Moving (Sucks)

[timwhit]

I just decided that moving is horrible. I don't have to be out of my apartment until August 14th at noon, but I have started going through all the crap that has built up over the last 11 months and it is simply astounding. I have filled up 3 of the 30 gallon black garbage bags with sh*t. Maybe I just don't throw away enough stuff during the year. Then I have all these boxes that just have random stuff in them from the last 3 years. I didn't even know what was in them until tonight. Most of it is garbage, but there was some stuff that I found worth keeping (a lot of it I didn't even know I had).

I am now going through about 400 random CDs that have just ended up on spindles over the past year or so. I think I tossed about 100 discs. The best are the ones that aren't even labeled and then you put the disc in and find it has one song on it, or some random pr0n.

I think the best thing about this move is going to be sleeping in a u-haul. Man will that be fun. The reason for this is that there is a 24-hour layover between when I have to move out and when I get to move in the new apartment. Every apartment in downtown Madison is the same way. This is all pending on the assumption that I will actually get a U-haul on the day that I need it.

All of this just to move 5 blocks.

 

[jtr1962]

I remember when my family moved to where I am today 25 years ago. We didn't have half the crap we have now, and it was not something I would care to repeat. I also remember having to move stuff to my dorm room when I slept away at college. Doing this every semester quickly got tiring. After a year and a half of this I decided that it was just easier to commute 70 miles each way(and way cheaper as well). In fact, it was the combination of moving to my current residence shortly before college and moving into college that made me decide that relocating to a job after I graduated was out of the question. A move only a few miles across the city was annoying enough. I couldn't imagine trying to move halfway across the country(and I wanted to stay in NYC anyway).

Fast forward to 2003. I literally have 20 times the crap I had in 1978. I'm not moving again, period. I wouldn't even want to contemplate it. It took me this long to get my portions of the house exactly set up for my needs. I couldn't imagine starting over again, or the move that would entail. Think in terms of an 18-wheeler for the amount of stuff I have that I absolutely need. I'm not kidding.

 

[GIANT]

...I have filled up 3 of the 30 gallon black garbage bags with sh*t...

Hopefully you're moving to an apartment with plumbing this time around.

 

[Mercutio]

I know what you mean.

The biggest curse of all, come moving day, is the book collection. Since I read a lot, I know this one all too well. Books are heavy, but you feel like a pansy if you can't carry big ol' boxes of them. After all, they're just books, right?

Computer parts are very nearly as bad.

I've decided that when I move this time, I'm going to have a moving company do it. I couldn't get my stuff (sofa, bedroom set etc) onto a truck by myself anyway.

 

[The JoJo]

When I moved with my gf in december, we hired a moving truck and 2 fellas to help with the move. Boy what a difference compared to moving by yourself and/or your friends and your car/van!!!

Next time I'll move, I'll go straight for a moving truck and 4 fellas. Yes, it cost's more, but it'll deffinitely pay back in convenience and speed. With the 2 fellas, me and my gf helping out, it took us 1.5h to load the truck, and then 1h to unload (from the 1st floor in one house to the 3rd floor where we moved).

Boxes are another thing. Rent some big plastic, strong boxes. Lot's of them, like 30-50+ (starting) depending on how much stuff you have. Stackable preferably. It makes packing, unpacking and moving them a lot easier.

It's so much easier with a big truck, you can load everything in it. And with strong people helping out, it only takes a few hours (if everything is packed) to load/unload. Filling boxes and putting the stuff back in it's places is a totally other thing.

And do a recce of the appartment so that if possible, you can tell the movers where to place everything. It does consume a lot of extra time to move boxes/stuff from one room to another.

My 2 cents...

 

[The JoJo]

Oh, forgot about money. I don't know how much renting a truck and movers costs in the US, but I only paid something like 100 euros (=100 dollars) for the lot. 2.5h of truck and help.

