Hire Movers or Do It Yourself?

Part 1 – Doing it Yourself

So, you’re moving, or at least thinking about it. You basically have two options:

1. Do it yourself
2. Hire someone else to do it for you.

We completely understand the trepidation people feel when people consider hiring a moving company. After all, who hasn’t heard the horror stories? Movers sometimes hold people’s belongings hostage once they get them on the truck in order to charge more…they charge hidden fees for things they clearly said they wouldn’t…they show up late because their meeting with their parole officers ran long…

On the other hand, if you’ve done it a few times already, you know that moving yourself could be an all-day or multi-day affair. Getting sweaty is a given. Sore muscles – oh yeah. The inconvenience of renting a truck is no fun. You may just find yourself beginning to rationalize that, hey, at least movers are EX-cons…

So, here are our totally unbiased things to consider when weighing your options. (Okay, full disclosure: we may be a little biased…)

Moving Yourself

Renting a truck. Hiring your own truck to move has its pros and cons. It allows you to move at a leisurely pace, but do you really want to spend 15 hours or more moving your home?

Also, do you feel comfortable driving a moving truck around the city? Trust me – it’s not that bad. Just take it slow, use your mirrors, and drive like a granny. Above all:

Watch your clearance.

 I was driving a truck very similar to the Penske pictured above on Massachusetts Ave. back in the early days of MTB. It was 13 feet high. The tunnel was 12’ 6”. Fortunately, I stopped in time and avoided catastrophe, but I did still have to back out of the road to the tunnel and take an alternate route. That was a fun day. The point is that in the city you need to be aware of your surroundings, but don’t worry – Penske, U-Haul and others wouldn’t be in business if these “big rigs” were death traps.

These 16-foot trucks are relatively easy to drive around the city, but note that you WILL have to get comfortable using your side mirrors, especially if you have to back into your building’s loading dock you’re your house’s driveway.

Larger trucks – the 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26-footers require a little more skill and resolve, especially in some of DC’s more “claustrophobic” neighborhoods.

Like I said above, just take it slow. Generally speaking, people will give you reasonably wide berth if you’re driving the larger trucks. Except cab drivers. They’re insane.

Extra expenses. A rental truck does not come with moving pads or blankets, tie-downs, bungee cords or dollies and hand-trucks. These are all extra expenses. Most places (like U-Haul) offer a fantastic daily rate on the initial truck cost, but they hit you with exorbitant mileage costs. Pads are usually somewhere around $20 for a dozen, and the standard moving blankets are thin and smaller than what professional companies use. Most people seem to default to using twine. We hate twine, and prefer to use ratcheting tie-down straps. They’re a little more expensive (about $15 for a four-pack), but they have myriad uses, they’re faster to use, and they’re more reliable (especially if you, like me, can’t tie a knot to save your life.)

Remember – you’ll be charged mileage from the second you leave the rental place until you return the truck, NOT just for the distance between your new and old places.

Gas. There’s also gas to take into account which, these days, is ridiculous for gas-guzzling trucks and moving vans. Unless you get an unusually good rate, a rental truck is almost certain to cost you more than whatever a moving company initially advertises.

Injuries. And, of course, even the most physically fit people can still get hurt. One wrong lift and you’re out of commission. I was getting out of the family car a couple of months ago and twisted the wrong way. I was in a back brace for two weeks.

Friends. Finally, having friends or family help out often works out just fine, but let’s face it, moving day is often considered to be more of a party than a job. The professionals that work for MTB can do a typical move in at least half the time that it would take your buddies. Maybe because we crack open the beer at the end of the day instead of during the move…

Clearly there’s a lot more to discuss, so please feel free to call with any questions – even if you decide to do the move yourself. I don't want to give the impression that we think hiring movers is the ONLY way to go -- very often, doing it yourself IS the best way. We always counsel people to weigh all the factors and costs. Most of the time you can save money by doing it yourself, but less often, people don't factor in what their time is worth. When you tie a dollar amount to the value of your time, it's sometimes hard to justify the DIY expense. Just something to think about.

Like I said -- give us a call even if you want some guidance. We can often offer tips and advice you probably haven’t thought about. Our goal is to make sure you have the best, safest, most efficient move you’ve ever had.

Make sure to check out Part II – Hiring Movers!