LL's new house and moving hacks thread

[LittleLebowski]

Post your moving hacks. Talk to me about driveway alarms (on a budget) like this one (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ISVJL6/). Five acres, suppressed shooting friendly, moving in next weekend. Using a POD.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L09qnRfZY-k

[David S.]

I've only moved between apartment sized homes.

We've found the most cost-effective way to move was use movers to load and unload the truck. We pack and unpack the boxes. This saved significant labor cost.

[rob_s]

We moved last year. Movers packed both old houses, moved everything, dropped boxes in locations we dictated, we unpacked.

I'm 41 years old. I'm not carrying furniture and borrowing pickup trucks like a college student.

My suggestion would be to make sure you are on-site for the packing, and the loading of the truck. Pack anything you think might get broken yourself. Tote anything you care if it gets broken yourself (electronics and pictures). They will break things you didn't know could be broken. Write it off. Replacing the knobs and valves on my Weber is cheaper to my sanity and relationship than moving it myself.

[Matt O]

Five acres, suppressed shooting friendly, moving in next weekend.

That is officially awesome-sauce.


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[LittleLebowski]

That is officially awesome-sauce.


I guess I forgot to mention the tree stand already on the property :cool:

[voodoo_man]

Yesssssss, LMK when the house warming is.


Few things to consider....

Wireless cameras with long effective range - maybe install a repeater?

Driveway ground sensors set for vehicles and people

360 degree swivel/controllable camera setup at the top of the highest point of your house always recording and can be controlled by phone - think highway cameras

[ranger]

With two college age (now "grown") kids - my wife became the moving coordinator. We had good luck on multiple moves over the last 5 years with 1) buying boxes from Lowes-Home Depot, 2) boxing up stuff ourselves - note you need someone to constantly say "can't we throw that away", "donate", etc. as this is a great opportunity to literally clean house, 3) rent appropriate Uhaul trucks and trailers, 4) use Uhaul webpage to find local workers to load truck, 5) drive trucks and trailers to new location, 6) hire local workers to unload truck, 7) again try to de-clutter (de-hoard), 8) put stuff up your self.

When we moved to our recent house, I hired a low voltage contractor and paid to integrate alarm system, entertainment system, HVAC controls, smoke detectors, etc. versus me cobbling it all together. Best money I ever spent. Run it all off the iPad.

[Dagga Boy]

First...order a dumpster, throw away as much collected shit as you can. I actually filled half a dumpster with gun magazines.
Pack the easy stuff yourself. Clothes, books, and easy items.
Let professionals pack the really fragile stuff and things like big TV's.
Let the pro's move you. Your friends and back will thank you.

[Matt O]

I guess I forgot to mention the tree stand already on the property :cool:

Even sweeter. Let me know if you need help setting stuff up before next season.

I also owe you a bottle of tequila and conveniently have a suppressor coming in (hopefully) March/April, *wink* *wink*.


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[breakingtime91]

I guess I forgot to mention the tree stand already on the property :cool:

congrats! I love moving, always a chance to clean stuff out and reset priorities.

[NEPAKevin]

P Talk to me about driveway alarms (on a budget) like this one (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ISVJL6/).

Have one, it works, very basic. The dog goes full Malinois when it goes off. Snow seems to make ti super sensitive. Shortly after purchasing, I got a "you may be interested in" email from Amazon for the Skylink (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003CWK4JK) system, to which you can add other stuff, like a basement water sensor, etc. but our house alarm has or can do that and that stuff so I never looked into it.

ETA, if you get the Chamberlain and want to add sensors, the price for them goes up and down. I put one in my shopping cart but then saved it figuring I would try out the main unit first and kind of forgot about it. After a while, I noticed it went down to almost half price from when I first added it.

[idahojess]

I actually filled half a dumpster with gun magazines.


I gasped when I read this, but then I realized you must have meant magazines such as, "Guns and Ammo," not magazines, such as P-Mags!

[Poconnor]

I am preparing to move and just started going through my stuff. Threw out a lot of gun magazines. Already had an argument with with wife that I'm keeping too much

[LittleLebowski]

I gasped when I read this, but then I realized you must have meant magazines such as, "Guns and Ammo," not magazines, such as P-Mags!

Half a dozen PF members are staking out nyeti's trash right now :D

[LittleLebowski]

Have one, it works, very basic. The dog goes full Malinois when it goes off. Snow seems to make ti super sensitive. Shortly after purchasing, I got a "you may be interested in" email from Amazon for the Skylink (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003CWK4JK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_23&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER) system, to which you can add other stuff, like a basement water sensor, etc. but our house alarm has or can do that and that stuff so I never looked into it.

ETA, if you get the Chamberlain and want to add sensors, the price for them goes up and down. I put one in my shopping cart but then saved it figuring I would try out the main unit first and kind of forgot about it. After a while, I noticed it went down to almost half price from when I first added it.


Good scoop, thanks. One shortcoming I see with the Chamberlain is that it doesn't have a visual-only alarm. I would like to have that option.

