How Much Will a Self-Move Cost You?
Posted on 12/09/2016
When you are faced with a home removal, chances are your budget will be under a lot of stress. There are a lot of expenses you need to cover, most of which of course are reserved for preparing your new home. You might be tempted to deal with this as a self-move project, rather than rely on a professional moving company.
What you have to keep in mind is that not hiring a man and van team and doing the move yourself comes with a certain cost associated. If you think that you won’t have to spend any money at all, you are wrong. So how much does it cost to move on your own? There are few key factors to look at, all of which contribute to the final price. Let’s check out each of them:
- Getting a suitable van - if you only own a small car, or you own no vehicle at all, you will need to hire a moving van to get your belongings relocated. Unless you can borrow a van from a good friend, you will have to look into van rental options. The price for that is determined based on several factors: size of the van, period for which you are renting, date of the move and availability of vans. You can get a precise quote on how much the rental is going to cost only after contacting a removal company that offers such service. Keep in mind there are some additional fees associated with renting a van, such as insurance that will come out of your budget.
- Renting moving equipment - it is not realistic to think that you can just carry all of your belongings without suitable equipment for this job. You will need some specialised tools to be able to perform the task in a quick and safe manner. A moving dolly will prove invaluable in your efforts to load heavy pieces of furniture and appliances - your sofa, chairs and fridge for example. Wheeling out those instead of lifting them will not only help you deal with the job in a quick manner, but will also minimise the risk of injuries. Moving straps, furniture blankets and pads are also useful to ensure your furniture is safely transported. These are all things a man with a van team can be expected to use.
- Packing materials - although a man with van service will calculate the price of any materials included, this is not the case with a DIY move. You need to factor in the cost of boxes and any other packing materials you are going to use. A possible approach here would be to look for those for free from bookstores and supermarkets, or friends who have gone through a house removal recently. Don’t forget you will also need packing paper, bubble wrap, tape and marker pens apart from boxes.
- Additional costs - there are some costs you have to factor in when moving on your own - toll taxes, insurance, fuel surcharge (returning the van with less fuel than initially agreed upon might cost you extra), cleaning fee (in case the van is not clean) and so on. Should something go wrong and you hurt yourself during the move, it is going to come out of your account. Be careful on the road, as any van malfunction and accident is going to come out of your budget as well. After all, such risks cannot be ruled out when you have chosen to move without a man and van team on your side.
Carefully evaluate how much a self-move is going to cost you and decide if you want to go through this alone. Often it is a poor alternative, as it means you have to address all tasks associated with packing, loading and transportation, which is far from ideal.
