Tag Archives: house move

Planning Your Move: The Importance of a First-Night Box

Moving house can be an exciting yet daunting experience. Amid the hustle and bustle of packing, organising, and coordinating logistics, it’s easy to overlook the small details that make your first night in your new home more comfortable. That’s where the “first-night” box comes in—a simple yet lifesaving hack for any move.

What Is a First-Night Box?

A first-night box is a collection of essential items that you’ll need immediately after moving into your new home. Think of it as your survival kit for the first 24 hours. While the rest of your belongings may still be packed, this box ensures you have access to everything you need to relax and settle in without rummaging through piles of packing.

A first-night moving box with a toothbrush, toothpaste, chargers, and snacks. The box is sat in the living room of a new home.

What Should You Pack in Your First-Night Box?

Here’s a checklist to help you create the perfect first-night box:

  • Toiletries: Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, and any other personal hygiene items.
  • Clothing: A change of clothes and comfortable sleepwear.
  • Electronics: Phone, laptop, and device chargers.
  • Bedding: A pillow, bedsheets, or a sleeping bag if your bed isn’t set up yet.
  • Snacks and Drinks: Bottled water, tea bags, coffee, and non-perishable snacks.
  • Basic Kitchen Supplies: Mugs, plates, utensils, kettle, and a small pot or pan if you plan to cook.
  • First Aid Kit: Band-aids, pain relievers, and any necessary medications.
  • Cleaning Supplies: Bin bags, cloths, multi-purpose cleaner, and paper towels.
  • Important Documents: Keep passports, contracts, and other crucial paperwork handy.

Pro Tips for a Stress-Free Move

  • Label your first-night box clearly and transport it with you rather than in the moving van.
  • Include items for each family member, including pets!
  • Add a few comfort items, like candles or a favourite book, to help you unwind.

Why Choose Colin Batt Removals?

At Colin Batt Removals, we understand that moving can be both exciting and daunting. With over 45 years of experience, we specialise in making your transition seamless, whether it’s a residential move, piano relocation, or finding the perfect storage solution. Our team’s personal service ensures every detail is taken care of so you can focus on enjoying your new home.

Ready to Make Your Move?

Let Colin Batt Removals help you every step of the way. Contact us today to discuss your moving needs and learn more about our tailored services.

01233 740395

info@colinbattremovals.co.uk

Stuart Dadd – Our New Sales and Move Estimator

A warm welcome to Stuart Dadd who has joined our successful removals Company and is taking on the role of Sales and Move Estimator. Stuart is a great addition to our removals family and is bringing a wealth of business and sales experience.

Move Estimator and Surveyor

Free Removals Estimate and Quotes

Stuart is the Sales and Move Estimator and will therefore conduct our free, no-obligation quotes and surveys. He will visit your home, complete a full survey and answer all of your questions. Stuart will carry out a full internal and external review of your home so that we know exactly what you want moved and any specific needs you may have. He will also gather all the details for the move such as volume of furniture, vehicle access and packing requirements. As a result Stuart will be able to put together a personalised quote so you get exactly the move you want.

Stuart has lots of experience in customer service, having previously worked for such prestigious companies as Land Rover and Everest. He is perfectly suited to join our team and to deliver on our motto, Where Service is Key. He understands that everything we do is focused on delivering superior removals services to our customers. Hence, as the Move Estimator and Surveyor, Stuart is the foundation for all that we do.

Quality Removals and Storage

Stuart joins the Company at an exciting time. Our new store is growing with options for container storage, piano storage, climate-controlled storage and archive storage. We offer fantastic storage solutions for individuals and businesses, whatever your needs.

House Removals Sales and Move EstimatorWhen not thinking about house removals Stuart enjoys snooker, playing in the Medway league, martial arts, going to the gym and has a keen interest in photography. You will see some of his photographs on our website.

With Stuart’s help we look to extend our superior removals services and build on our great reputation. Over 99% of our customers recommend our services and we hope to grow that over the coming months and years. Colin Batt Removals provide high quality house removals, call Stuart today for a free, no-obligation quote for your house move.

Removal Reviews & Testimonials

Removal reviewsThanks to all our customers who have given us invaluable removal reviews and feedback over the last year. The word picture above gives you a feel of the great reputation we have in the removals industry. This feel these words are a reflection of the effort and attention we put into each and every house removal.

Removal Reviews

Your endorsements are the bedrock of our business and we are pleased to say that the majority of our work comes from your recommendations. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to provide house removal feedback, we truly appreciate it. Currently 99% of our customers would recommend us, a statistic we are hugely proud of.

