moving tips

Creating The Perfect Floor Plan With Woody and Sons Moving

09/10/2015 By South Florida Moving Expert Leave a Comment

Whether you are wanting to make a new floor plan for your new home, or just aren’t happy with the current one, a good floor plan is the basis to a comfortable and efficient home. Arranging your home has to be done correctly to get full advantage to everything your home has to offer. If you are moving to a new home, most likely there will be a change in the house or apartments floor plan to the one you currently live in. This might alter your furniture and accessory set up. To create the best floor plan possible, revisions will need to be made, and careful thought and measurement will be taken into account before moving.

First, you will need to take measurements of your new place of living. You will want to measure the width of each wall, window, the floor space, and mark down where installations, such as outlets and ventilation are as well. Outlets are on of the most important item to mark down in this day. With this era being so perplexed with electronics, an outlet needs to be a cords-length away from each piece of furniture or TV stand. Also, other installations are difficult to move such as ventilation and out of the ceiling lights. If you are going the route to have outlets, ventilation, and other installations moved, it is best to have all the planning and work done before you move your furniture in. This will make the job the easiest on the person doing the work and yourself by not having to move furniture all over the room to get to the current installations. If you have your furniture already in your home or already have a trailer with all the furniture in it, Woody and Sons offers Labor Only Moving Services to help move furniture and is experienced in setting up the optimal floor plan.

Next, you will want to measure what you currently have. You will want to do this to check if it will be able to fit into your new home through doors and windows. You will also want to do this to see if you will be unable to take any current furniture to your new home. This will save time and money in the moving process. Woody and Sons residential moving services can aid in your moving plan, and can help measure and make sure what furniture can fit before making the move. By measuring this current furniture, you will be able to estimate and project where you can place everything to create the most efficient floor plan.

Now, for placement of furniture, you will want to start with the larger items first. It will be easier to carry couches, bed frames, etc. through empty rooms first and placing them where you picked without bumping into end tables and chairs. After placing all the large pieces of furniture, you are able to then bring in chairs, end tables, and drawers. These items are a little more universal in placement so that you can still have them where they can fit, and in places that still make sense for use. A lot of offices and businesses tend to have large furniture, which makes it challenging to move. Woody and Sons provides business moving services to give you all the help you will need when moving your business.

After all your furniture is set in place, you can now focus on smaller items. You can look at open wall space for pictures in frames, paintings, and other wall hangers. You can place any accessories to the room on your open table space, hang shelves, and create the home-like feel you were going for. By setting up all the larger furniture first, you will find if you do not have room for that large painting, or big collage of family photos, it will be easier to move or get rid of these items than the large furniture items.

Another great reason for moving is it gives you an opportunity to buy new things. If you find you have space for new furniture, or your last pieces were to big, you can go buy new furniture, kitchenware, and other accessories to keep your home feeling new and fresh. A lot of people tend to leave their old things behind, and buy new when they are moving across the country. Woody and Sons can help save you money with our experienced long distance moving services, so that you will be able to keep and use your current furniture and appliances.

Lastly, you will need to plan the relocation of your items. For the large furniture that will not fit, you can read one of our blog posts about what to do when furniture will not fit in your new home.

https://woodyandsons.com/2015/04/07/will-all-your-furniture-make-the-move/

Moving to a new home is stressful, time-consuming, but in the end is a fun experience. Planning your new floor plan, style, and feel of your new home is a refreshing feeling. By planning ahead of time with measuring, placement of larger furniture, and making slight adjustments, you will be able to construct the most comfortable and efficient floor plan. Woody and Sons services the Tampa Bay, Orlando, and surrounding areas with moving services. If you are interested in pre and post moving cleaning, Just Clean My Mess provides FREE CLEANING QUOTES

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How To Move A Heavy Bookshelf Or Furniture

09/04/2015 By South Florida Moving Expert Leave a Comment

If you have a bookshelf to move, then you should take some measures in order to ensure that the relocation will take place safely and will be successful. Be careful and learn the best tips for moving bookshelves, which are usually heavy and inconvenient to move. Even if you have a small home library, the advice we will supply for you today can help you organize more efficiently when you will move your books and their shelves. Woody and Sons provides labor only services if you are interested in a quick and easy move of a large shelf or other piece of furniture. It takes a lot less effort than you may think to move a heavy bookshelf.

