Inventory
Almost all removal companies will ask you to detail an inventory of items. Beware of those that don’t as the quote they give you won’t be accurate and you may find it spirals out of control.
Although it seems time consuming to detail a house removal inventory, if you write it first in word and save it you should only have to do it once. It also paves the way for good habits; a moving house checklist comes later, and it’s in your best interests to be organised for it.
Here’s the best way to ensure you have everything on your list in order to receive the best quote. A house removal inventory saves more than money; it gives you valuable peace of mind!
Room by Room
First of all make a separate list for each room. Even the downstairs cloakroom and the porch.
Biggest First
Under your room heading enter the biggest furniture items such as:
Master bedroom
- King-size bed (if it is four poster or has extra features mention this too, such as being difficult to dismantle etc.)
- Mattress
- Dressing Table
- Bedside Tables
- Chest of Drawers – Detail how many drawers it has, this will help your home removal team to estimate how much space it will have
- Wardrobes – Again you need to let them know if it’s a single, double or triple
- Blanket Boxes
- TV Stand
Next under each heading list the medium items these include items that can’t necessarily be packed in boxes such as:
- Lamps
- Big ornaments
- Light Fittings
- Electrical Appliances
- Storage Boxes
- Mirrors
- Art Work
- Floor lamps
- Furnishings
- Next list all furnishings such as:
- Throws
- Quilts
- Curtains – There’s no need to list the sizes
- Rugs
Now we move onto bags and boxes
Boxes
There are 4 general sizes of boxes, you will become very familiar with:
- Wardrobe boxes
- Large, Medium and Small
You’ll also be using black bin bags for miscellaneous unbreakable items.
Wardrobe boxes will hold your best clothes. They are generally the size of a single wardrobe. List how many you think you may need for each room.
Clothes that don’t need to be hung can be moved in bin bags. It doesn’t seem very glamorous but you’ll be unpacking them quite quickly.
Estimate how many 30 litre bin bags you think clothes and shoes will fill. Don’t forget about coats, sheets, towels and duvet covers!
Large Boxes
Large boxes will hold ornaments, books, picture frames. In the kitchen they’d probably hold dishes, plates, mixing bowls and roasting tins. For each room list how many you think you’ll need?
Medium Boxes
Medium boxes basically hold everything else. Maybe an ornament or two you’d like to wrap up very carefully, vases, candle holders, kitchen utensils, and smaller pictures.
Small Boxes
Small boxes are ideal for items such as cutlery, cosmetics, medicines and toiletries.
That’s it!
Going back to the master bedroom your list should look a little like this:
Master Bedroom:
- 1 King-size bed
- 1 King-size mattress
- 1 Knee hole Dressing Table and Stool
- 1 Chest of Drawers – 6+2 drawers
- 1 Double Wardrobe ( comes in half/ can’t be dismantled)
- 1 TV Stand
- 2 Bedside Tables
- 1 Full Length Mirror
- 2 Large Mirrors
- 2 Large Pictures with frames
- 1 Canvas
- 1 Pair of curtains and swag
- 1 large rug
- 1 king-size quilt and 4 pillows
- 3 Wardrobe Boxes
- 4 Black bags
- 3 Large Boxes
- 4 Medium Boxes
- 2 Small Boxes
You’re done.
It may seem time consuming but it actually helps you as well as the removal company as you can see clearly just how much you have to pack.
