London to Exeter is a straightforward run once you are on the M4 and onto the M5. The distance is not the challenge, a three-bedroom house in Chiswick with a full three bedrooms worth of contents going into a bungalow in Exeter is.
When the client first spoke to Iva, the concern was whether it could all be managed. Iva's answer was straightforward: yes, and here is exactly how we will do it.
The job
A three-bedroom house in Chiswick relocating to a four-bedroom ground-floor bungalow in Exeter. Iva surveyed the Chiswick property in person and the Exeter bungalow parking was confirmed via Google Street View, both properties had their own driveways with no access complications at either end.
Best London Removals handled all the packing. A team arrived the day before the move to pack and prepare the entire property, so that move day was focused entirely on loading, driving and delivery.
Furniture included a 3-seater sofa, two 2-seater sofas, two armchairs, two double beds with mattresses, a 65-inch OLED TV, sideboard, dining table with six chairs, four chests of drawers, fridge freezer, washing machine, four medium potted plants and various other small miscellaneous pieces
ROUTE: London to Exeter
Distance: 192 Miles, 3 hours and 40 min drive
£4,152 inc. VAT
4 men team, 2x 3.5t MaxiMover vans
- packing of boxes service with part loading on the day before
- packing materials supplied
- dismantle and reassemble included
Planning ahead
The survey made the resourcing decisions straightforward. The inventory and the distance pointed clearly to a two-day approach, packing and partial loading the day before, with move day dedicated to finishing the load and driving to Exeter. Two MaxiMover vans and a four-man team were confirmed at that stage. No adjustments needed on the day.
Packing day in Chiswick
Filip, Nick and Dimitar arrived at the Chiswick property at 9:00 am the day before the move.
Nick went straight to the kitchen. General kitchenware, crockery, glassware and cookware packed systematically into small boxes with appropriate padding throughout. Nick’s approach in the kitchen is methodical: everything is assessed, wrapped where needed, packed securely and labelled before moving to the next cupboard.
Filip started in the living room, books packed into small boxes, hi-fi equipment and speakers wrapped carefully in Furniguard and stretch film before boxing. Once the small items were done, Filip moved to bedroom two and worked through the children’s toys, clothes and room contents.
Dimitar took the master bedroom first, then moved to the study and bedroom three, packing files, the PC, monitor, and associated equipment.
By midday, the majority of the boxes were packed and the team moved to loading. The armchairs, sideboard, bedside cabinets and chests of drawers, items not needed that evening, were wrapped in Furniguard and stretch film and loaded into the first van.
By 3:00 pm, the packing day was complete: 60 small boxes, 50 large boxes, and 8 wardrobe-moving boxes were packed and labelled; one van was loaded; the property was left tidy and ready for the morning.
The OLED TV
The client no longer had the original box; most don’t by the time a move comes around. A custom pack was needed.
A layer of antistatic bubble wrap goes on first, directly against the screen. Two thick layers of Furniguard follow. Over that goes a quilted furniture cover. The outer shell is formed from two or three of our large double-walled boxes torn open and wrapped around the entire thing, finished with stretch film to hold everything firmly in place. It takes longer than a standard wrap; it is supposed to.
TVs, large mirrors and picture frames are always loaded last, positioned upright at the rear of the van and secured to the van side. Loading them at the front is not recommended; they need to be accessible, travel without risk of anything shifting against them, and come off first at the destination. Where a mattress is available, it goes alongside as an additional layer of protection for the journey.
Moving day, loading in Chiswick
Filip, Dimitar, Iliyan and Nik arrived back at the property at 7:00 am. Both double beds were dismantled first, straightforward frames, ten minutes each, wrapped in Furniguard and stretch film and loaded. The remaining furniture followed in the same way. The four potted plants and the OLED TV were loaded last, the plants at the very end at the rear, the TV upright alongside, secured to the van side.
Both MaxiMovers were fully loaded and ready to leave by 10:00 am. Before the vans left Chiswick, the client received a view-only GPS tracking link, one for each van, so they could follow the journey from London to Exeter in real time and know exactly when to expect the team. No phone calls needed, no chasing for updates, no waiting at an empty bungalow wondering where everything is.
The drive to Exeter
The team left Chiswick at 10:00am. A twenty-minute stop at Welcome Break Gordano Services on the M5 for a comfort break and a coffee, then straight on to Exeter. Both vans arrived at the bungalow at 2:30pm.
Unloading in Exeter
One van pulled onto the bungalow driveway, the other parked on the road outside, unrestricted, no issues. Before unloading started, Filip walked through the bungalow with the client to establish which room was which. A simple colour-coded sticky label went onto each door frame, bedroom one, bedroom two, study, and so on. It helps at the start when boxes are coming in quickly and four people are moving in different directions. After the first few large items are in each room, everyone knows where everything goes without needing to check.
The client confirmed where the key furniture pieces were to be positioned. The plants came off first, straight to the garden. Boxes followed to their labelled rooms, furniture was unwrapped, reassembled and placed. The OLED TV was unwrapped carefully and positioned on the TV stand.
By 6:00 pm everything was in place, three and a half hours from arrival to finish.
How the day ended
The client had been apprehensive before the move. A three-bedroom house, everything to pack, a long drive, a new home.
Iva had talked it through at the survey stage and taken the worry out of it. By the end of move day, the relief was obvious. Everything was where it needed to be, nothing was damaged, and the whole thing had been handled from first box to last piece of furniture without the client having to manage any of it.That is what the two-day approach is for.
Planning a similar move?
If you are moving from London to Exeter or anywhere outside the city, get in touch for a free quote. Our packing service covers everything from packing materials to full furniture dismantling and reassembly. We survey every job in person at the origin so that team size, vehicles and timing are all confirmed before move day.