Don’t ever leave books or anything else on your bookshelves or in the cabinet if you want to move it. Books are heavy, the furniture itself has weight, too, and if you want to lift them together, it could be too heavy. The bookshelf could get tilted and fall on the ground and break, or get damaged. The books could crumple inside as well. Nobody wants to have their books and furniture ruined. To prevent this, take these cautionary measures. First, remove the books. In case your books are dusty, clean them before putting them in boxes. If you will be moving a bookshelf to a different house or apartment, you will need to pack them. Woody and Sons provides their clients in the Tampa and Orlando areas with residential moving services, which can come in handy when moving a large bookshelf from one house to another. If you want to organize how to move bookshelves to a different room in your home, then you don’t need special packing and special directions. Just take the books off the shelves in twos or threes, depending on their size and weight, and carefully put them in large, sturdy boxes. You can put the boxes away while you move the bookshelves, and then rearrange the books back on the way you want them to be. If you keep your books in a bookcase, you may also have other items in it.

Before moving your bookshelves, cabinet, or bookcase, empty their contents and dust them off. If the shelves are not attached to the bookcase or cabinet, they should be removed. When you begin to move your furniture, they could move inside and cause damages or break. In case your furniture is heavy, check if you can unscrew the shelves so your work can be easier. Pack the shelves separately in cardboard in order to prevent any damages to them. Woody and Sons can pack your shelves correctly, to prevent damages. Even if you are moving across the country, we can provide you will long distance moving services to assure your furniture is moved safely and properly. If you will be moving a bookshelf to a different premise in your home, just take the shelves off, clean them and stack them so they are ready for the move. Put all small pieces like screws in a plastic bag and keep it with the shelves so you can easily put them back on. Next, get furniture sliders. There is no need to try to lift heavy things when you could move your furniture much more easily, safely and quickly by using furniture or other sliders. If the cabinet is large, get someone to help you move it on the sliders and push it to the new location. For smaller bookshelves that you want to move yourself, lift them off the ground by using your legs and arms. Don’t put weight on your back as it is dangerous. Wrap the bookshelves in moving blankets for protection.

Surely using the tips given above can be useful but there is one more thing that we could advice you. If you don’t want to engage yourself into moving bookshelves, you can always contact experts that’s what Woody and Sons moving campany is for. We provide free quotes that you can fill out from home. Try to give precise and punctual information because if you give considerably different measures of your cabinet, when the movers arrive in your home and see the actual size of your furniture, your moving costs could change. It is your responsibility to inform Woody and Sons moving company with the details of the move. Also, if the bookshelf is very large, take measures if it will fit through the doors, hallways, etc. through which you will be moving it. If it won’t fit, you will have to look for other solutions like dismantling the furniture, moving it in pieces and putting it back together in the new location. Woody and Sons has provided many people with moving services for large furniture and bookshelves. We also provide business moving services, which consist of moving much larger furniture than just bookshelves.

How to move a full bookcase that is small, large or heavy is your decision. Whichever options you prefer when moving, make sure you have the knowledge and skills for it, so that the move can take place easily and efficiently.

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Moving During The Week Vs. The Weekend

09/01/2015 By South Florida Moving Expert Leave a Comment

Moving is both an exciting and stressful experience for many reasons, one of the main ones being the long list of things to do from the decision you take to move until the first day in your new home. Should you move during the week or in the weekend? Which is better, cheaper, more convenient and easier? Both moving during the week and in the weekend have their pros and cons, which we will discuss below. When moving, relocating at the time that is most convenient to you is important so let’s take a look at what those two options may offer.

