How long does it take to pack a house?
Moving homes is a stressful time for all involved. It’s also time-consuming but how long does it take to pack everything in your home for the big move? Today we will look at the average time taken to pack a house and things that can then affect this.
So how long does it take to pack a house?
It takes 3 to 5 days to pack a 3 bedroom house. If your house is smaller or larger you can adjust these numbers by a day or two. These numbers are based on at least 6-8 hours of packing. If you can only pack for a few hours at a time then adjust the number of days accordingly.
Factors that slow down packing and the moving process
Above we have looked at the average 3 bedroom home, but you may have something bigger or smaller and want a more in-depth answer.
- Small Apartment = 1 Day to pack.
- Town House = 1-2 Days to pack.
- 4 Bedroom Family home = 4-6 Days to pack.
Larger houses usually have more items and often have larger items such as Pianos. Take this into consideration with your packing process and it will increase your packing time.
How long before moving should you pack?
As mentioned earlier, having a moving home checklist is vital for a successful move. It will keep you organised and using one will help you know which household goods should be packed as soon as possible and which items should go into your essentials box which is packed last minute.
In general, a month before moving is advisable to start packing for your move. A month before you can start putting your lesser-used items into storage too.
How long does it take for professional movers to pack a house?
If you have the budget to hire a professional mover then you should consider doing so. Professional movers will pack your home in a fraction of the time it takes you to do it. Movers will have their own packing supplies and will be able to get through the largest of houses in hours.
If you do hire a professional packer, you can expect them to pack your home in hours rather than days. Most homes will be able to be packed within 8 hours.
Conclusion
From someone who has moved over 10 times, take it from me that packing and moving is one of the worst parts of moving home. This can be amplified if you are moving abroad or moving to a new city. Packing your home can take days and up to a week depending on your schedule, family life and the items you have in your home. If you do have the budget I would recommend getting someone to do this for you.
If you don’t have the budget for hiring a moving company then ask friends and family if they have a spare hour or two to help. If they don’t, don’t be offended as everyone’s lives are busy these days.
If you are left to packing on your own give yourself plenty of time. Start a month before the move and pack the items you don’t use as much and do a little every day. This way you won’t feel so much pressure when it comes to moving day.
Finally, consider using self-storage to store some of your least-used items. Moving all of your items on the same day is a nightmare, putting some of your items into storage will take some of this pressure off you.
When moving house you may have more or fewer items than others, or you may have items that more care needs to be taken with them such as:
- Fish Tanks
- Plates and Glasses
- A closet full of Shoes
- Heavy Items
- Other fragile items
Having more of these types of items could slow down the packing of your home as you will have to put them carefully away in bubble wrap and packing boxes. For heavier items, you may need harnesses or a friend to help you move them.
If you are moving out of a rental or moving out of your parent’s home to move to university or your first home, chances are you won’t have too many items to move and you could move all of your stuff within a day.
Being organised when packing
If you are moving home and need to pack away every room then you should keep organised and get the right equipment for moving. Moving boxes, packing paper, packing tape, bin / trash bags and packing peanuts are all recommended to save you time and to keep your items safe.
For families, packing can be difficult as your children will always want an item that you have just put away. To make your move easier I would recommend a moving home checklist to keep you organised through the entire move.
If moving is becoming too stressful and you are finding it difficult to keep up with it all, you should consider hiring a professional packer or a moving company that can help you with all of the above. A professional mover will be able to pack and move your items fairly quickly and affordably.
If you don’t want to pay for a packing service or a moving company you could also ask friends and family to help, but don’t put pressure on them as they will more than likely have a busy life too.
Sometimes moving everything on the same day is very stressful, our advice would be to hire a storage unit a few weeks beforehand and take some of the items that you don’t use too much. This way on moving day you only need to move the items in your home which you need. This takes off some stress and self-storage is affordable.
How long does it take to pack different sized houses?
Above we have looked at the average 3 bedroom home, but you may have something bigger or smaller and want a more in-depth answer.
- Small Apartment = 1 Day to pack.
- Town House = 1-2 Days to pack.
- 4 Bedroom Family home = 4-6 Days to pack.
Larger houses usually have more items and often have larger items such as Pianos. Take this into consideration with your packing process and it will increase your packing time.
How long before moving should you pack?
As mentioned earlier, having a moving home checklist is vital for a successful move. It will keep you organised and using one will help you know which household goods should be packed as soon as possible and which items should go into your essentials box which is packed last minute.
In general, a month before moving is advisable to start packing for your move. A month before you can start putting your lesser-used items into storage too.
How long does it take for professional movers to pack a house?
If you have the budget to hire a professional mover then you should consider doing so. Professional movers will pack your home in a fraction of the time it takes you to do it. Movers will have their own packing supplies and will be able to get through the largest of houses in hours.
If you do hire a professional packer, you can expect them to pack your home in hours rather than days. Most homes will be able to be packed within 8 hours.
Conclusion
From someone who has moved over 10 times, take it from me that packing and moving is one of the worst parts of moving home. This can be amplified if you are moving abroad or moving to a new city. Packing your home can take days and up to a week depending on your schedule, family life and the items you have in your home. If you do have the budget I would recommend getting someone to do this for you.
If you don’t have the budget for hiring a moving company then ask friends and family if they have a spare hour or two to help. If they don’t, don’t be offended as everyone’s lives are busy these days.
If you are left to packing on your own give yourself plenty of time. Start a month before the move and pack the items you don’t use as much and do a little every day. This way you won’t feel so much pressure when it comes to moving day.
Finally, consider using self-storage to store some of your least-used items. Moving all of your items on the same day is a nightmare, putting some of your items into storage will take some of this pressure off you.