March 6, 2012
I only recently discovered this box. It is the “Mini Dishpack” box at 18″ x 18″ x 14″ (2.63 cubic feet) or exactly half the height of the standard-sized Dishpack box at 18″ x 18″ x 28″ (5.25 cubic feet). The great thing about Dishpack boxes in general is they have double-thickness cardboard. While doing moves through McGregor Moving for 19 years, I have NEVER had anything break in a Dishpack box if it was halfway properly packed. The double thickness cardboard is really a lifesaver. The main two applications I’ve found for the Mini Dishpack so far:
1) When you have just a few more fragile items to box-pack and you want the double thickness protection of a Dishpack, but you don’t need a full 24″ tall Dishpack. Previously In this situation I would have to:
A) Go with something like a single thickness 3.0 cubic foot box, and hope it was strong enough, or
B) Nest a smaller box within a bigger box, or
C) Use the standard size 24″ tall Dishpack box, and have to work hard to fill the remainder of the box with other items–maybe filler items like towels–or actually waste expensive packing materials by filling the excess box with newsprint, or packing peanuts, or something even more expensive like bubble wrap or mircrofoam.
2) You have something like a heavy rod-iron 16″ statue. You or the customer may not want to pay to have the statue wood-crated, but a standard single-thickness box is really too flimsy.
ENTER THE MINI DISHPACK BOX!
The “Mini Dishpack Box” is part of my regular box-packing arsenal now!
Tags: Box-Packing, Dishpack, double-thickness, McGregor Moving, Mini Dishpack, packing materials, statue
Posted in and Other Art, Box-Packing | Leave a Comment »
March 4, 2012
This is a Nissan NV3500 we used for an Assisted Living move from Birmingham, AL to Woodstock. It has 9′ of cargo space behind the door, and it’s “high cube” is 74″ high so you can stand up in it. We also stood up a full size mattress and box spring “in a tier” which is very helpful in maximizing the load.
We got about 1800 lbs in there including the moving equipment. The great thing is it gets 23 mpg gas as opposed to say an Isuzu with a 16′ box which only gets 10.5 mpg diesel.
Tags: Assisted Living, Birmingham, Woodstock
Posted in Assisted Living and Independent Living, Moving Trucks | Leave a Comment »
March 2, 2011
If the moving truck has to park on a major street in a downtown area, you better check the parking signs and laws.
In the picture below, in Atlanta, on Juniper Street outside of the Tuscany Condo complex, the parking sign says there is no parking Mon to Fri from 6:30a to 9:30a and from 3:30p to 6:30p. That gives you a 6 hour window between 9:30a and 3:30p. Since most professional movers prefer to start between 8 & 9:00am, they are not going to be able to park then at this convenient place on the curb. If it is an afternoon job, then they might start at 1:00pm and be looking to unload around 4pm. Also “Not a Go” if the unloading will be done at this curb.
And I don’t recommend “Risking It.” Cities are hard-up for cash, and they are looking hard for opportunities to fine you $250 — the going rate for a parking ticket at this location in Atlanta.
There are only a few ways around this problem:
1) Park somewhere else. At this “Tuscany” complex a moving truck can actually go inside the security gate to park. Often it is not as convenient access, but it is not bad.
2) Plan it so the truck is only parked within that six hour window. If loading there, you will have to start after 9:30. If unloading, the movers will have to be finished before 3:30p, or they may have to come back the next day.
3) Do the move Saturday or Sunday.
Tags: High-Rise, Juniper Street, parking, towed, Tuscany
Posted in High-Rises, Residential Moves | 1 Comment »
February 23, 2011
Pack fragile items like Hummels and other expensive figurines in Dish-Pack boxes–see picture below. If you
have the original figurine boxes, use those, and then place multiple figurine boxes within a Dish-Pack box. The Dish-Pack is always your preferred box for fragile items since it has double-thickness cardboard walls, and it’s size and shape prevents stacking them too high.
If you don’t have the original figurine boxes, you can use pieces of cardboard, packing paper, and bubble wrap to fashion a box. You can then nest that box within a 1.5 box, and even a 3.0 box before placing the nested boxes within a Dish-Pack box.
DON’T PACK HUMMELS IN THIN OFFICE FILE BOXES as this customer did below–see their labeled box.
CAUTION: If you have professional movers move you, their insurance will not cover you UNLESS THEY DO THE BOX-PACKING. Because of this, many of our customers box-pack many of their loose items, but let us pack their china, figurines, and other especially expensive items.