The first thing we will take into account is cost. Is it cheaper to move during the week rather than the weekend? If we are talking only moneywise, there could be a difference between moving during the week and moving in one weekend. Since weekends is the most popular time when most people choose to move, movers are busier and costs for your relocation could be higher. This means that you may find it harder to get to reliable weekend movers or weekend moving truck deals, as they begin to vanish quickly as good deals and offers are taken away fast, especially in summer and during the first and last weekends of a month which is the busiest time for moving companies. The same goes true even stronger if those weekends match a holiday. Woody and Sons helps Tampa and Orlando consumers with professional residential moving services.

If you have to consider another aspect of the move, which is your time, then the picture will be different. If you’re like most people then you have a regular full-day 9 to 5 job, which keeps you busy during the day except for the weekend and holidays. If you are moving a business in the Tampa Bay or Orlando areas, Woody and Sons provides Business Moving services. In case convenience is what matters to you and what you need, then take advantage of your own availability to organize your own move and take the time to do it when you have it. Besides, if you don’t want to hire moving labor and prefer calling on friends, neighbors or colleagues, then you will be needing helpers, who will most likely be available also when you are, which most of the time is during the weekend. If your friends and family are busy during the week, Woody and Sons provides labor only moving services to help anyone pack up a truck, van, or trailer.

Cost is always the main issue with every move. Price is always a large factor in moving and almost anything in life. Fortunately, there is a way to have control over this; by choosing when to move. The time of the week matters greatly because weekends is when most people take some time out of their lives, making homes and elevators busier, staircases have more people on them, traffic jams are more common, just as they are during the beginning and ending hours of a work day. This may seem like a minor detail to you, but trying to plan a move at a high rise, on a weekend for example, will lead to backups and a lot of wasted time. Lots of aspects should be considered in order to establish the best time to move. The time for your move matters not only to you, but also to the movers as well since they could be affected by it. They may sit in traffic jams, which could slow them down, causing them to take more time, and you to spend more money. This is could be a large factor in a long distance move. Luckily, Woody and Sons provides long distance moving services and provides guaranteed low prices. The best thing would be to contact movers and discuss with them the various aspects of moving during the week or during the weekend. Explain to them your availability, your needs and ask them what you could expect as a difference in the price for the move depending on when you plan to have it. With good, careful planning it can assure a smooth moving day in the end, whether that day is on the week or on the weekend.

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Preparing To Move: Creating A Budget

08/28/2015 By South Florida Moving Expert Leave a Comment

Having or wanting to relocate to new home or apartment is always a unique experience. Preferably, it should consist of planning, a budget, and back-up plans in case scenarios do not go the way you planned. A part of this planning of your move is cost. Cost will be one of the most important factors in a move for most people. By planning and setting up a budget, you can organize and begin to make your move more efficient.

First off, a move is not always cheap, and making your budget is a crucial part of a successful relocation. You will first need to decide what you can afford to move. By deciding early on what you can afford to move will help alleviate later stress later of having to decide once the movers are there. Woody and Sons works with your budget and can provide labor only moving services. Also by choosing what you can afford to move, you will give yourself some time to be able to sell, donate, or give away other items that you are not able to. If you can sell your items you can not move, this will help raise funds to purchase new items at your new house or apartment.

Next, another key aspect to setting a budget is the first month after relocation. Depending on your job or income will vary the first month heavily. If you are not receiving pay from your job immediately or at do not currently have a job, you will need to budget your first months rent, security deposit, or house payment into your moving budget. Also, you will need to add in food, utility, and other expenses into your moving budget for the first month.

Having a Plan B is always a safe idea. Almost always people forget something while filling out forms for movers, or being clear about everything when receiving a quote. They may require additional services depending on their new home or apartment. Whether it is something you forgot, or the movers are needing to add in because of work they did, it is always a good idea to budget at least 10 percent more than what you are quoted for a moving job. By doing this, you will not be stressing over extra expenses immediately, and it will allow you to have some extra spending or saving money if these extra expenses do not occur. Woody and Sons does an excellent job in helping with residential moving services.