 

[The JoJo]

(damm, sorry about this ) ...and the point was, that the money spent couldn't have been better spent. The help and ease of moving was so big, that a few hundred euros for that is in my opinion worth it.

 

[Clocker]

I agree that using movers is a great idea. I’m only in my first house and I didn’t have $hit when I moved it so it wasn’t really a problem for me then. Basically all I had was my clothes and a TV. But now, there is no way in hell I’m going to move all my furniture and stuff.

Jojo, movers here are a lot more expensive than $100. You may be able to fund some chaps to do it for $400-$500 but generally I have heard figures closer to $1000 or more. Of course, it depends on how much stuff you have and how far you are going though too…

C

 

[The JoJo]

I agree that using movers is a great idea. I’m only in my first house and I didn’t have $hit when I moved it so it wasn’t really a problem for me then. Basically all I had was my clothes and a TV. But now, there is no way in hell I’m going to move all my furniture and stuff.

Jojo, movers here are a lot more expensive than $100. You may be able to fund some chaps to do it for $400-$500 but generally I have heard figures closer to $1000 or more. Of course, it depends on how much stuff you have and how far you are going though too…

C

Wow. That deffinitely changes the possibility to use them.
400-500 *might* be reasonable, depending on amount of stuff and one's income...

 

[Fushigi]

When I moved (April 02) the rate was $105/hour for truck + 3 people. Time included travel between the locations but, IIRC, not time to get to the starting place. Total was 3.5 hours + 3 $20 tips. Considering a UHaul would have been around $150, and I would have to buy beer & pizza for friends, the time savings and back pain savings was well worth the slight price difference. That price was from a local small shop. The 'name' movers like Mayflower and Atlas were $600-900.

I had virtually everything packed in stackable boxes and labelled with destination room. They came in and started working right away. No loafing or goofing off. Really good job. Source was a 2nd floor apartment; target was a 2 story house w/basement 40ish miles away.

 

[CougTek]

Hopefully you're moving to an apartment with plumbing this time around.

:rotfl:

 

[timwhit]

I spent the last couple of hours just trying to find a company that actually has a truck that is available from August 13th until August 15th. I have to drive 70 miles to get one. There isn't anywhere in Central Wisconsin that will have a truck when I need it.

I am getting a 16ft Ryder truck and it is going to cost about $230 including mileage.

 

[GIANT]

Hopefully you're moving to an apartment with plumbing this time around.

:rotfl:

I wasn't poking at TimWhit directly, just highlighting his tidiness problem that could have been TOTALLY PREVENTABLE if he had just followed some basic rules:

• Question the existence of every item you own on a regular basis ("Do I still need this?").
  
  
• If you don't need a item any longer, discard it, sell it, or give it away. Charities anyone?
  
  
• Set aside a day or two a year where you basically tear everything down (as needed) and clean, rearrange, and perform the 2 previously mentioned exercises. This is much more than simple daily domestic cleaning and arranging; this is going though EVERYTHING including all those boxes of papers and whatever, the garage, the cellar, etc.
  
  
• “Bags of sh*t" will never be allowed. Items will be stored and arranged in a manner that makes the most used or needed items readily available and easily put back into their places. Other items that are less used should be arranged in a manner that makes them easily found when needed. Items are not left about the household, but put back into their place first time every time.

Once everything you own is optimised in the above manner, you'll actually find that you are expending less time and energy in keeping the household clean and operating at 100%.


Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness, or maybe Cleanliness Is Next To Nothingness. Generally, the less you have the better you have (unless it's guitars, basses, keyboards, and er… hard drives).

 

[EdwardK]

Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness, or maybe Cleanliness Is Next To Nothingness. Generally, the less you have the better you have (unless it's guitars, basses, keyboards, and er… hard drives).