[Cookie Monster]

Moving:

Hand trucks are the shit, every man should own a hand truck, one made in America.

Moving blankets, get them use them

Buy good packing tape and a good dispenser

Use it as an excuse to get a bunch of quality plastic containers for long term storage of stuff you really use - Christmas, winter clothes, etc

I always order lunch for the movers or have coffee and pastries. I don't know if it works but I hope when they are packing or moving something they'll skip a beat do it correctly or with more care.

I tend to thin and organize stuff before hand if there is time so you don't end up with underwear in kitchen boxes.

[RevolverRob]

Same size boxes as much as possible. I used ULine's Economy boxes with lids - http://www.uline.com/BL_6656/Uline-Economy-Storage-File-Boxes-with-Lid The Letter/legal size. I ordered fifty of them and they held ~seven bookshelves of books and periodicals + kitchen + bedroom + bathroom + knick/knacks and collectibles...It loaded into the Penske truck we used to move from Austin to Chicago and everything went smooth as could be. Actually one of the easiest moves I've ever done (and I've moved 24 times).

You could get 30-50 in each of the three sizes. Boxes that are the same size are SO easy to move. The nice things about the letter/legal sized boxes - 1) With the lids, they stack stupid easy 6-8 high depending on how loaded they are. 2) They are the right size for holding enough stuff, but not overloading with too much stuff.

We're actually moving starting next week to a condo next door to our current building. I'm dreading it a bit, because the "We have two-weeks to move and it's four minutes between without loading/unloading a car" - tend to be the most chaotic fucking moves ever.

-Rob

[pablo]

I'm in that category of people that got hurt moving stuff and spent a lot more than hiring someone.

If you hire a mover, their insurance will cover your property as cargo and it's insured by the pound, somewhere in the range of $0.35-0.80 per pound. If they give you a hard time about their insurance not covering items that you packed yourself, it's not like you're missing out on much. Your current (old residence) renter/homeowner's policy may cover household goods in transit and it's a good idea to keep that policy until the move's completed.

[Drang]

So now the top-of-screen ads are all about "You Move It" services...

[StraitR]

So now the top-of-screen ads are all about "You Move It" services...

LOL. I have Nissan Cargo Vans.

[scw2]

Moving blankets, get them use them

Great for big stuff if you use the plastic wrap stuff they sell to wrap the blankets in place. Helps protect furniture and minimize damage.

[Slavex]

+1 for using movers, no BS and they are efficient. I didn't think so much stuff could get moved so quickly as it did when we moved into our house 11 years ago. Make sure to label boxes for the rooms you want them in, label multiple sides of the box.
another tip, if any boxes are unopened after 3 months of being in the house, toss them. Well, look in them, but then toss them.

[NEPAKevin]

Good scoop, thanks. One shortcoming I see with the Chamberlain is that it doesn't have a visual-only alarm. I would like to have that option.

I will have to double check when I get home, but I know there is a volume control and IIRC an LED that blinks. The one thing you can't turn off is the sensor has an LED that lights up when you trigger it, which is good for when you are positioning it during set up, but it's pretty obvious in the dark and to a bad guy, or even a juvenile delinquent, it might say smash me.

BTW, forget what I said about the prices, as I think they were just high when I ordered them. Base unit is now ten dollars cheaper than what I paid and the extra sensor is about he same.

[theJanitor]

As much as possible, use ALL the same boxes. It makes for easy stacking and organizing. Number the boxes, and keep a rough inventory sheet of what's in them. It also makes it easy to tell the movers what boxes go into what room.

Buy a large roll of the self adhesive carpet protector from home depot. protect the floors and carpet in the areas you know will have alot of foot and handtruck traffic. A cheap pack of rubber door stops helps keep the doors out of the way and undamaged.

I've moved 6 times in the past fifteen years. The last time, the movers came while my wife went into labor a week early. When the Dr. said it would be several more hours until anything happened, I gave her a kiss and left the hospital to move our apartment.

[HCM]

I had the pros from the local safe dealer/locksmith shop move my thousand pound gun safe. Best $300 I ever spent. I also agree on using moving blankets and specialty boxes for things like big-screen TVs and furniture etc.

For a long distance move, movers and identical boxes are the way to go.

If you are doing a local move you may want to check with your local liquor stores and the produce department at your local supermarket. Both are great sources of durable boxes, particularly the produce and banana boxes. If you have a local newspaper, especially in a small town they will also often sell the leftover/remaining rolls of newsprint very reasonably. This makes great packing material for fragile items such as glassware and electronics.

[okie john]

Pay it forward: leave a six pack of good beer in the fridge and a full roll of toilet paper next to the toilet when you leave the old place.


Okie John

[OnionsAndDragons]

MURS radio systems can be set up to use motion sensors at key areas, and can give you excellent and pretty secure comms over your property. No license needed.


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[Mitch]

We're actually moving starting next week to a condo next door to our current building. I'm dreading it a bit, because the "We have two-weeks to move and it's four minutes between without loading/unloading a car" - tend to be the most chaotic fucking moves ever.

