How Long Does It Take To Move House?
This is a common question we get asked, but it is also a hard question to answer. From the thousands of apartment and house moves we have done, no move has ever been the same.
In general, for a local move within the same city, a professional removalists company can help you move house within the same day. There are many factors that come into play with how long a move can take. For example, a small apartment may take 2 – 4 hours to move and a larger house may take 8 – 10 hours to move, but this is not definitive.
We go through all the different factors removalists have to consider before calculating how long a move will take. There are also ways you can make your move go by faster if you are working within a budget and a time frame.
How long does it take to move an apartment or house?
The duration of your move will depend on many factors such as:
- How many boxes you have to move
- How many pieces of furniture you have to move
- How many pieces of furniture require dismantling and reassembling
- Where the truck can park at each property
- The type of access at each property
- How organised and prepared you are
If you live in a 1 bedroom apartment that is on level 5 and there are only stairs the removalists can use, your move will take longer than someone who lives in a 1 bedroom apartment that has a lift that can be booked for exclusive use just for the removalists.
Or you could live in a 3 bedroom single home where there is no nearby parking for the truck so the truck has to park 150m away from your property. Your move will take significantly longer than someone who has a 3 bedroom single home where the truck can park directly in the driveway within 10m to the front door.
Average Time It Takes To Move Apartment / House
Please note the below table is a guide only.
| Property Size | Volume Of Furniture & Boxes | Number of Removalists | Average Loading Time | Average Unloading Time |
| 1 bedroom apartment | 10m3 | 2 movers | 1 – 2 hours | 1 – 1.5 hours |
| 1-2 bedroom apartment | 20m3 | 2 movers | 2 – 3 hours | 2 – 2.5 hours |
| 2-3 bedroom apartment | 30m3 | 2 movers | 3 – 4 hours | 3 – 3.5 hours |
| 3 bedroom house | 40m3 | 2 movers | 4 – 5 hours | 4 – 4.5 hours |
| 3-4 bedroom house | 50m3 | 3 movers | 4 – 5 hours | 4 – 4.5 hours |
| 4-5 bedroom house | 60m3 | 3 movers | 4.5 – 5.5 hours | 4.5 – 5 hours |
How long does it take to pack a house?
The duration it takes to pack an apartment or house depends on what kind and how much stuff there is to pack into boxes. A professional packer can pack an average of 5 boxes in an hour. Fragile items such as kitchenware and photo frames will take longer to pack as they need to be wrapped in packing paper. Whereas, easy to pack items such as books and clothes will be faster to pack.
Every home is different and everyone has different amounts of items to be packed. Some people may be minimalists with only the essential items so they may have 10 boxes. Others may have a full library room with hundreds of books and will need 50 boxes just for their books alone.
Average Time To Pack An Apartment / House
Please note the below table is a guide only.
|
Property Size |
Number of Boxes To Pack | Number of Packers |
Average Packing Time |
|
1 bedroom apartment |
10 boxes | 2 packers |
1 – 1.5 hours |
|
1-2 bedroom apartment |
20 boxes | 2 packers | 2 – 2.5 hours |
|
2-3 bedroom apartment |
30 boxes | 2 packers |
3 – 3.5 hours |
|
3 bedroom house |
40 boxes | 2 packers |
4 – 4.5 hours |
|
4 bedroom house |
50 boxes | 2 packers |
5 – 5.5 hours |
|
5 bedroom house |
60 boxes | 2 packers |
6 – 6.5 hours |
How long does it take to unpack a house?
The total time it takes to unpack an apartment or house depends on how many boxes you have and how ready your home is. A professional unpacker can unpack an average of 5 boxes in an hour. Fragile items such as dinnerware will take a bit longer to unpack as they need to be unwrapped from packing paper or bubble wrap. Whereas, items such as clothes and linen are quicker to unpack.
Everyone has different amounts of items depending on how many people live in the household and how much stuff each member has.
Average Time To Unpack An Apartment / House
Please note the below table is a guide only.
| Property Size | Number of Boxes To Unpack | Number of Unpackers | Average Unpacking Time |
| 1 bedroom apartment | 10 boxes | 2 unpackers | 1 – 1.5 hours |
| 2 bedroom apartment | 20 boxes | 2 unpackers | 2 – 2.5 hours |
| 3 bedroom apartment | 30 boxes | 2 unpackers | 3 – 3.5 hours |
| 3 bedroom house | 40 boxes | 2 unpackers | 4 – 4.5 hours |
| 4 bedroom house | 50 boxes | 2 unpackers | 5 – 5.5 hours |
| 5 bedroom house | 60 boxes | 2 unpackers | 6 – 6.5 hours |