Something else to think about that may not be considered in a moving budget initially, is if you have children. The best way to keep kids entertained while on the move is giving them their favorite food. If you are driving to a new home, it may be best to stop at their favorite food chains. Before leaving, while packing, leave them with a family member or a friend. Also, nowadays with electronics and televisions or books available wherever you are at, make sure to stop or set them up with something to do or watch in downtime. Long distance moves are never fun, but Woody and Sons provides long distance moving services to help everyone have a better experience.

Different moving companies may charge you different prices for the same work. Some moving companies may quote a low price at the beginning of a move and bill you extra expenses once the process and contract are already in motion. Before committing to any contract, make sure you fully understand everything that goes into it. What are the movers offering, are packing supplies already accounted into the price, what taxes and fees may be added additionally? All of these are key questions to figure out.

Another big decision that everyone may consider for a short time is if you should hire movers or do it yourself. There are pros and cons to both cases. It may seem cheaper at first to plan a do-it-yourself move, but that is leaving out the expenses of time, work, renting a truck, packing and unpacking, finding extra moving labor workers or friends, and gas and food expenses while driving.

Setting a moving budget is not the most challenging thing to do, but when you at in being crunched for time, tight on a budget, and trying to do a lot of the moving process alone, preparing a budget beforehand can be a great help and stress relief in the long run.

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Ten Things to Know Before Hiring a Mover

04/04/2014 By South Florida Moving Expert 1 Comment

Are they a Florida licensed mover and is the license active?
- 800helpfla.com -> Consumer Resources -> Business Complaint/Lookup -> In put the “IM#” under license and click Search
Does the mover have the proper State required insurance of $10,000n in cargo coverage or a bond filed with the department?
- A consumer can verify this by asking for a certificate of liability from the mover. (Certificate of Liability comes from the insurance company showing each coverage category, amount of coverage and expiration date – MAKE SURE that the certificate shows a current date of issue near the date of request for this document)
Does the mover have their own trucks or do they rent their trucks? If they rent their trucks do they accept the rental insurance coverage and can they provide that coverage to you in writing? Most rental truck insurance only cover up to a certain dollar amount dependent on the selected coverage by the renter.
What is the movers damage claim policy? Florida says movers are only required to offer $.60 per pound per damaged item, does the mover honor this or do they offer in-house options for damages? (in-house options being additional coverage, repair, replacement)
Will the mover provide you with a formal quote in writing?
Are you required to put a deposit down to book your date? If your date changes do you lose your deposit or is there a date change fee charged to you?
Does the mover have any additional fees to their hourly rate such as but not limited to; fuel fee, mileage fee, trip or travel fee, stairs fee.
When does the moving clock begin and end?
Does the mover provide all safe moving materials such as but not limited to; moving pads, shrink wrap, dollies, tape, etc. Are these materials included in the service or are they charged as an additional cost?
Does the mover have hired staff or do they use day labor?
Does the mover make you feel comfortable? Do they answer all of your questions? Do they seen personable on the phone or in email communications?

How to Locate Storage for your Belongings

12/16/2012 By South Florida Moving Expert

The stress associated with moving, sometimes, can be compounded by the need to locate storage, but finding short term or long term storage need not be difficult. The following is a set of suggestions to help locate the storage facility which fits your needs.

• Search on line for “storage units” in the city in which you would like to store your belongings.

• Make a list containing:

1. Companies’ names, phone numbers, locations, prices, and relevant details (e.g. Dimensions of unit, climate control available versus non-climate controlled units).

2. If you are having your belongings professionally moved, the company you hire may be able to help you determine what size unit you will need and whether you need climate control or not.
(climate controlled units are kept at a unit temperature of 80 degrees).

3. Ask facilities if they have regular pest control services.

4. Ask facilities if they offer move in specials? (e.g. $1 move in, half off first month, free second month.)

5. Do the facilities provide insurance on their units and your belongings in case of damage or loss?

6. If the unit does not provide you with insurance can you purchase or use your home owners insurance?

7. Ask the cost of a lock for a unit?

8. Ask facilities’ access hours? some facilities offer 24 hour gate access while other facilities have specified hours of which you can access your storage unit. This can be very important when it comes to moving day as you do not wish to store on a truck overnight if the access hours end at 6 PM and your movers cannot get to the unit before 6 PM.