Removers_Removals_Review_KENT_2015Independent Recommendations

All our removal reviews are independently collated and verified. Good or bad the reviews are made public and give a true reflection of our performance. You can read all our testimonials and feedback at www.referenceline.com/colinbattremovals. Every single comment and letter is included so that you can get the full picture of our house removal reputation. We want to improve and we can only do that if we listen to all customer comments and feedback.

The crew worked tirelessly and were always helpful and polite. Altogether excellent service.

Continuous Improvement

We continually strive to improve so that we can provide an unrivalled removals service. Your views help us with this and allow us to refine our house and piano removals service to help future customers move house more easily. For instance, we now provide a house cleaning service to take away that headache from your moving day.

Thanks again to everyone who has chosen Colin Batt Removals to move house and to those of you who took the time to write removal reviews – our business would not be the same without your support. We look forward to continuing to provide highly recommended house removals and to deliver on our motto ‘Where Service is Key’.

Removal reviews

Fragile Packing Top Tips

Packing your china, glass and other fragile items for your house removal is a time consuming but vitally important task – packing the box incorrectly can lead to damages no matter how well the box is handled. To help you pack all your glass and china safely we have put together our fragile packing top tips. These are based on all our years of experience with thousands of house moves and are designed to make your removal easier and less hassle.

1. Allow plenty of time

You should allow approximately 20-30min to pack a standard size removal box with fragile items.  In a standard size house you could well have in excess of 10 boxes of fragile items to pack in addition to your non-fragile belongings. This means that you should allow at least a day to pack all of your china and glass.

Fragile Packing2. Fragile Packing Materials

Only use good quality packing materials when fragile packing. You should use double walled cardboard boxes, anything of less quality could well collapse under the weight when carried. In addition, we also recommend you use print free wrapping paper as the print can transfer to your goods. Any reputable removal company can provide you all the professional packing materials for you need to self-pack; from boxes to tape, bubble wrap to wrapping paper and flat screen TV boxes and curtain boxes. Speak to your mover and they can advise on the type and amount of packing materials you will need.

3. Plates & Bowl

First wrap your plates, and similar items such as shallow bowls etc, in paper and then place them in the box vertically on their edge. Plates are strongest in compression and can take weight on their side, any plates placed flat can get cracked from weight above. As with all removals packing, place heavier items at the bottom of the box and the lighter ones at the top.

4. Do not overfill

When packing china and glass do not fill the box completely full with your fragile goods. Fill the box between ⅔ and ¾ full and fill the remainder of the box with soft items such as cushions, blankets, clothing etc. This means the box doesn’t become too heavy, both to lift and for the items you packed in the bottom of the box. It also provides a protective layer to the box when other items are stacked on top of it.

packing service5. Very Fragile Packing

If you have some very fragile items that are particularly delicate or sentimental we would recommend you put extra wrapping around the item. First wrap the crockery in paper and then add another layer of bubble wrap or similar protective material around the item secured with tape. If the item is an odd shape be careful to insure that the item is fully supported in the box by using a blanket or similar as a base. In a similar way make sure that no heavy items are packed above the very fragile piece. You should consider using a smaller box to ensure the item is not overloaded and well protected.

6. Fill Gaps and Tape the Box

Don’t leave any gaps in the box or only half fill a box. Any gaps in the box leave room for your packed items to move about, risking damage. In addition, any internal gaps reduce the overall strength of the box. You can use wrapping paper, bubble wrap or any soft items to help fill the gaps. One the box is full make sure you tape the box shut, do not leave boxes unsecured or ‘open” as items can fall out and the box is difficult to pack on the lorry.

Fragile Packing7. Labels and Inventory

When you close the box make sure you label the box correctly, with a brief description of the contents as well as the room you want the box to be moved to in your new home. If you are going into store for any length of time we would recommend you make a full inventory of every packed item and to give the box a unique identifier (any alphanumeric descriptor e.g. A1, A2, B1 etc.). This will allow you to quickly locate any item you need to retrieve from store before you planned or when you are unpacking many months later.

8. Packing Insurance

All reputable removal companies, including all members of the British Association of Removers, will not insure goods that are packed by the owner (you may see the acronym PBO). This is because the removal company and insurer cannot verify the condition of the item packed nor the safety of the packing. You should check that your building insurance covers you if you pack your own items. Any goods that have been professionally packed by the removal company will be covered by their insurance but do check the level of cover.

We hope our fragile packing top tips have been useful. Remember you can call your removal company if you have any questions about your fragile packing or any other aspect of your house removal. They will be able to provide packing and moving advice and you can also buy professional packing materials from them. See here for the packing materials we can offer you – http://www.colinbattremovals.co.uk/packing-services/packing-materials/

If self packing isn’t for you please ask your removal company about their packing services. You can read more about our professional packing service here – http://www.colinbattremovals.co.uk/packing-services/ – or call the office to discuss your needs 01233 740395.