Tags: 1.5, 3.0, Box-Pack, Dish-Pack, hummel, insurance, pack
Posted in Box-Packing | 3 Comments »
February 23, 2011
In Atlanta we don’t usually have to do moves in the snow. But last month was an exception. On a day when all the schools were closed, and most of the city was shutdown, we were able to get this house loaded even with snow and ice on the ground.
The customer sprinkled salt on the front porch, and we had a strip of plywood to lay over the snow–see below. As long as we loaded most of the items through the side-door, and not through the rear door where we had to use the ramp, then we were okay.
But though the load was successful, we weren’t able to unload at Storage–see picture. The ice made the storage roadway impassable. We had to leave the items on the truck for a few days, and wait for the “big melt.”
Tags: big melt, plywood, ramp, salt, snow, Storage
Posted in Extreme Weather | Leave a Comment »
October 12, 2010
Not Recommended Way of Stacking Your Boxes in Storage Bin
Healthy optimism may dictate you or your client see the downsizing as very temporary. But this becomes very costly if this means putting a lot in storage for when you return to living in a big house or office. You or your client may have a financial recovery, but it is rarely worth it to pay monthly storage until that happens. A 10×20 storage unit is around $170 per month. That is $2040 per year. The average storage bin customer has their stuff in storage for 22 months. At $170 per month that means the average storage customer is paying $3740. That is why mini storage is quite profitable.
Most of the time, the items stored are not worth $3740. And guess what? If they are, then that means you could sell them and pocket hundreds or thousands instead of paying thousands.
It is better for your downsizing client to sell or give away the excess items when downsizing, and use the proceeds and storage savings to buy appropriate furniture and items when she does recover financially.
Posted in Downsizing, Storage | Leave a Comment »
August 16, 2010
For a customer, this weekend we loaded from their non-climate controlled storage unit to their rental truck. Their household goods had been in the storage unit FOR SIX YEARS !!!
Even though there was no sign of water in the storage unit, and no food—there were many RAT OR MICE DROPPINGS ON THE FLOOR THROUGOUT THE UNIT! Furthermore, a leather sofa—which for some reason another Moving Mompany had left in the storage unit unpadded—HAD BEEN CHEWED BY THE RATS OR MICE! There were only very small holes in the walls. It would seem like mice could not fit through those holes, but they obviously did.
This seems to “give the lie” to my previous argument that non-climate controlled storage is plenty safe, but it’s definitely a matter of how long the items are left in storage!
“Ranking of Items Based on Increasingly Vulnerability to Non-Climate Controlled Storage”
1) Metal Desks, File Cabinets, File Cabinets: Would probably fare pretty well in a nuclear attack as long as simply hit by the radiation and not the fireball or shock wave. Rats will not eat them, and air moisture will not be absorbed into them.
2) Wood Furniture: Expands and Contracts with changing temperature, and a certain amount of moisture flows through without damage. Should not be shrink-wrapped while in storage, because when water does get on the furniture, the shrink-wrap will hold it there!
3) Upholstery: The “Archilles Tendon” of non-climate controlled stored furniture. It is sensitive to moisture, and rats and mice like to chew on them. Should not be shrink-wrapped while in storage. Should be Quilt-Padded!
Tags: Loading Rental Trucks, Metal File Cabinets, Mice, Non Climate-Controlled Storage, Rats, Storage, Upholster, Wood Furniture
Posted in Storage, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
March 30, 2010
Tags: 4-Wheel Dolly, Antique Glass, Basement Stairs, Clients, Damage, four-wheel dolly, Fragile Crown, Furniture, Heavy Desk, Height, Maturity, McGregor Moving, McGregor Moving & Storage, Move Themselves, Move Yourself, Protect the Floors, Rental Truck, Size, Stair Railings, stairs, Strength
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
March 30, 2010
Tags: Apartment, box, Carpe Diem, Decatur, Decatur Georgia, Elevator, four-wheel dolly, Greenwood Avenue, Ice House Lofts, Loft, Manhattan, McGregor Moving & Storage, Recycling, Safety Triangles, Shrink Wrap, SpeedPack, stairs, treadmill, Virginia Highlands
Posted in High-Rises, Moving Destinations and Origins, Moving Up Stairs, Residential Moves | Leave a Comment »
February 5, 2010
These Boxes Should Be Packed Inside a Larger Box
"Same Here"
These small, light boxes should have been placed inside a larger box–like a “3.0 cube” box. The movers can much easier and faster handle one “3.0 cube” box than three or four tiny boxes. But list on the larger box the labels of the smaller boxes contained within.
Tags: 3.0 cube, box, movers, small boxes, tiny boxes
Posted in Box-Packing, Residential Moves | Leave a Comment »