-RobThat's pretty much the same situation my wife and I had moving from out apartment to our house. We didn't use movers because it was so close and we had 3 weeks to move 1 mile away. Moved everything out of our apartment (with no elevator) into a split level home with a basement too. It sucked hard. I swore that was the last time I moved without movers. I'm not in my 20s any more, I'm leaving that bull shit behind.


Pay it forward: leave a six pack of good beer in the fridge and a full roll of toilet paper next to the toilet when you leave the old place.


Okie John

There's a special spot in hell for people who leave homes without toilet paper in them.

[RevolverRob]

As much as possible, use ALL the same boxes. It makes for easy stacking and organizing. Number the boxes, and keep a rough inventory sheet of what's in them. It also makes it easy to tell the movers what boxes go into what room.

I agree numbering them for movers. I organize like with like. Personally, I prefer letters: K for kitchen, Bed1, Bath1, etc. Movers have no issue with that and it keeps things easier. I also use masking tape (like the blue painter type) to provide a label of contents for the inside. Works great and blue labels stand out on brown boxes.

OH and don't forget NUMBER/LABEL the SIDE of the damn box, not the just the top (do the top too). But the worst is stacking them up and going, "DAMNIT, which one of these has my whiskey in it?!" I made this mistake on my last move and I still regret it.

I just did the math the apartment move next week will be move 27 in my life.

-Rob

[Drang]

But the worst is stacking them up and going, "DAMNIT, which one of these has my whiskey in it?!"
5867

[pablo]

There's a special spot in hell for people who leave homes without toilet paper in them.

Until someone drops sailors off, finished up the paperwork and there's no running water.

[rob_s]

another tip, if any boxes are unopened after 3 months of being in the house, toss them. Well, look in them, but then toss them.

We more or less did this. We had the luxury of moving almost all of our boxes into the shop we have on-property before cycling them into the house. So the movers, essentially, put all of the furniture and essential boxes in the house (clothes, basic dishes, etc.) and the rest into the shop (books, toys, gun stuff, minor appliances). Then we retrieved what we needed, when we needed it. I have since ditched every single cardboard box for these (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006IARN/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687682&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000189CSC&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=11ZPXNFTGDFSJXSJ0RWJ), and only things we want to keep or are too expensive to toss (like a lot of my gun crap) live in the bins. The bins then live on these shelves (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Gladiator-4-Shelf-72-in-H-x-77-in-W-x-24-in-D-Welded-Steel-Garage-Shelving-Unit-GARS774SZG/204280487).

What I wish I had done was gotten the shelves before the move (I was going to build them out of wood myself originally) so that the boxes could have better organized in the shop. As it is, one whole set of shelves is almost entirely consumed by shooting supplies and ammo.

I also kind of wish I had bought the bins pre-move and saved on the boxes, but having to go through every box and decide if the stuff was worth keeping really helped weed out the crap.

[LSP552]

Sounds like a nice place, good luck with the move. I'm a pack rat, and moving is about the only thing makes me throw stuff away. Maybe it's an opportunity to get rid of old stuff? PODS are great, and we used one in a remodel a few years ago. If possible, pack the small important things and let the movers do the rest.

[ffhounddog]

LL,

Good luck with the move.

I ended up buying a large storage shed myself. Going to reiterate its good to have storage for items that are seassonal. Unfortuently my seasonal storage the wife turned into long term.

I have been buying a lot of plastic totes for storing items. Makes things easier to stack and move.

I also use a plastic tote while cleaning if an item is not suppose to be in X it goes into the tote.

Last before you ask people to help move, pack everything first. Nothing as frustrating as someone asking you 100 times where does this go or dude Why is there a dildo in the sock drawer.

[RevolverRob]

Last before you ask people to help move, pack everything first.

I stopped helping friends move, because of this very reason. I hate packing my own crap up...I don't want to pack your's too!!!

Seriously, a couple of friends were notorious for this. Twice...TWICE my wife volunteered us to help them move. First time we go over there, nothing in the house is packed. Hell, they didn't even have boxes, they texted us that morning asking us to bring boxes. I showed up with half-a-dozen boxes, figuring they meant they just needed a few more for miscellaneous stuff. No...they meant bring 60 boxes, because we haven't even packed a thing. I spent the whole damn day packing someone else's stuff. The next time we showed up and one room (of 6) was packed up. I moved that room into their Uhaul and then I left. My wife, forever being too nice stayed and helped them. I was too mad to do that..."Fool me once..."

-Rob

[LittleLebowski]

From a really good friend of mine from the Corps (3/1, Scout Sniper) who still carries a gun for a living. Benches 475, weighs 275ish, but has a lightning fast wit. It's funny, laugh :D


You should put on a pair of overalls and sit in a rocking chair on your front porch with a double barrel shotgun in your lap so whenever kids pass by they can say "oh shit it's old man LlittleLebowski, run!" and then you get killed by the creature that rises from out of the abandoned mine shaft that you didn't notice approaching because you're distracted by reading your 1987 copy of "BIG Puerto Rican TITS" magazine but that's another story I don't have time for.