Author: Colin Batt Removals

About Colin Batt Removals

We have over 40 years' experience providing removals and storage services across Kent, London and the UK. We specialise in piano removals and have moved Beethoven's piano on a European tour. Our facilities in Ashford include container storage, piano storage and document archive.

Company News

Our New Website is Launched!

17 September 2015 Colin Batt Removals Comment

We’ve just created a new website – but you knew that as you’re already here!

We’re really excited about the new look and feel of our site. A big thank you to James Maiden at ReallyGreenWP.com for pulling it all together. The website has some great new features to help you learn about us, what we offer and improves ways to get in contact. The new website explains our services (house and office removals, piano removals and don’t forget our storage services) as well s providing top tips to make your house move go smoothly.

Some of the new features on the website include:

Review Page

We now show all the independently collated reviews and comments from all of our customers. ReferenceLine independently collect and verify all reviews and publish every single comment, good or bad. We’re pleased to say that over 99% of all of our customers would recommend our house or piano removals service. You can find this section under the ‘Home’ tab on the menu.

Video Gallery

Check out what we’ve been up to and some of the more interesting moves that we have done. For instance we hoisted a grand piano onto a cruise liner! This section is also located under the ‘Home’ tab.

Of course the website also has all the features you’ve come to know and love. You can keep up to date with the latest housing market news and moving top tips from our blog, you can request an online quote and you can learn about the British Association of Remover and the quality standards we adhere to.

We would love to hear your views on the website or more generally about our removals company, all our contact details are at the top or bottom of the page. Take a look around…

Property News

Thinking of Moving Home to Wye?

15 September 2015 Colin Batt Removals Comment

Thinking of moving home? Have you checked out Wye in Kent or the surrounding villages? Wye is a great medieval village on the outskirts of Ashford in the fold of the picturesque North Downs. In 2013 Wye was voted the third best place to live in the country by the Sunday Times and you may have seen the village in the TV series Perfect Village.

The village cum town is quintessentially British, with a farmers market twice a month. At Christmas you can also enjoy a street party and in the summer take walks along the Devils Kneading Trough.

Wye History

Wye has been an important crossing in Kent for centuries lying on the Pilgrims’ Way. The Romans built a settlement at the fording point of the River Stour on their road between Canterbury and Hastings. The village grew a meeting point and resting place for the weary medieval travellers. Since then the village has grown and now the travellers are mainly commuters.

Wye Properties

Like many of the villages in Kent, Wye boasts some beautiful houses, check out the medieval houses on Bridge Street. In fact in Wye you can find almost any type of property you fancy, from Georgian to 60s.

Transport Links

The train station allows you to get to Canterbury in 15 min and Ashford in a mere 6 min away, you can also reach London by train in 90min. By road Canterbury is only 12 miles away with the coast, Maidstone and London easily accessible from the M2 and M20.

Wye Schools

If you are looking for a primary school Lady Joanna Thornhill’s is graded as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted as is Challock Primary School, which is only a few miles away. For secondary schools Highworth (Girls) in Ashford and Canterbury’s Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys and Barton Court Grammar are all also graded as ‘outstanding’.

Activities

Enjoy a walk along the North Downs and enjoy the views from the Devil’s Kneeding Trough or the Wye Chalk Crown. Further afield you have some great golf courses in Ashford or check out Chart Hills Golf Club in Biddenden. After all of this you might want to refresh yourself with a meal or a drink in the Tickled Trout or the New Flying Horse Inn.

House removals

Where can you afford to live?

2 June 2015 Colin Batt Removals Comment

Thinking of Moving House? Not sure where you can afford to live? Well the BBC have put together a very handy calculator to show you where your budget could take you. By entering in some basic details like the size of house, your available deposit and your monthly mortgage budget the tool will show you where you can afford to live in the country. It will also show you whether it would be cheaper to rent or buy.

As we all know the affordability of housing varies greatly across the UK and also depends on your preference to rent or buy. The calculator factors your selections and produces a result based on data compiled from the Land Registry, Bank of England, surveyors and landlords. The house prices and rental data are taken from the period October 2014 to March 2015.

The results from the calculation are presented in graphical form, using a map of the UK, highlighting all the local authorities where you could afford to live. The mortgage calculation assumes that you have a house deposit of 5%, thus the calculator will be pessimistic if you have managed to save up a deposit greater than 5%.

