May and June are busy months for us all. Half-term, TT, the start of summer and, of course, it’s a popular time to move house! It’s high time I shared with you some of my advice to ensure you get the best out of what can be a stressful time.
1. Edit your home contents. Review each room and be ruthless: if you haven’t used it, worn it or looked at it for a year, find it a new home.
2. Instruct a reputable removal company – you get what you pay for. Don’t forget that you are asking a team of strangers to handle your possessions. You need to feel 100% happy they are the right crew for the job.
3. Make sure you have adequate insurance for your move, through either the removal company or your home insurer.
4. Make plans for children and pets to be offsite for the duration of the move – it’s kinder on everyone.
5. Take photographs of your precious items so you have a record of their condition.
6. Whether your removal crew are packing up or you are doing it yourself, label key items with their destination room. Use coloured sticky notes for larger items, a permanent marker for boxes and a labelling machine for ultimate organisation.
7. Mark up your bed lien with a room or size code before stowing it away: MBR for master bedroom, GBR for guest room, KS for king-size.
8. Think about which rooms in your new home need to be set up first. You will want a nicely made-up bed to fall into at the end of busy move.
9. Give special attention to children. What may be an exciting new chapter for adults can be traumatic for them. One tip is to use the bed linen from the old house for the first few nights in the new place. Familiar sights and scents should help with the settling-in process.
10. Create an essential family kit bag containing everything required for the duration of your move – medicines, chargers, event tickets, tech, passports, wallets and keys.
11. Before loading starts, walk the removal crew through the house and highlight any key items that require extra care – communication is key.
12. Make friends with your removal crew. They will work far more efficiently if they feel appreciated. Keep them hydrated with water and tea.
13. A simple time-saving tip is to store a roll of liners at the bottom of each bin. Then you won’t have to search for them at the other end.
14. Think inside the box – we are obsessed with placing items in smart, co-ordinating containers, and have go-to brands for every type of storage solution. Muji’s practical transparent boxes generally work in any house, any room. For a more personal display, Anthropologie and Designers Guild offer an eclectic range of colour and pattern. For a clean, fresh style, we suggest the White Company’s comprehensive range.
15. Reuse and re-purpose wherever possible – candle-holders can become stylish pots for your kitchen herbs.
Call me on 01624 645555 or e-mail tim@blackgracecowley.com
Tim Groves
Black Grace Cowley
