There are a few things in this world no one ever seems to have enough of but none of them are more precious and valuable than time. It seems we’re forever asking the universe for more time in the day and why wouldn’t we? Life would be much easier if we had more of it, but seeing as we can’t do much about the time we have we may as well make the most of it. Time has a couple of rules too, if you want to use it wisely you need to prioritise the tasks you have, you need to work efficiently and stay organised in order to be productive and accomplished – after all, everything takes time but what matters most is how you use it!
There are a few things in the world that no one enjoys doing, but none are more tedious, stressful and reliant on time than moving a house.
So, you’ve bought a new place, you’re ready to relocate or you’re moving from one rental to another. You hop on google and you quickly type “how long does it take to move a house?” into the search bar only to be met with an outcome that’s somewhere between 6-10 weeks.
Don’t worry it will take time but it won’t take that long, allow us to explain.
Firstly there are so many things to take care of when organising a relocation that maybe you aren’t aware of or you haven’t considered, there’s a lot of punishing moving tasks that need to be dealt with prior to the big day to ensure it runs smoothly. One thing is for sure, on moving day it will feel like time is going at double speed and the minutes will slip away from you faster than you can say “We’re never moving house again!”
No matter how organised, task-orientated and efficient you are, moving house will challenge your time management skills, so let’s get to the big question that has brought you here and find out how long it’s going to take.
Moving house is the act of moving all your belongings from one location to another, there’s a lot to do before you get to that point so before you jump the gun and worry about the big day, you’ve got a few things to get in order first.
- Organising your belongings and disposing of unwanted items
Moving house provides an excellent opportunity to clear out your cupboards, downsize your wardrobe and become a #minimalist.
You will need to give yourself at least a week to go through all your earthly possessions and decide the fate of each of them, what you do following that is up to you.
If you are looking to sell your unwanted goods for a bit of extra coin this will take you a lot of time and if you’re considering this option you will need to accept the fact that you will be spending weeks if not months rehoming all your no longer needed goods.
An easier option is to either donate your treasure to a local charity or give them away to your family, friends and neighbours. You can also organise a council cleanup or arrange a tip pick up here; https://online.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/BookAPickUp
- Packing your belongings
Once you’ve finished your cleanout it’s time to pack your belongings. Packing is the most laborious and time-consuming task to take care of when relocating and is dependent on how much you want to relocate to your new home and how many hands you have to help you. You should also consider if you have a lot of delicate and fragile items or if you have any speciality items such as pieces of art, pianos, pool tables, aquariums etc.
It’s been estimated that one person packing can pack roughly 5 tea chest boxes in an hour. If you’re taking on this overwhelming task solo and provided you’re spending from 8:00am – 5:00pm packing you are going to need the following amount of time;
| Property type | Total hours (if using no packing service) |
| Studio apartment/one bedroom apartment | 8 – 12 hours |
| Two bedroom apartment | 12 – 24 hours |
| Three bedroom apartment/house | 24 – 32 hours |
| Four bedroom apartment/house | 32 – 40 hours |
If you are using a professional pre-packing service such as the one we have available you can greatly reduce packing time. A professional packing job will typically take the following;
| Property type | # Packers | Packing | Unpacking | Total hours |
| Studio/one bedroom apartment | 2 packers | 2 – 3 hours | 2 – 3 hours | 4 – 6 hours |
| Two bedroom apartment | 3 packers | 3 – 6 hours | 3 – 6 hours | 6 – 12 hours |
| Three bedroom apartment/house | 4 packers | 6 – 8 hours | 6 – 8 hours | 12 – 16 hours |
| Four bedroom apartment/house | 5 – 6 packers | 8 – 10 hours | 8 – 10 hours | 16 – 20 hours |
3.The big day!
So the Big Day is here and you’re ready for the part you almost jumped the gun to get to – the day you move all your packed belongings from one location to another. Now you can ask the question you came here to find the answer to – how long will it take your movers to take your possessions out of your old home, load them onto the moving truck and move them into your new home?
Before we get to the hours required you need to ask yourself the following questions and you will need to communicate all of this to your movers.
- Roughly the number of boxes to be loaded onto the moving truck
- The number of furniture pieces and household appliances you want to relocate
- Specialty items that will require special care and handling; pianos, pool tables, aquariums, bulky items, pieces of art, extra large furniture, heavy appliances and white-goods.
- The flights of stairs at your property or access to an elevator
- Accessibility – how close to your home the movers can park the moving truck
Now, assuming that everything is ready to go and you have outlined the above to your movers the process will typically take the following;
| Property type | Number of movers | Time |
| Studio apartment/One bedroom apartment | 2 movers | 2 – 4 hours |
| Two bedroom apartment | 2 movers | 4 – 6 hours |
| Three bedroom apartment/house | 3 – 4 movers | 6 – 8 hours |
| Four bedroom house | 4 movers | 8 – 10 hours |
*Please be advised the above is a guide only. You might have the worst luck in the world and live on the 11th floor of an apartment building with a broken-down lift on the day of your move OR you could reside in an eastern suburbs four bedroom McMansion the size of a small village, the above is based on averages.
- And that’s a wrap!
You’re at the end stage and you have no energy left to deal with anything, don’t worry once your movers meet their destination it won’t take them long to unload your goods and take them into your new home (several hours, depending on the size of your move). You may wish to request your movers to do some little worry-free extras such as reassemble furniture, connect appliances, and unpack your most essential items – all of this can be done within a few hours.
Here at Holloway, we’re here to help you every step of the way. Using our pre-packing and moving services will make your move easy, hassle-free and efficient. Take time out and let us take care of the time for you, we will make sure everything runs smoothly and according to plan.
To book pre-packing and moving services give our friendly sales team a call on 1300 465 569 and find out how we can save you time on your next move!