
Don't PLAN to live amidst trash/debris tools/materials and day to day working.
Allow a couple days to clean up the rental before turning in the keys.
IMHO, its worth considering whether you might need to move your belongings around in the new house to accommodate the remaining work. Why on earth move anything twice? It may make more sense to NOT move things as early as it appears possible. Be sure and save the energy.
The new place was a smaller house, so I planned out what I knew I could use and did merciless purging.
I only packed things enough to survive a short car trip, make loading the car more efficient, and reduce the number of trips between the car/house. Re-used crates and totes over and over again. At the new house I put everything away right where it would end up being used; master closet, kitchen cabinets,
Thanks Parnissa....I am anal about moving once and only once. My sister is the exact opposite and it drives me bananas. That's why I phased the move in the particular manner. I'm only moving into those areas that won't be touched by contractors. That's the nice thing about the garage, kitchen and basement...all the heavy lifting is done
Good thing is that I purged like a crazywoman before I left Boston...so I feel fairly confident there is little left purging left to do. I have IDed some furniture that won't make the move cross town, and want to get those sold in September.
That's what I was thinking as well...buying 6 or so 20qt heavy duty totes....loading them up to survive a 5 minute car ride, then immediately unpacking. Most of my breakables and all my kitchen plates and glassware have not been unpacked, so there is minimal risk in breakage in a car-based move.
I think I'd keep the rental until Dec 1, in case of contractor slowdown and/or move slowdown..if I hit every date and it sits empty for a couple of weeks, well, so be it.
The reality you just have to accept is that no plan, no matter how anal or how carefully phased, will be perfect. Something will hiccup and you can't predict every possible wrinkle no matter how hard you try. Something you need will get packed in the most inaccessible box. You won't relocate something you want right when you want it. You simply cannot remove all the hassle from a move no matter how long or short the distance is. Moving sucks. Put your plan to rest and go to bed...
Last edited by Parnassia; 08-28-2021 at 02:57 PM..
It sounds like you already have incorporated many of the organizational points which will save you time and headaches:
ruthlessly purge
Re-used crates and totes over and over again
put everything away right where it would end up being used
Even though what I was putting in my boxes, crates, and totes were not going to be permanently stored in those containers. As I pack each one, I used voice-to-text to make lists in a Google spreadsheet on my phone and just said what was going in each container.
So when I got to my new home and wanted to unpack in a certain order. I could look at my list and easily see what was in where. AND although I was 'pretty good' about unpacking as I went. It was not always possible because what the boxes would be unpacked into hadn't been bought yet, or built yet, or moved yet.
Creating the lists took no extra-time and having a detail inventory of what was in those boxes was a life-saver.
I was in a similar situation. When I downsized into my current house I didn't have to sell my old house right away so I took my time moving gradually, getting rid of stuff and using my PU truck. The new house was less than 3 miles from the old (a 7 minute ride) so it was very convenient to go back and forth. At the end, the big items went on a U-Haul truck in a day.
Rent a U haul for weekend.
Lay blanket on floor of truck and place clothes on hangers directly on it.
Put all bathroom drawer items
In a grocery store bag tied off, and you can empty each bag/drawer into drawer of new home and have everything together where you had it.
Do the same with kitchen drawers/spices. Use contractor garbage bags to transport those grocery store bags. Put shoes in contractor bag. Pillows and extra linens, hats, etc can go in contractor bags.
Get a large package of styrofoam dinner plates, and slide on between each plate. Put towels or blanket in botton of box, put stacked plates in box on top, and surround with towels or blankets to keep from shifting. For tumbler type glasses, put 2 coffee filters in a glass, stack a glass in it, repeat with coffee filters/glass. Lay another blanket or towels in a box, and lay stacked glasses on them.Put more towels/blankets around to keep from rolling/shifting).
Use contractor bags to move all small items from pantry.
Use u haul to move all items from closets, kitchen, baths, garage. Contractor bags are easier to move than boxes and can be reused.
The when ready to move lg items either get u haul/friends to help or higher a local moving co just for big items for a couple of hours.
My wife and I had a month overlapping between our lease end and the close on our house. We weren't as well organized as you are from a planning perspective.
Our process was basically to move everything that could be moved, as quickly as possible. Some stuff couldn't be moved in advance. But, we basically had about everything moved that I could move as one person. At that point I hired movers either on Craigslist or through the UHaul website, and had them come in and get the large furniture, beds, etc.
How well do you trust your contractors? I wouldn't move anything of real value until they were done unless you can be there when they are working.
I would probably focus most on getting everything you can packed up where you live. The movers can always move it if you don't have time. Maybe not a problem for you... I've mainly always had to move for two or more people. Cleaning was always an issue for me because of the other mess makers in the household. I completely emptied out closets and rooms if I could and moved packed boxes into one central area. I cleaned rooms and locked the doors if I could.
I like your plan. If you are able to maintain the momentum, that would be great.
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However, I have a whole house worth of furniture to move (it's just me, but I lots of antique furniture, it was a 28 foot truck), but I'd say 1/2 to 2/3 of my loose items are still in boxes.
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