You must not forget your cool and expensive camera gear as well :wink:

Cheers,
Edward

 

[timwhit]

Holy sh*t oven cleaner is some nasty stuff. I am cleaning everything in my apartment right now and I just got to the oven. I kept breathing the stuff by accident and almost threw up. It has some sodium hydroxide in it. I also got the stuff all over my hands because I don't have any of those handy cleaning gloves. I think I did everything the can told me not to do so far.

At least I don't have to vacuum before I leave cause they are replacing the nasty carpet in the place.

 

[timwhit]

OK I am going to go get some of those gloves now. My hands are burning like crap and they have new cuts all over them. Damn I hate moving.

 

[Buck]

It is amazing how powerful home cleaning solutions can be. I felt safer using Trichloroethylene and Isopropyl Alcohol 99.9% as a printing press operator then some of these oven and bathroom cleaners.

 

[Howell]

Only two shoppoing days 'til x-mas.

 

[Mercutio]

I'm doing the same things right now.

I just got home from a 16-hour day of msblast cleanups to find a "late rent" nastygram on my door... which is funny, 'cause I had to pay 1st and last months' rent to move in, and this is my last month. Idiots.

I'm trying to get my apartment down to just things that are too big for me to move by myself. Which means packing and loading the car every night, stopping by the house to drop stuff off, then coming home to do it again. I'm going to hire a moving company tomorrow. I'll probably make my move on the 27th or so.

I'm about to fall over. I haven't been this tired in ages.

 

[Santilli]

Funny, I've been getting ready for the same sort of thing. Landlords' forced us to sign a less that went from 1320 to 1390, and another 100 a month in fake utility bill, plus requiring insurance, and saying ....it's screwed.

At the time, I didn't have time or money to contest. Now I do.

Selling as much as I can on ebay, and getting ready to move...

gs

 

[timwhit]

I have been packing up kitchen stuff and cleaning at the same time. I just can't seem to make any progress and I have filled about 8 boxes with stuff from the kitchen. I sure hope all this stuff will fit into a 16' truck.

 

[Howell]

I go through the duplex with the home inspector in about 30 minutes. I gave the bank all my paperwork yesterday. The closing date is set for the end of the month and then I have to give the current occupant of the side I want to move into 30 days to move out because of his prior lease agreement.

 

[Fushigi]

I'm trying to get my apartment down to just things that are too big for me to move by myself. Which means packing and loading the car every night, stopping by the house to drop stuff off, then coming home to do it again. I'm going to hire a moving company tomorrow. I'll probably make my move on the 27th or so.

That's what we did. After we closed on the house we did a car trip in each of our cars each day for about a week before the movers came. It really sped up the whole process and allowed us to move more delicate stuff, like electronics, ourselves. The first trip we took cleaning supplies over and shampooed the carpet, mopped, dusted, etc. so the place would be clena when we moved in. I think, if you have the time, that it's well worth doing up front.

Trust me, come the final move day, you will realize the payoff from the work you're putting in now. The movers will be able to do their job more quickly, and you pay them by the hour.

 

[Fushigi]

I have been packing up kitchen stuff and cleaning at the same time. I just can't seem to make any progress and I have filled about 8 boxes with stuff from the kitchen. I sure hope all this stuff will fit into a 16' truck.

I've always gone through one room at a time and tried to concentrate on emptying cabinets or whatever so there's a fairly steady sense of accomplishment to help keep spirits up. If you're doing a little here, a little there, and mixing in the cleaning while you're at it, you probably won't get that feeling until you're nearly finished.

 

[jtr1962]

The more I read this thread the more I hope I never, ever have to move again. Hopefully I'll be like my brother's landlady. She lived in the same house since the time she was about 8. She just moved to Kalifornia at 84 so her niece could take care of her. Moving definitely sucks.

 

[Platform]

I wonder if there aren't people who just basically leave most everything packed, even though they live at each place for like 1 or 2 or 3 years at a time.

 

[jtr1962]

If I had to move every year or two I don't think I would bother unpacking. I probably wouldn't bother accumulating much stuff, either, or perhaps I would just leave it at my parents house so when the time comes that I did live in a place for more than a few years it would be there.

