Local tips for moving furniture short distance

Moving short distance may be cheaper and easier than moving across the country, but it’s still quite an arduous endeavor – especially if you’re moving a large household and have lots of bulky items to relocate. And it will probably be your furniture – one of the largest and heaviest items in a home – that will present the greatest moving challenge.

Moving furniture requires a lot of effort and planning – you need to protect your delicate pieces from damage and find a way to transport them safely and efficiently to your new home. And even if that new home is just around the corner or only a few streets away, most of the work (furniture disassembly and reassembly, wrapping and packing, heavy lifting, etc.) and organizational requirements (arranging transportation, scheduling and coordinating activities, etc.) remain the same.

So, even if you’re only moving across town, knowing the best way to move furniture locally will be essential for the success of your relocation adventure and will help you avoid a lot of unnecessary hassle and stress.

Read on to find out how to move furniture short distance in a safe and successful way.

What to do when planning to move furniture short distance

To have a smooth local move, you need to plan in advance and prepare well – especially in regard to larger household items, such as furniture pieces:

Decide which of your furniture pieces to take to your new home

First things first, you need to decide if your old furniture is worth moving to your new home:

• Measure your furniture, so you know how much space you’re going to need to get each piece out of your old property and into your new one;
• Make a floor plan of your new home – assess the layout of your new house or apartment, decide on the interior design, and measure the available space, doorways, stairways, etc. to find out which of your old furniture items are going to fit in;
• Assess the practical, sentimental, and monetary value of every piece of furniture you own and check its current condition (Additional useful information: Is it better to move furniture or buy new)

Any pieces that don’t fit through the doors, don’t match your new home’s interior design, aren’t functional or comfortable, have no sentimental or financial value, or need to be replaced soon are not worth the time, effort, and money needed to move them to your new place.

Once you’ve made your final decision, you’re advised to:

1. Make an inventory of the furniture you’re going to relocate, so you can figure out how many and what kind of packing materials you’re going to need, how long it will take you to pack the pieces, and how much help you will need to move them;
2. Get rid of unwanted furniture as soon as possible – sell your unneeded pieces to pocket some extra money, donate them to charity, or give them away to family and friends

Pack your furniture for moving

To ensure that your furniture survives the move intact and unscathed, you need to provide every piece with the best possible protection:

• Empty and clean the furniture you’re going to relocate;
• Disassemble larger pieces to make them easier to move and reduce the risk of damaging them during the relocation;
• Cover glass surfaces with flat cardboard pieces and wrap them in bubble wrap;
• Use bubble wrap to protect protruding and fragile parts;
• Tape large pieces of corrugated cardboard around the corners of your furniture pieces (be careful not to use tape directly on painted or polished surfaces);
• Wrap your furniture in moving blankets or other appropriate protective coverings. Use packing tape or plastic wrap to keep the wrapping materials securely in place.

You can find more detailed information on how to pack furniture for moving here.

How to move furniture across town

When moving furniture short distance, you have two viable options:

1) Performing a DIY-move

Moving by yourself does make sense in the event of a local relocation – you won’t need to drive a moving truck for days on end, your friends will be able to help you with both loading and unloading, and the relocation risks will be fewer and more easily manageable when you’re moving short distance. Besides, it will be cheaper than hiring professional moving assistance.

So, if you’re up to the challenge, you can rent a moving van and ask a few reliable friends to help you out with the heavy furniture lifting. Just make sure you:

• have the right equipment to move heavy furniture – furniture sliders, moving straps, and a furniture dolly;
• take precautions to prevent property damage when taking bulky and heavy pieces out of your old home and into your new one;
• ensure that your items can be safely and easily maneuvered around – remove doors from their hinges (if necessary), remove obstacles from the corridors and the entryway of your home, keep the paths from the front door to the moving truck free of debris, fallen leaves, and other potential hazards, etc.;
• know the proper techniques for lifting and carrying heavy items.

See also: How to move heavy furniture by yourself

If you packed your furniture well, planned all the details, and prepared properly, you have a good chance of success.

However, if you don’t have any previous moving experience, don’t have enough time to take care of all the details, don’t have physically strong friends who are willing to help you, have very valuable or very delicate furniture, or just don’t want to risk it, you’ll be better off using professional moving services.

