Historical move account — original move date not yet confirmed. This is a historical account of one family's move. The services, prices, discounts, equipment, and administrative procedures described may no longer be available. Read the current planning guide for today's process. Practices identified in an editor's safety note should not be repeated.
Moving yourself is hard work. Aaron and Pam put in many hours of labor to have a successful DITY Move, but their hard work paid off. They got themselves, their family, and their stuff from Maryland to Colorado without injury or significant strife.
Even this carefully executed, successful DITY Move still resulted in some damage. A move going well doesn't mean it goes perfectly — in Aaron and Pam's case they had the following damage:
- The glass in one picture was broken due to poor packing
- The large shelves that were not disassembled and were loaded last sustained some minor scuffing/rubbing damage
- Two of the walls in their new house were slightly marked
- An antique clock had an internal chime rattle loose and come off (it was transported in their car rather than in the trailer)
Aaron and Pam each put in an estimated 70 to 80 hours of work over 3 to 4 months — their own estimate for their own household, not a prediction of what your move will take. Some of this was planning, purchasing supplies, etc. A substantial amount of time went into sorting and disposing of unneeded items. The largest portion by far was packing, disassembling, and preparing for the loading days. Loading took a lot of dedicated time over 4 days, often continuing until after dark, while unloading took only a matter of hours.
So what should you take from this story? Moving yourself is a big deal that should not be taken lightly. If you're committed and willing to put in the necessary work, it can be done very successfully. This story is not intended to convince anyone to jump into moving themselves, but rather is intended to give some insight into what a DITY Move entails so that you can make a more informed decision about whether or not to take the plunge and move yourself.