Fortunately, last time I moved was 25 years and 1 month ago. I'm hoping it's the last time, too. Moving now with all the stuff I have is something I can't contemplate. Not to mention there are few places outside of NYC where I would be happy living. Basically any place without comprehensive public transit, four seasons, and a big city atmosphere is out. Outside of NYC and Chicago nowhere else in the US fits my needs.

 

[SteveC]

I wonder if there aren't people who just basically leave most everything packed, even though they live at each place for like 1 or 2 or 3 years at a time.

We had to do that a few years ago, when my parents sold their house, but their new townhouse wasn't ready yet. We wound up having to move three times in nine months, and we kept almost everything boxed up. It's a real pain finding things you do need, but it's also a good way of finding out what you don't need. If you don't have to go searching through the boxes for it for that long, then you probably don't really need it.

 

[Mercutio]

My first lesson as a homeowner: Liquid Skin (bandage replacement stuff) stains the crap out of linoleum.

My second lesson as a homeowner: It is not intelligent to try to spend any amount of time in an insulated attic on a 95F 90% humidity August day.

My third lesson as a homeowner: Fences, while unslightly, cost less than the stone wall I had originally planned. Apparently there are zoning rules against the battlements and heads on pointed-sticks motif I was hoping to use to keep people out of my yard. They didn't even let me get to the part about the cannonade.

Fourth: I now know the difference between a Class 3 and a Class 3A ladder. I should've bought the 3A (see lesson 1, above).

Fifth: Outdoor foliage, while something I normally ignore, beats the crap out of a lawn with nothing bigger than blades of grass.

Sixth: As bad as network wiring sucks, I now know that installing a ceiling fan is much, much worse.

Seventh: Toilet paper needs to be the first thing you unpack.

Eighth: Neighbors don't like it when you joke about source of income (meth lab), sexual/marital situation (I'm waiting for my husband Rodney so we can go see about the adoption), or religious affliation (I think I said "Church of Satan Jesus Christ Krishna" or something like that) with a completely straight face.
(The guy really annoyed me - he was peeking in the boxes I left in my driveway as I unloaded my car, and started doing christian witness crap about two seconds after he introduced himself. Do some people just not realize that's annoying?).

Anyone got any more bright homeowning tips?
Decorating? Landscaping?

 

[jtr1962]

Anyone got any more bright homeowning tips?
Decorating? Landscaping?

Although I don't own a home(I just live in my parents' house) I basically treat it as if it were my own. I do plan to buy it eventually(i.e. when I can save the $400,000 it would currently cost since I don't want the burden of sending out mortgage checks each month). Anyway, since you asked:

1)Replace any lights that are on frequently with fluorescents. This includes any outdoor lights(metal halide or sodium are other options for those). You'll get lower utility bills, will only replace lamps 1/10 to 1/20 as often, and will get(my opinion) a much superior quality of light. Also, you can light spaces brightly without using hundreds of watts of electricity. Go for the compact fluorescents if you don't want to replace bulb fixtures. You can get these in warm white(i.e. similar to incandescent-sucks IMO), cool white, 5000K full spectrum, and daylight(6500K). The last two options are the best in my opinion. For new fixtures go with the new T8 type. No flicker, less electrical usage than the older T-12s. The kitchen in my(future) house is light up very brightly with 4 T-8 full spectrum bulbs consuming only 112W total. Two-lamp fixtures consuming only about 60W will light most rooms as bright as a typical office.

2)Get rid of as much grass as possible and replace it with paths, rock gardens, vegetable gardens, trees, shrubs, fountains, bird baths, etc. Grass is boring, ugly, and maintainance intensive. Unless you're a cow it has no value. Besides, you'll quickly lose the extra weight from all that physical activity.

3)Put up a fence ASAP. It'll keep neighbors' pesky kids and doggy doo off your property.

