Packing & storage
Packing, and a bridge
Packing decides whether the day ends at a reasonable hour. Storage decides what happens when the chain moves under you — and it is far cheaper as a plan than as a rescue.
Four levels
- Materials. Cartons, paper, bubble, tape and wardrobe boxes delivered in advance; you pack and we replenish.
- Fragile only. The kitchen, the glass and the pictures done by the crew; the books, clothes and loft left to you.
- Full packing. The whole house, usually the day before loading, leaving you with documents and valuables.
- Unpacking. Cartons opened at the far end, contents out on surfaces, packaging removed.
Choose by the time you actually have
The common failure is a household two-thirds packed the night before, finishing the kitchen while a crew stands in the hall. It converts a planned day into a long one and it is entirely avoidable.
If it is slipping a week out, say so. Adding a packing crew late is much easier than recovering a late start.
Storage as a planned contingency
Chains in HA5 are long and they move. Rather than treating that as an emergency, we put it in the plan: what storage would involve, how much notice a change needs, and how quickly the load can be redirected.
Goods are inventoried as they load, held securely, and redelivered on a date you set. You keep a copy of the inventory; access is by appointment rather than a walk-in arrangement.
Packing for storage is a different standard
Everything dry going in. Clothes boxed rather than left loose in furniture. Nothing with a residue, no fuel, no batteries left in appliances. A carton that survives an hour on a vehicle is not automatically fit to sit sealed for a season.
What we will not store
Nothing perishable, flammable or corrosive — no fuel, gas bottles, paint, solvents, fireworks, plants or food. Documents, jewellery and irreplaceable items stay with you.
Storage usually attaches to a house move, a downsizing into an apartment, or a move abroad.
Worth knowing
Packing and storage, in plain terms
What are the packing options?
Materials dropped off for you to use; fragile-only packing of the kitchen, glass and pictures; full packing of the whole house, usually the day before loading; and unpacking at the far end.
How do we choose a level?
By the time you will realistically have, not the time you would like. Most households are two-thirds packed the night before, which turns a planned day into a long one.
How does the storage work?
Goods are inventoried as they load, held securely and redelivered on a date you set. You keep a copy of the inventory; access is by appointment rather than a walk-in arrangement.
Does storage change how things are packed?
Yes. Everything dry going in, clothes boxed rather than left in furniture, nothing with a residue and no batteries left in appliances.
What will you not store?
Nothing flammable, explosive or corrosive; no gas bottles, paint, solvents, fuel or fireworks; no perishables, plants or living creatures. Documents, jewellery and irreplaceable items stay with you.
Decide the packing level early. Arrange storage earlier.
Both are cheaper and calmer as a decision than as a Saturday-morning emergency.