Timber-framed and Wealden
Cranbrook, Tenterden, Headcorn and the villages between. Uneven floors, low beams, doorways built for shorter people, and staircases that decide what comes apart. These are slow, careful moves and we quote them as such.
House removals
House removals across Kent
A county with six centuries of housing in it does not have one kind of move. What decides your day is which of these your house is — and the survey exists to find that out before anybody quotes.
Six kinds of Kent house
There is no general Kent house move. A timber-framed Wealden cottage and a new build outside Ashford are different trades, done by the same crew with the same materials and entirely different amounts of time.
Ragstone and village cottages
Around Maidstone and the Downs villages. Thick walls, small openings and often a garden gate rather than a drive — which means a longer carry and a vehicle parked further away than anyone would like.
Medway terraces
Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham. Dense Victorian terrace on hills above the river, narrow halls, and a parking situation that decides the whole morning. The best-planned moves in the county, because they have to be.
City flats and conversions
Canterbury inside the walls, and the older parts of Maidstone. Restricted vehicle access, shared entrances and stairs with a turn. Often a transfer to a smaller vehicle for the last stretch.
Coastal and seafront
Deal, Hythe, Whitstable's edges and the Marsh. External stairs, salt-worn ironwork, and wind that genuinely decides whether anything goes out of an upper window.
New estates
Outside Ashford, Maidstone and Gravesend. Sensible doorways, decent parking, unfinished road surfaces and a satnav that has not caught up with the street names yet.
What the survey settles
- The real volume, including the loft, the garage and the garden — the three places that are always bigger than remembered.
- What comes apart, and whether it will survive coming apart.
- Where the vehicle stands at both ends, and whether a shuttle is needed.
- Whether the crew is two, three or four, and how long the day actually is.
- What would change the price, written down, before anything is agreed.
How the day runs
Floors and door frames protected first, at both ends. Furniture wrapped where it stands — blankets on upholstery, corners protected, mirrors and glass crated. The load goes on in an order that suits unloading rather than the order things happen to be standing in.
At the far end, things go into the rooms you point at. Beds we dismantled get rebuilt first. The inventory is checked before the crew leaves, with you there.
When the dates do not meet
Kent chains run long, and a completion that slips by a fortnight is ordinary rather than exceptional. The household goes into storage, inventoried as it loads, and comes out when you have keys. Tell us early and it is a line on the quote rather than a scramble.
Family moves get the same treatment with the day built around a school run, and long-distance work is where most of our out-of-county moves sit.
Worth knowing
Kent house moves, the practical questions
Our house is timber-framed with uneven floors. Is that a problem?
It is a Wealden speciality and it is entirely normal work. Uneven floors, low beams and doorways built for shorter people mean more dismantling and more patience rather than more haste. The survey is where we establish which pieces come apart.
What about a listed building?
The constraint is usually the fabric rather than the furniture: no fixings, no leaning ladders against render, and protection on flagstones and staircases. We work to that as standard, and if a piece genuinely will not come down a period staircase we say so at survey.
Will you dismantle and rebuild furniture?
Beds, wardrobes, table legs and anything that will not fit through a door assembled. It is part of the job and we rebuild at the other end. Flat-pack that has already been moved once is the exception — we will say honestly if a piece is unlikely to survive another dismantle.
How early should we book?
As soon as you have a realistic date, and earlier for a Friday or an end-of-month completion. If the date has just landed on you, ring anyway — short notice works more often than people expect.
What happens on the day?
The crew walks the house with you, protects floors and doorways, and starts with the furniture that sets the load. Boxes go on in room order so unloading is not a treasure hunt. At the other end things go into the rooms you point at.
Do you take the shed, the carpets, the garden pots?
Carpets if they are up and rolled, sheds only if already dismantled and manageable, pots yes within reason — though a large planted pot is heavier than it looks and needs flagging. Tell us at survey and it goes on the inventory.
Book the survey before you book the date.
The real volume and the real access change what the day needs. It costs nothing, and it is the difference between a quote and a guess.