Packing & storage
Packing, and an interval
Packing decides whether moving day ends at a civilised hour. Storage decides what happens when a chain gives way — and in a village of long chains, that is worth arranging early.
- MaterialsCartons, paper, bubble, tape and wardrobe boxes delivered ahead of the move. You pack; we replenish when you run short.
- Fragile onlyThe kitchen, the glass, the pictures and the display cabinet. You keep the books, the clothes and the loft.
- Full packingThe whole house, room by room, usually the day before loading — leaving you with documents, valuables and whatever you would rather handle yourself.
- UnpackingCartons opened at the far end, contents set out on surfaces, packaging taken away. The service most often regretted as an omission.
Packing an older house
A period or village house takes longer to pack than a modern one, and not because there is more of it. Glass-fronted cabinets, framed pictures on picture rails, display china and things that have sat in the same place for thirty years all want individual attention.
If we are doing the packing, that is planned for. If you are, the useful advice is to start with those rooms rather than leaving them until last.
What goes wrong when people pack themselves
- Books in large cartons. Nobody can lift the result and the base gives way. Books go in small boxes.
- Plates stacked flat. On edge, individually wrapped — flat, they break from the middle outwards.
- Half-filled boxes. The empty space collapses under the weight above it.
- No label on the side. Mark the room on the top and one side; the top ends up face down.
- Leaving the loft. It is always bigger than remembered and always done in a hurry.
Storage between completions
Goods are inventoried as they are loaded, held securely and redelivered on a date you set. You keep a copy of the inventory, and access is by appointment rather than a walk-in arrangement.
Arranged in advance it is a line on the quote and a slipped completion becomes a scheduling matter. Arranged on the morning it failed, it is a difficult day for everybody.
Storage packing is a different standard
Everything dry going in. Clothes boxed rather than left loose in drawers and wardrobes. Nothing with a residue, no fuel, no batteries left in appliances. A carton that survives an hour on a vehicle is not necessarily fit to sit sealed for a season.
What we will not store
Nothing perishable, flammable or corrosive — no fuel, gas bottles, paint, solvents, fireworks, plants or food. Documents, jewellery and irreplaceable papers are better kept with you.
Storage usually attaches to a house move, a downsizing into a flat, or a move abroad. Describe the whole picture and it is quoted as one piece of work.
Worth knowing
Packing and storage, in plain terms
What packing options are there?
Materials delivered for you to use; fragile-only packing of the kitchen, glass and pictures; full packing of the whole house, usually the day before loading; and unpacking at the far end.
How much do people underestimate?
Roughly half, consistently — a kitchen looks like one room and packs like three. If it is looking unlikely a week out, tell us; a packing crew costs less than a loading that starts late.
How does the storage work?
Goods are inventoried as they are loaded, held securely and redelivered on the date you set. You keep a copy of the inventory, and access is by appointment rather than a walk-in arrangement.
Does storage change the packing?
Yes — everything dry going in, clothes boxed rather than left in furniture, nothing with a residue and no batteries left in appliances. Tell us the load is going into store and we pack to that standard.
What will you not store?
Nothing flammable, explosive or corrosive; no gas bottles, paint, solvents, fuel or fireworks; no perishables, plants or living creatures. Documents, jewellery and irreplaceable things stay with you.
If the chain looks fragile, arrange storage now.
It is a line on a quote when it is planned and a scramble when it is not.