Packing and storage in Kent, and somewhere to wait

What do our packing and storage services include?

Packing with us comes at four levels: materials only, fragile items only, full packing of every room, and unpacking at the new house. In every case we supply the cartons, paper, bubble wrap, tape and hanging wardrobe cartons, and every carton is labelled with the room it is going to. Storage is for the gap between two completions, or between a UK sale and a home abroad becoming ready. Goods are entered on an inventory as they are loaded, held securely, and delivered when you say, and you keep a copy of that inventory throughout. We pack differently for storage, because a carton that will sit sealed for a long time needs to go in dry and clean. Both services are quoted as part of the move itself, so a slipped completion changes the delivery date rather than the whole plan.

Four packing levels: which do you need?

Packing nearly always takes longer than people plan for. Cupboards, drawers and the space under the stairs hide far more than a walk-round suggests. Choose the level for the house you actually have.

Old houses and new houses pack differently

Packing a Kentish ragstone cottage or a Weald hall house is half dismantling: narrow turns and low doorways mean more pieces come apart, and fragile items come out of deep inglenook cupboards and uneven shelves. In a new build the work is quicker, but carton corners mark soft plasterboard and painted spindles, so the stairwell is protected before the first box comes down.

What goes wrong when people pack themselves?

• Books in big cartons. Nobody can lift them and the base gives way. Books always go in small cartons.
• Plates laid flat. Plates travel on their edge, each one wrapped. Stacked flat, they crack from the middle outwards.
• Half-empty cartons. Empty space is what crushes a box. Fill the gaps with paper or towels.
• Labels on the lid only. Mark the destination room on a side panel too, because once cartons are stacked nobody can see the tops.
• The loft left till last. It always holds more than anyone remembers. Start there, not finish there.

Why storage comes up so often in Kent

Kent chains are often long: London sellers buying in the county, local families trading up, first-time buyers at the bottom, and every link waiting on a solicitor. When one link slips, a household needs somewhere to go that is not a driveway.

Goods are inventoried as they load, stored securely and delivered when you say, with a copy of the inventory kept by you. It turns a failed completion into a change of date. If you want to know more about how storage will work for your move, including access to items while they are stored, ask at the survey and we will set it out in the quote.

Packing for storage is different

A carton that survives a short drive is not necessarily fit to sit sealed in store. Everything needs to be dry going in, clothes keep better in cartons than loose in drawers, and anything with oil, soil or food on it, such as a lawnmower, a barbecue or a half-used tin, causes problems later.

Let us know at the survey that storage is likely. We will either pack with that in mind, or give you a short list of changes if you are doing the packing yourselves.

What we will not store

Nothing perishable, flammable or corrosive: no fuel, gas bottles, paint, solvents, fireworks, plants or food. Documents, jewellery, cash and irreplaceable papers are safer with you.

Storage usually comes attached to a house removal, a long-distance move or a move abroad. Describe the whole picture and we quote it as one job.