2) Hiring short distance furniture movers

Professional furniture movers have the rich experience, expert skill, and technical know-how to handle your furniture in the safest and most efficient way possible. The pros will use specialized moving equipment and proven moving techniques (so the risk of property damage and damage to your furniture will be greatly reduced), will do all the heavy lifting (so you won’t risk getting hurt in the process), and will safely transport your shipment to your new home (so you don’t need to worry about renting and driving a moving truck). Your local furniture movers can also disassemble and pack your furniture for you (as well as reassemble and set up the pieces in your home). (See also: Will movers disassemble furniture)

Your local move will go smoothly, your furniture will arrive safe and sound at your new home, and the moving cost will be quite affordable (see below for details), so using professional assistance is your best bet for moving furniture short distance.

Just make sure you find good relocation partners to work with – ask family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers for recommendations, get short distance furniture moving quotes, request in-house estimates of your moving costs, compare the offers, carefully research the local furniture moving companies that seem to best suit your relocation needs and requirements, and choose the best short distance furniture movers for you.

Must-read: Five and a half important things to know when hiring local movers

How much does it cost to move furniture locally?

The cost to move furniture across town depends on the number and type of the furniture items you want to relocate and the moving option you choose (DIY-moving or professional moving services).

How much does it cost to move furniture across town without professional moving assistance?

When moving your furniture by yourself, your expenses won’t be too high. You’ll need to:

• Buy appropriate packing supplies – corrugated cardboard sheets, bubble wrap, plastic stretch wrap, moving blankets, packing tape, sealable plastic bags, mattress covers, etc. You can substitute some of these professional packing materials with items you already have at home (ordinary blankets, old towels, etc.), but you will still need to buy some specialized supplies to ensure adequate protection to your more valuable furniture. On average, the quality packing materials necessary for packing the furniture in a typical two-bedroom home cost about $150;
• Purchase (or rent) the necessary moving equipment – furniture dolly, furniture sliders, moving straps or ropes, disassembly tools, etc. You can expect to pay about $20-$40 for a moving dolly, $10-$20 for four quality furniture sliders, and about $10 for a pack of twelve elastic straps;
• Rent a moving truck (unless you or a friend of yours have a pickup truck that can accommodate your furniture) – renting a small 16ft. truck will cost you about $30 per day, plus a fee of 99 cents per mile;
• Pay for the fuel your rented moving vehicle will use for the trips from the moving truck rental company to your old home, from your old home to your new one, and then back to the rental company (you will probably be required to return the vehicle with a full (or half-full) tank of gas).

Good manners dictate that you should also provide food and beverages to the friends who come to help you relocate and get them small gifts to show your gratitude. (See also: How to thank friends for helping you move)

All things considered, your local DIY-move will be quite affordable.

How much does it cost to move furniture short distance with local furniture movers?

Local furniture moving companies charge by the hour, so time is the decisive factor in the event of a short distance relocation.

The average cost to hire short distance movers is $25-$40 per mover per hour, depending on the company, the city, and the time if the year. To estimate the final moving cost, the movers tally up the time that the moving truck needs to get from the origin to the final destination and the number of work hours it takes the moving crew to load and unload the shipment and add the costs of the required extra services and packing materials.

So, the more furniture items you have for moving and the more additional services you need (furniture disassembly, packing, hoisting services, shuttle services, etc.), the longer your move will take and the higher your moving cost will be. You need to be well prepared (empty your furniture, clear the way of obstacles, reserve a convenient parking space for the moving truck close to the entrance of your home, reserve an elevator (if applicable), have your new home ready for move-in, etc.), so loading and unloading take as little time as possible and your moving cost remains low.

Keep in mind though that many local moving companies have a minimum charge, equal to the charge of 2-4 hours’ work, so even if your move takes less time, you will still have to pay this minimum amount.

You may also need some money to tip your local movers, if you remain happy with their services.

More in-depth information: What do local movers cost?

To sum it all up: Moving your furniture by yourself is the cheapest way to move furniture short distance, but hiring local furniture movers is the easiest and safest way to take your cherished pieces to your new home.