The items that create the biggest challenges during a house move are usually large furniture, items that need dismantling and reassembling, and bulky appliances such as American-style fridge freezers.
However, the item itself is only part of the challenge. Access can make a significant difference. Furniture may have been built inside a room, while a fridge freezer might originally have been brought in with its doors removed. Changes to the property, such as new bannisters, smaller doorways or extensions, can also mean the original route is no longer available.
These issues can add time to a move if they aren’t identified beforehand. That’s why it’s important to tell your removals company about particularly large items, anything that was assembled in the room and any changes to the property’s access.
At MPG Transport, understanding these finer details in advance helps us plan your home move properly and handle challenging items as safely and efficiently as possible.
Every house move is different, but some belongings consistently require more time and planning than others.
At MPG Transport, the items we’ve seen that tend to create the biggest challenges are large or bulky pieces of furniture, furniture that needs dismantling and reassembling, and large appliances such as American-style fridge freezers.
The item itself is only part of the challenge. What often makes the biggest difference is access. Something may have fitted easily into the property when it was first purchased, but changes to doorways, bannisters or extensions can mean getting it back out isn’t as straightforward.
That’s why knowing the finer details before moving day can make such a difference.
Read our blog post on the biggest mistakes people make before moving day for more information.
Unsurprisingly, larger household items are often among the most challenging things to move.
MPG Transport is experienced in handling large furniture and uses specialist covers and wrapping to help protect belongings during a move. The team also has additional wrapping procedures for items such as TVs and glass cabinets, while mattress protectors are used as standard across its home removal packages.
However, size isn’t the only consideration.
The team also needs to consider how an item will travel through the property. Doorways, stairs, bannisters and the route to the removal vehicle can all affect how straightforward that process will be.
The earlier we know about anything particularly large or awkward, the better we can plan for it.
Some pieces of furniture simply aren’t practical to move fully assembled.
Furniture such as larger IKEA items can require dismantling before it can be removed from the property and then reassembling at the destination.
The challenge here isn’t necessarily that the furniture is exceptionally difficult to handle. It’s the additional time involved in taking it apart and putting it back together.
That’s particularly important when planning the length of a move. What initially looks like one item on a furniture list could actually involve a dismantling and reassembly job at either end.
MPG’s Silver removal package includes an assembly service for items requiring disassembly and/or reassembly, while its Gold package includes packing, unpacking and furniture assembly as part of the complete service.
Tick anything that applies to a large or awkward item in your home.
This checklist is a simple guide. If an item is large, awkward or has unusual access, let MPG Transport know before moving day so the team can plan ahead.
One difficulty we have repeatedly found is the American-style fridge freezer.
These are large appliances, but the real difficulty can be remembering how they entered the property in the first place.
An American fridge freezer may originally have been brought into the house with its doors removed. Years later, it’s easy to forget that and assume the complete appliance should fit back through the doorway.
Trying to move it through an opening that is simply too narrow can create problems and risks scratching the item, even when protection is being used.
Knowing beforehand that doors or other components were originally removed gives the removals team useful information when planning how to get the appliance safely out of the property.
This is one of the less obvious problems that can make a seemingly straightforward item difficult to move.
A piece of furniture or appliance might have entered the house without any problem several years ago. But is the route out still the same?
Examples of problems we’ve had to deal with during home removals include homeowners installing a new bannister, altering a doorway or adding an extension after a large item was originally brought into the property.
Perhaps an American fridge freezer originally came through a set of back doors. If the property has since been extended or that access has changed, the original route may no longer be available.
The item hasn’t become bigger. The property around it has changed.
That can turn an ordinary part of a house move into something that requires considerably more thought.
Another useful detail for customers to tell us is whether a large item was actually assembled inside the room where it currently sits.
If it was built in the room, there’s a good chance it won’t simply pass through the doorway fully assembled.
That may mean dismantling it first.
This is why information from the customer matters. Knowing whether something arrived fully assembled or was built in position helps the removals team understand what is likely to be involved before moving day.
MPG’s wider removals service is designed around this kind of individual planning. The company offers free site assessments and bespoke, customisable removal packages rather than treating every property in exactly the same way.
When people think about difficult items to move, it’s natural to focus on size and weight.
In practice, access can be just as important.
A large piece in an open-plan ground-floor room with wide doors may be relatively straightforward. A similar item that needs to negotiate a narrow doorway or altered route could require significantly more work.
This is why those finer details matter when preparing for a move.
If you know an item only just fitted when it arrived, was assembled inside the room, had doors removed before installation or originally entered through an access point that no longer exists, tell your removals company beforehand.
That information can help the team plan the job properly rather than discovering the problem halfway through moving day.
Not everybody wants to pack their entire home themselves, and you don’t have to!
One mistake can be taking on more of the packing than you realistically have the time or confidence to complete.
MPG Transport offers flexible packing options, ranging from help with bulky furniture or delicate belongings through to a complete house packing service. Secure storage is also available where belongings need somewhere to go between leaving one property and entering another.
The right option depends on how much you want to handle yourself.
If you’re happy to pack, the important thing is to have it completed properly and in good time. If you’d rather somebody else handle it, arranging a professional packing service means the team can take responsibility for that part of the move.
MPG Transport offers free site assessments as standard and tailors its home removal packages to individual requirements.
For challenging items, that gives us an opportunity to understand not just what needs moving but the environment we’re moving it through.
We can look at the furniture and appliances involved and understand the access around the property before the move begins.
That’s particularly useful where there are large items, furniture requiring dismantling or unusual access considerations.
It all comes back to the same principle: the more we know beforehand, the better prepared we can be on moving day.
Once we’ve established how an item will leave the property, protecting it is another important part of the process.
MPG uses a range of covers and wrapping to protect furniture, with specific procedures for precious items including TVs and glass cabinets. The company is also fully insured, including Goods in Transit cover up to £50,000.
Customers who want additional help can also use MPG’s packing service. This can range from assistance with bulky furniture and delicate belongings to packing an entire property.
That flexibility means the level of support can be matched to the move and the belongings involved.
Ultimately, large items aren’t necessarily a problem if we know about them and can plan accordingly.
The biggest challenges tend to arise when a large piece needs dismantling unexpectedly, an appliance doesn’t fit through the doorway as expected or changes to the property mean the original access route is no longer available.
Before moving day, it helps to think about your biggest pieces of furniture and appliances and ask a few simple questions:
If there’s anything unusual, let us know.
Yard 4 Top Barn Business Park, Worcester WR6 6NH
