Catalogpitallynestl
Two movers loading boxes into an open van parked outside a terraced house

Stage two: move

Truck day, hour by hour

One day, a handful of jobs, and a small kit that stops every one of them becoming a search party.

Plan my move

Step 01

The night before

Moving day goes better when the evening before is dull. Charge every phone and power bank. Defrost the freezer if you have not already, and put a towel at its base. Pack the first-night bag and put it by the front door, where nobody will load it by mistake.

Then assemble one small kit that stays with you all day. Nothing in it is clever. All of it is the thing you would otherwise spend twenty minutes looking for.

Open tote bag holding scissors, tape, a marker, bin bags and a torch on a hallway floorPack

The pocket kit

Box cutter, scissors, tape, marker, bin bags, cloths, snacks and water.

Carry
One tote, never in the van
Add
Phone charger and cash
Check
Torch batteries

Step 02

Morning: the walk-through and the loading order

Take photos of the meter readings before anything else, and again when you arrive. Then lay floor runners or protective film along the route, prop the doors open, and walk through each room with the movers or your helpers so everyone knows what is going and what is staying.

Protective floor runner laid along a hallway toward an open front door
Cover the route, not the whole house.

Load in the order you will want things back, only reversed. Heavy boxes and appliances go in first, along the front wall of the van. Boxes go in solid layers, then furniture, then soft items filling gaps. The bed goes in last, because it comes out first, and that is where your first night starts.

Tape screws and bolts in a small bag to the furniture they came from. Wrap drawers in cling film or tape them shut, and carry valuables, documents and keys yourself.

Step 03

Midday to afternoon: arriving

At the new place, put your own coloured dots or room signs on the doors before the first box arrives. People carrying boxes make good decisions only if the decisions are written down for them.

Unload by room, not by van order. Bedrooms and kitchen first, and leave the rest stacked where it lands. Do a last walk-through of the old home, checking cupboards, the loft, the garden shed and behind doors. Take final meter readings, lock up and hand over keys as agreed.

Pull-out panel

The moving-week timeline

  1. 7 days outConfirm times, parking and any lift booking.
  2. 3 days outPack essentials. Tell the new building manager.
  3. Day beforeDefrost, charge, first-night bag by the door.
  4. Moving dayPhotos of meters, kit in a tote, bed loaded last.
  5. Day afterKitchen, bathroom, bed made. Flatten boxes.
  6. Day 7Check mail redirection and update your address.

Step 04

When the day runs long

Most moves run late. The van is stuck, the buyer is late with keys, a box is heavier than anyone guessed. Build slack into the plan: eat properly at midday, keep a water bottle within reach, and decide in advance which rooms can wait until tomorrow.

If it is getting dark and the electrics are unknown, stop unloading into the dark rooms. A torch, a plug-in lamp and a clear hallway are enough for tonight. Everything else will still be there at breakfast.

Need a hand with the heavy parts? See lifting and loading, then the first night.