I need advice on moving!

[davidpierson]

I am moving homes at the end of the year, but I'm very inexperienced in this area. It's pretty much the first big move I have made in my life. I have a few questions that I was hoping some kind souls will be able to answer.

1.) Right now, I'm living alone in an apartment in Toronto and I'm going to move to a new house in Ottawa. I already contacted a moving company and they gave me a quote on their services. That part is fine.

However, there's also some furniture that I'd like to move from my parents' place into my new house, but they live all the way in Edmonton. I need to move the furniture out of my parents' house by November, but I won't actually move to Ottawa until December, so I don't really know what to do with this furniture during those few weeks? I don't have any space in my apartment, so I need to store the furniture somewhere. Should I ship it to Toronto first, and then move the furniture again in December? Or should I save myself the extra trip and just ship it directly to Ottawa? It shouldn't make a difference where I store the furniture, right?

2.) I'm also moving a piano from my apartment to my new house. The moving company told me that they will be able to transport the piano with the rest of my belongings, but I'm a little worried that the movers might mishandle and break it, and I don't want to take that risk. From your experience, are these movers generally reliable? Should I contact a specialist mover to move the piano specifically?

I just want a second opinion on a few of these questions, so any advice would be much appreciated!

[vesper]

Sell what you can then Buy new what you can. Moving sucks.

[davidpierson]

I actually thought about selling some of the furniture, but then again the quality is still pretty new, so it seems like a waste to get rid of furniture that can still be used. I don't want to jump to that option unless it's my last resort.

[KrazE]

I am moving homes at the end of the year, but I'm very inexperienced in this area. It's pretty much the first big move I have made in my life. I have a few questions that I was hoping some kind souls will be able to answer.

1.) Right now, I'm living alone in an apartment in Toronto and I'm going to move to a new house in Ottawa. I already contacted a moving company and they gave me a quote on their services. That part is fine.

However, there's also some furniture that I'd like to move from my parents' place into my new house, but they live all the way in Edmonton. I need to move the furniture out of my parents' house by November, but I won't actually move to Ottawa until December, so I don't really know what to do with this furniture during those few weeks? I don't have any space in my apartment, so I need to store the furniture somewhere. Should I ship it to Toronto first, and then move the furniture again in December? Or should I save myself the extra trip and just ship it directly to Ottawa? It shouldn't make a difference where I store the furniture, right?

Contact a storage facility in Ottawa (Dymon for example) to see about getting it shipped to Ottawa & store it until your move.

2.) I'm also moving a piano from my apartment to my new house. The moving company told me that they will be able to transport the piano with the rest of my belongings, but I'm a little worried that the movers might mishandle and break it, and I don't want to take that risk. From your experience, are these movers generally reliable? Should I contact a specialist mover to move the piano specifically?

I just want a second opinion on a few of these questions, so any advice would be much appreciated!

Check the fine print - they might have some whole clause about damage that could bite you in the butt. Check the BBB, and also google the company to see reviews from others on the web to avoid something like this:

[davidpierson]

Oh my god, that video is like my worst case scenario come true. LOL

I really hope it doesn't come down to relying on damage clauses though. I know there's no such thing as a 100% guarantee, but this actual piano means a lot to me and I want to make sure that it's in the best hands possible.

I actually contacted an Edmonton moving company a while ago, and they gave me their reassurance that they can make a stop at Toronto and Ottawa. Come to think of it, is it better to contact an Ottawa moving company instead? Maybe they'll know the area better?

The company I contacted was Big Steel Box: http://www.bigsteelbox.com/. Has anyone heard of it? How are they?