9. Ask if facilities are secured by coded gates?

10. Ask for the monthly rates of your desired size unit and
whether rates are guaranteed for the duration of your stay.

11. Ask if facilities offer prorated charges for those moving in
during the middle of billing periods.

12. Do not provide your phone number when researching
facilities because you might receive many unwanted calls
attempting to strong arm you into committing to certain
facilities.

• After you have asked the above questions to each storage facility on your list, evaluate the information you have acquired and choose accordingly. Keep in mind what the customer service was like when talking to each location as the initial service will probably be continued throughout your stay with the facility.

How to Select Your Mover

10/18/2012 By South Florida Moving Expert

Selecting any service provider is a tricky task however, with the right tools, you can make the right choice for your move!

The state of Florida requires all movers to be licensed and insured, so ask to see their license number. It will be indicated as FL IM (Florida Intrastate Movers). For instance, Woody and Sons Florida license number is FL IM 1805 We are licensed, insured, and registered with the state as required.
Checking the number that is provided to you to ensure that it is active and legitimate can be going to the following Florida state website; http://www.800helpfla.com/moving.html. Once you arrive at this site you:
1. Click on “Business Complaint/Lookup”.
2. Input the license number and click search.
3. The status of inputted license number will come up.
4. Assessing the business credibility of any moving company can be accomplished by checking Angie’s List and Better Business Bureau.

Ask all of the moving companies which you contact if:
1. They will perform a free on-site estimate.
2. They will provide a quote to you in writing and include all charges that are applicable.
3. They will honor all communications – phone calls, letters, emails.

When shopping for a mover, evaluate how you were treated.
Was the communication friendly and personable?
Were they willing to answer all of your questions to help you be more comfortable making your decision?
Did they seem more interested in selling you their service than taking care of your needs?

Remember when having your move quoted, be as detailed as possible about:
1. The inventory of items you are moving.
2. Residence details such as third level, two level, long walking distance from truck to door of the home. Movers can only provide you with an estimate of how long they think the move will take based on their experience with inventories and details of residences.
3. Every move is different, however, movers should be more than willing to provide estimates in writing.
4. Ask for referrals as a large portion of our business is word of mouth and who better to talk to than previous customers?

Being Prepared for Your Move

10/18/2012 By South Florida Moving Expert

The more prepared you are for your move, the more money you will save because organization can save you hundreds, and perhaps, thousands of dollars.

When preparing for your move, the two most time consuming issues are:

Disassembly/assembly of Furniture Items
1. You can save time on your clock by disassembling and assembling your own furniture items. If you are unable or unwilling to disassemble and assemble your items, we will be happy to do so for you!
Wrapping your Items to Protect Them
1. Remove any breakable items from drawers including any in vanities.
2. You may leave clothes in drawers of the dressers. All other drawers should be emptied e.g. desk drawers. Anything other than clothes adds unneeded weight and liability issues to the furniture in which items are stored.
3. Put all valuables such as meds, money, and stocks and bonds off by themselves or packed in labeled boxes so that there is no question as to where these items are located. Jewelry boxes or cases can be transported by our movers however, we do ask customers stand with our movers while items are wrapped and padded. Customers are responsible for unwrapping these at the destination to ensure that nothing is missing.
4. Clear any room in which the movers are working. We do not want to put children and pets in harm’s way because our movers have tripped over your loved ones.
5. Please clear walkways/pathways of debris and/or clutter to ensure safe movement of your items and to prevent injury to our team or your family while walking about the home to and from the truck.
6. Create a game plan and know where you want your items placed prior to arrival at your new home. Our movers are happy to place your furniture but make for terrible interior decorators.
7. The more prepared you are the more likely you are to have a smooth move to your new location. We are all one team on moving day and together we will make a great moving experience!