4)Put some sort of permanent flooring everywhere as time and money permit. By permanent I mean ceramic tile, stone, marble, or wood. Wood does require periodic sanding and refinishing but at least once it's down it's there for good. Ceramic tile or marble are my favorites. You'll probably need to use wonderboard unless you have concrete slab floors but ceramic is virtually maintainance free and lasts forever if installed properly. You'll save a bundle doing it yourself. By me contractors charge $30 and up per square foot to install ceramic, and you don't always get the best quality work. If you choose the DIY route remember that as long as the tiles and anything under them sits on a solid bed of mortar you won't have cracking. If you get ambitious you can even do the walls and ceiling in your kitchen and bathrooms. I did the bathroom already and my workroom floor to ceiling in ceramic. If I buy the house I'll do the kitchen. Once a room is done this way there is virtually no maintainence.

5)Install plenty of electrical outlets and light fixtures outside. The outlets are great for Xmas lights or all sorts of garden tools. The lights let you do gardening at night when it's cooler and less insects are around.

6)Put A/C in all the rooms you normally stay in for any length of time. A room without A/C is virtually useless in the summer.

7)Replace the windows with new ones if they're the old wood type. No more painting windows, the new ones are easier to clean, and you'll save on heating/cooling. I prefer casement but double hung seem to be the cheapest and most common. Whichever you like better but don't suffer with old, ugly, drafty windows.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

 

[Fushigi]

If it doesn't have it already...

1. Up the house to a 200 amp breaker.

2. Get your own washer/dryer. Cheaper and more convenient than hitting the laundromat.

3. Make sure the smoke detectors work and buy a fire extinguisher for every level (basement, main/kitchen, upper, garage). Let your insurance agent know you've done this; it might help your rates.

4. Test the GFI outlets in the bathrooms, kitchen, and outdoors; replace if they fail. The GFI circuitry does wear out (according to my home inspector). Replacement outlets are only like $7 each.

5. Label the breakers in the breaker box. A circuit identifier can be had from Home Depot, etc. for around $20-30 and makes the task much more convenient.

6. Replace the furnace filter now and get on a schedule of checking/replacing it periodically.

7. If you have a whole house humidifier, turn it off for summer & on for winter.

8. Consider an insulation 'blanket' for the hot water heater if it's not a high-efficiency unit. Ditto for insulation wraps around pipes.

9. If it's never been done, consider a duct cleaning. Especially if you're allergy-prone.

10. If you've a fireplace, make sure the flue is closed when not in use and open when in use.

11. If you've a swimming pool, drain & refill, change any filters, etc.

12. RTFM on any manual that came with any piece of the house.

13. Consider accent lighting, under cabinet lighting, etc. Not expensive to install but can reduce the times you need to fire up the energy-consuming main lights or just give better spot-lighting. Especially over the sink in the kitchen.

14. Get a set of those glow-panel type nightlights. Virtually nil energy consumtion and the glow is plenty to see by for navigating hallways, etc. Ideal if you have company over.

...

Re: jtr's #1, we do this but only as the existing bulbs burn out. We also replaced a 2-bulb T-12 fixture in the kitchen with a 4-bulb, more attractive T-8 unit. Huge difference in light production. IIRC, my T-8s are 32 watts each; 128 total.

 

[i]

7. If you have a whole house humidifier, turn it off for summer & on for winter.

...unless you have wood-framed windows and decide not to replace them with vinyl. If you run a humidifier during the winter, you'll risk condensation on the cold glass, which subsequently rolls down onto the wood frame, starting a nice fresh crop of mold and mildew.

 

[jtr1962]

IIRC, my T-8s are 32 watts each; 128 total.