House prices vary greatly across the country but also within areas. Factors such as education catchment areas, transport links and job opportunities. Remember that this calculator uses the averages for each local authority, you may find that there are variations within each district which would make the area more or less affordable. This calculator is a great broad guide but each house in the country is priced differently and so do not give up hope if your dream area appears too expensive.

Remember to get professional financial advice to check that you can truly afford the mortgage you want. This tool does not replace the need for sound finical planning when making a large decision like buying a house or flat, a change in the interest rate can dramatically affect your monthly mortgage payments. Also bear in mind that there are extra costs, other than mortgage payments, to consider when moving house. Please read our ‘Cost of Moving House’ article to learn more.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23234033

Piano Removals News

Piano Moving Training

21 May 2015 Colin Batt Removals Comment

Piano Moving Training

Piano Removals are not easy and are not for the feint hearted, this is why piano removal moving is essential for safety and efficiency. Moving an £80 000 instrument that weighs 350kg takes strength, skill and brains, especially when you’re taking it up a flight of stairs or using a crane to put it through a third-story window. It is also not for the uninitiated or untrained and that is why all of our team at Colin Batt Removals get extensive and regular piano moving training.

Piano Moving Training Equipment

We have our own training pianos which we use to demonstrate and practice the techniques and skills required to safely and efficiently carry out a piano removal. We continually refresh the basics so that the whole team have a strong foundation of understanding; such as how to wrap a grand piano, where the balance points are on an upright and how to handle a harpsichord. We then cover more complex and specific items so that all our staff have an unrivalled knowledge of everything to do with piano removals.

Teamwork

Moving a piano takes teamwork, you can’t move a 9’ concert grand on your own. Piano removals also require trust, good communication and understanding, which our monthly piano moving training days are designed to develop and nurture. On every piano moving training day we recap on real world examples of difficult piano removals. For instance, how to take a piano up a spiral staircase or remove an antique piano’s weak legs. We even cover how to remove windows, build a piano crate for shipping and how to construct scaffolding to allow our teams to get your piano to wherever it needs to go.

Piano Moving Excellence

Our motto is ‘Where Service is Key’ and we pride ourselves on delivering bespoke piano removals. This is the reason we dedicate so much time to piano moving training and developing our skills. We believe this is why so many piano dealers, musicians and manufacturers ask us to move their instruments across the UK and the world. Call us to discuss your piano moving needs:

Ashford 01233 740395
Canterbury 01227 752901
Maidstone 01622 235630

House removals

Thinking of Moving to Maidstone?

27 March 2015 Colin Batt Removals Comment

Maidstone has much to offer being situated in the heart of Kent and only a stones throw from London as well as the coast. It is surrounded by some of the most picturesque villages in the South-East, without the hustle and bustle of some other commuter cities.

Maidstone is the administrative centre of Kent but surprisingly only has a population of 140,000 people. Sought-after areas of the town include Loose and Mote Park and there are several popular villages nearby such as Bearsted and Aylesford. The River Medway provides a beautiful back drop for the town which still has some wonderfully historic parts.

Maidstone House Prices

House prices in Maidstone have risen by 5.96% in the last year, according to Zoopla, with the average price paid for all properties being £282,904. This makes Maidstone really good value when you compare it to other commuter areas such as Surrey. For instance, the average price for a detached property in Maidstone is £446,433 whereas in Surrey the cost is £812,407.

One of Maidstone’s main draws for home buyers is education, with great schooling in and around the town. Several schools have an Ofsted grading of outstanding, including St Michael’s Church of England Infant School, Valley Park School and Maidstone Grammar School for Boys and Girls. Check out all the school reports at http://dashboard.ofsted.gov.uk

Culturally the town benefits from a plethora of attractions. You can catch a play at the Hazlitt theatre, explore over 600,000 objects at the Maidstone Museum & Art Gallery, all for free, or enjoy nature at its finest in the 450 acres of parkland at Mote Park. If retail therapy is more your thing check out Fremiln Walk and The Mall Maidstone, Maidstone is ranked in the top 5 shopping centres in the South-East for shopping yields.

Great Value Commuter Town

When you need to roam further afield, London can be reached by train in under an hour, or even 35 minutes if you’re prepared to drive to nearby Stroud. The M20 also gives easy access to London, including Gatwick and Heathrow which are 45 and 65 miles away respectively.

Maidstone has considerable appeal with its proximity to London, great schools and culture. If you’re considering moving house the value that Maidstone offers is considerable. Thinking of moving to maidstone? Why wouldn’t you.