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The Great Move!
Submitted to The Shop
Moving.. across town or to the next city over is one thing, but clear across the country is something completely different.
Has anyone ever moved very far? We just did.
It took months to plan, strategize and organize everything we thought we were going to need. 27 hours and 1800 miles from point A to point B on the map. Ohio to New Mexico.
Two separate journeys; Wife and kids on airplane for half the trip and Amtrak train for the rest. Myself and father-in-law in convoy. I drove the 26’ Uhaul pulling a 15’ Uhaul trailer and my father-in-law in the 2014 town and country all loaded with everything we could fit (even the goldfish). Yes, the goldfish sat shotgun with my father-in-law, in the van, in a blue 5 gallon water jug filled ¾ with water. Clover, the fish, had to be taken into our room each night we stopped. Took 3 full days of 10 hours each day driving to hit our destination.
Unfortunately, we did not get everything packed and I will have to return to Ohio in a few weeks to pack another 26’ Uhaul and then drive another 3 days across the country once again.
Packing a home and a shop takes a lot of planning and organizing. If you create list(s) and have milestones to hit for a timeline then you can make even the most difficult tasks seem easy and seamless.
Save boxes from large deliveries for packing. As the weeks and months pass until your big move day, save as many delivery boxes as you can leading up to it. Costco, Walmart, Home Depot all supply great boxes when you order online with them!
Organize the things used less often first. The more you can pack and store in a corner from the beginning is the best thing you can do. If you are left with everything to pack all at once then all your stuff tends to be all packed together, Old, New, unused, everything. It becomes a mess when unpacking.
Markers, tape, zip ties and newspapers are a must and needed in abundance. Mark everything, every box and even what's inside the box that's inside the box. I know it seems like you will remember exactly what's in the box you just packed but in reality once you look at that box again you will not know what's inside, unless it's marked.
When it comes to packing make sure the boxes or bins you are stuffing with are packed tight and no gaps between things in the boxes or bins. Stuff the extra areas with newspapers or more stuff that belongs. Keep in mind not to stuff too many things as it'll be too heavy to pick up and actually move. Keep that same technique in mind when packing the vehicle as it'll be the same. Keep the boxes tight with each other so no movement occurs and also fill gaps with small(er) boxes or with packing blankets or pillows or comforters. Anything to keep everything from moving.
Utilize “The Space”. Ovens, refrigerators, dryers, washing machines and deep freezers all have great storage spaces to take advantage of. Stuff all your clothes and garments in those nifty areas to create more space.
Straps, straps and more straps. Dont underestimate how many straps you will need. However many you think you'll need, double it. The more you strap boxes and large equipment down or together and tight the less chance you’ll have to damage all your family's valuables and belongings. Keep it tight!
Also, when it comes to straps, getting a set of 2 man forearm or back straps are crucial when having to move washers, dryers, compressors, deep freezers and many other large things we had.
Keep your house and shop together through the move. Pack all the things from your shop and keep them together. Same with your house. Keep it all together. It'll help when unpacking and less running around to different areas of the new house. One room, once section, one piece at a time to where it will go keeps for a smooth operation and less hassle after driving for 3 days straight.
While packing up the shop I made sure to keep all old paint, oils, stains, and any other paint waste separate and made sure I disposed of it all properly. The local waste station takes in and disposes old paint in capped containers, and for free!
I made sure the compressor was fully drained of oil and any condensation in the tank. I drained the compressor so i can turn it on its side while moving it from place to place and not hurting the motor in any way. I refilled the oil once I arrived in the new place and the compressor was ready to hook back up.
If you have the will there is always a way. I have found that YouTube is a great tool for understanding gutters, plumbing, electrical, and any other thing you run into while moving into our new spaces.
Also, being on a budget allows for the creativity to flow. I needed to put gutters on the side of our, well, church. We bought a church to turn into our home. 50 feet long and 20 feet high for gutters. With a scissor lift being hundreds of dollars a day and the nearest bucket truck is an hour and a half away. The only option we had was to rent a 26’ Uhaul again and stand on the roof to install these massive gutters. 200 bucks for 2 days and 4 sheets of plywood was the cost of this endeavor. The plywood was laid on the roof to create a solid floor on top of the thin aluminum roof. We also made sure to get the extra roof insurance that Uhaul offers.
Did you know the roof is not covered on the normal insurance Uhaul offers? You have to ask for roof insurance!
Get creative, save money but also be safe while doing it!
We also found out that churches don't normally have showers or washrooms in them. We had to add plumbing and electrical for a washer and dryer and also a shower. The bathroom labeled “women” had two toilets in stalls and the “mens” bathroom had a toilet and a urinal. We took one toilet out of the women's restroom and installed a basement shower over the toilet drain. We set the basement shower up on cinder blocks to allow for a vent and p trap to be installed properly under the shower. This made for a quick and easy shower install without having to open up the floor and install all new plumbing for a shower. This is all temporary of course so we can quickly live in the church and plan for our master bathroom later.
Another option for draining the shower water was to add a holding tank below the shower and use a transfer pump to pump the water to a near by sink.
Once again being on a budget allows for creativity. We found the basement shower brand new in the box at our local Habitat for Humanity for 50 bucks. Since we had a plan and lists we knew we needed a shower of this kind months ahead of us making the move. We saved hundreds of dollars buying it new from a resale store when we saw it, from our list, rather than buying it when we needed it from a big box store. Saving money!
We have much more to work on with our new “Home” and shop and I will be adding more content as we go along for shop ideas, tutorials on shop equipment and how we revamped areas of the shop and church with Rust-Oleum products!
Stay tuned for more and thanks for your patience while i packed and moved my family/business across the country!!
Has anyone ever moved very far? Let us all know how your move went!
'Till next time!