Yes, the lamps are rated at 32 watts each but how much power they consume depends upon the ballast. Here I must digress to explain the vagaries of AC power measurement. Normally you get power consumption by multiplying volts and amps. For resistive loads on an AC line or anything on a DC line this works fine. However, magnetic or capacitive loads cause the current to lag or lead, respectively, behind the voltage. As a result, power is not volts times amps. How badly this discrepency exists is quantitatively expressed by the power factor, which is equal to the actual power divided by the apparent power(i.e. voltsxamps). A resistive load has a power factor of 1.00. Older magnetic ballasts have a power factor of 0.6 to 0.9, with 0.75 being a ballpark figure. The old magnetic ballasts in my shoplights have a current rating of 0.8 amp so they have an apparent power of 0.8x120 W or 96 W. I measured the power drain of these at 74 W so they have a power factor of 74/96, or 0.77. Incidentally, the new T-12 electronic ballasts that I replaced them with draw the same power but give about 20% more light from the same lamps. Most electronic ballasts are power factor corrected so that the power factor is around 0.99. In other words, you can multiply volts and amps to get the power drain with 1% error or less. The ballast on the Home Depot fixture in our kitchen is rated at 0.94A and 112W. The ballast factor of a ballast gives an idea of how much power the lamps are getting. It is defined as the ratio of the light output on that fixture to the light output on a reference ballast. Most common T-8 fixtures have a ballast factor(BF) of 0.89 or less. If a lamp is rated at, say 2900 lumens it will deliver 2581 lumens on a 0.89 BF ballast(and use proportionately less current). There are T-8 ballasts with BFs up to 1.15(and proportionately higher power usage). Driving at more than about 1.2BF can result in reduced lamp life.

BTW, good idea with the accent lighting. Besides saving the bother of turning on a main fixture when you're only in the room a minute or two you save wear on the lamps. Fluorescent lamps do not like being started. In fact, frequent starts can shorten lamp life to as little as 1/10 of normal.

 

[jtr1962]

Merc, my mom read this thread and she wants to congratulate you on getting your own home, as do I. The pride and security of having your own place makes all the extra work and expenses worth it.

 

[Howell]

3. Make sure the smoke detectors work and buy a fire extinguisher for every level (basement, main/kitchen, upper, garage). Let your insurance agent know you've done this; it might help your rates.

Smoke detectors and CO detectors should be in every bedroom. Less than $10 a piece I think.

 

[Howell]

Seventh: Toilet paper needs to be the first thing you unpack.

All the times I've moved I've packed a bag with three days of clothes and supplies. For that matter, when ever I travel by plane I pack a days worth of clothes in my carry-on in case my luggage gets lost.

 

[mubs]

Congrats, Merc!

One thing to watch out for: property taxes. Usually you'll get a bill every 6 months, and if you haven't planned for it, it can be a nasty surprise. Some lenders (depending on how much one had to stretch to buy the home) will make you pay the monthly pro-rated tax along with your mortgage payment. In any case, be aware of it.

One incredibly useful thing you can do is adjust your payments. Instead of making one payment a month, make 2 half payments every month. Over the life of the loan, it'll cut the interest you pay by a significant amount. The other trick is to make a half -payment every two weeks instead of two half payments a month. This way you'll make a full extra payment a year that will also save you a ton. For both of these, though, your lender must be willing to accept/process these extra payments. If you can, do it! it's absolutely worth it.

 

[Mercutio]

The property is tax-abated until 2005. In 2006 I'll pay 33% of full value, in 2007 I'll pay 66%.

Believe me I already thought of that one.

 

[Mercutio]

First night in new home. I'll be sleeping on a bare mattress since my sheets got filthy from the move.

Connected to MSN on some kind of trial disk that happened to be at the top of a box. My ISP isn't a local call.

My cats are terrified. They've never had stairs before.

Weather has been good but the order in which things have been moved is undesireable. I can't get to my plates and glasses or the clothes I wear around the house, but if I need another AC cable or some dress shoes...

Sigh.

 

[Mercutio]

grumble grumble.

Laptop is out of power.
Can't find AC cable.

grumble grumble.

Desktop computers mostly OK.
Can't find modems.

grumble grumble.