Not every house move is as simple as parking the moving truck outside the front door and loading up the furniture.
Across Auckland and other parts of New Zealand, homes can have steep or narrow driveways, limited street parking, stairs, shared driveways or entrances that make moving larger items more challenging. Apartments and townhouses can bring their own issues, with lifts, loading areas, tight stairwells and body corporate requirements to work around.
Sometimes there’s also that one piece of furniture that came into the house years ago but doesn’t seem to have an obvious way of getting back out.
These things don’t necessarily make for a difficult move. They just mean it’s worth identifying them early and having a plan before moving day.
A recent Smart Express house move involved several of these challenges, including a narrow driveway, tricky access, large furniture that needed another way into the property, fragile belongings, and packing and unpacking support.
Here’s what we learned from that move and what you should think about if access to your own home isn’t straightforward.
When you live somewhere every day, it’s easy to overlook things that could make a difference on moving day.
The driveway you use every day might be fine for your car but too narrow or steep for a larger moving truck. A staircase that’s easy to walk up could be much harder to navigate with a sofa. Street parking that’s usually available may disappear during busy times.
Before booking your move, have a look at both your current and new home and ask:
The earlier your movers know about these things, the easier it is to work out the best way to manage them.
When getting a moving quote, it’s important to give your movers a good idea of both how much you have to move and what access is like at each property.
The number of bedrooms gives an indication of how much furniture and how many boxes there might be, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
A three-bedroom house with the truck parked right outside could be quite different from a three-bedroom house down a long shared driveway with several flights of stairs.
For the Smart Express move featured here, the narrow driveway meant the team needed to think about where the truck could be positioned and the best way to carry furniture between the house and truck.
Access can affect the truck, team, equipment and time needed to complete a move, so it’s worth raising any potential issues when you’re getting your quote.
Smart Moving Tip: Send Photos Before Moving Day
If there’s anything unusual about your property, send your moving company a few photos or a short video.
Useful things to photograph include:
A couple of photos can help identify something that might otherwise only become obvious when the moving truck turns up.
Most people measure their furniture to make sure it fits into the new place. But there’s an equally important question to ask: Will it actually fit through the door?
For larger pieces, check the:
Also think about furniture that may have been assembled inside the house. Bed frames, dining tables, shelving and modular furniture can often be easier to move if they’re partly dismantled first.
And don’t assume that because something came through the front door years ago, it will automatically go back out the same way. Renovations, new doors, handrails or other changes to the property may have changed the available space.
For the Smart Express move, some of the larger furniture couldn’t be practically moved through the normal internal access.
The property had balcony access, which gave the team another option.
Sometimes there’s a better way to move a large item than trying to squeeze it through a doorway or around a tight staircase.
Before using another access point, however, the team needs to look at the size and weight of the item, the space available, what’s around the property and the safest way to get it in or out.
Heavy or bulky furniture shouldn’t be lifted over balconies or through difficult access points without the right experience and equipment.
If you think something may need another way in or out, mention it when booking your move rather than waiting until moving day.
Good packing matters on every move, but it’s particularly useful when belongings have to be carried further or moved through tight spaces.
For this move, Smart Express helped with packing before moving day, including preparing fragile belongings and labelling boxes by room.
If you are tackling the packing yourself, a few straightforward steps can transform the entire process:
Good packing is not about cramming boxes full. Keep your items safe, easy to carry, and placed in the right room.
It’s easy to spend all your time thinking about how you’re going to get everything out of your current home.
Don’t forget about getting it into the new one.
Before moving day, check:
If possible, decide where beds, sofas, dining tables, cabinets and other large pieces will go before the truck arrives.
It’s much easier for the moving team to put a heavy piece of furniture in the right place the first time than for you to have to move it again later.
Sometimes the challenge isn’t the house, it’s getting the moving truck close to it.
This can be particularly important in parts of Auckland where street parking is limited, roads are busy or apartment buildings have specific loading areas.
Being able to park the truck right outside makes a big difference.
If the team has to carry furniture a fair distance between the house and truck, it can add time and needs to be factored into the move.
If parking around your property is normally difficult, let your movers know when you book.
For apartment moves, it’s also worth checking with the building manager or body corporate beforehand. You may need to organise a lift booking, loading area or a particular time for moving in or out.
Sorting this before moving day can save a lot of unnecessary waiting around.
For people buying and selling homes in New Zealand, there’s another type of access to consider: when you can actually get into the new property.
You may need to be completely out of your old home before settlement is completed and you get access to the new one.
Before moving day, make sure you know:
If you’re working to a tight settlement-day timeframe, tell your moving company when you’re booking.
The more your movers know beforehand, the easier it is to plan the day around your situation.
For this particular move, Smart Express also helped with unpacking.
Even if you’re planning to unpack yourself, there’s one very simple thing you can do beforehand:
The same applies to furniture. If you know where the bed, sofa and dining table are going before the truck arrives, tell the team.
Less double-handling means less work once the movers have gone.
Before getting your moving quote, take five minutes to walk from the road to your front door and imagine doing it while carrying your largest piece of furniture.
Then ask yourself:
If you’ve answered yes to any of these, mention them when requesting your quote.
Photos or a short video can be particularly useful.
Tricky access doesn’t have to mean a stressful move.
The key is letting your movers know what they’re dealing with before moving day, so the right truck, team and equipment can be organised.
A few photos, some basic measurements and accurate information about access at both homes can make a big difference.
At Smart Express Moving & Delivery, our teams help with everything from straightforward house moves to homes involving narrow driveways, stairs, apartments, large furniture, fragile belongings and other access challenges.
We can also help with packing and unpacking if you’d like an extra hand before or after moving day.
You don’t need to work out the solution yourself.
When requesting your Smart Express moving quote, tell us about any stairs, narrow or shared driveways, parking restrictions, apartment access, tight entrances or unusually large furniture.
Send us a few photos if you can! That gives our team a better understanding of what’s involved and helps us work out the best approach before the truck arrives.
Good planning before moving day can make moving day a whole lot easier.
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