Questions everyone asks

As soon as you know you're moving. The earlier you book, the better your chances of getting the day you want; end-of-month, end-of-lease and weekend slots always go first.

Absolutely, and plenty of people should: it's the cheapest way through a move. Two honest caveats. Transit insurance usually treats owner-packed cartons differently from professionally packed ones, and badly packed boxes take longer to load, which costs you on an hourly rate. The middle path is a partial pack: we take the fragile stuff, you do the rest.

Transit insurance for your goods is available on any move and costs extra, and for anything you'd struggle to replace it's well worth it. Ask when you get your quote, and tell us if you're self-packing, because it affects what cover applies to which cartons.

Light, soft items can usually stay in drawers. Anything heavy, loose or fragile comes out, because drawers travel on their side more often than people expect. Hanging clothes go into robe cartons on their hangers, which is faster than folding at both ends.

Local moves usually complete in a day. Interstate depends on destination, volume and whether your load shares the truck; when we quote, we give you the realistic window rather than the optimistic one.

A standard removal truck takes most of the contents of a typical 2-3 bedroom home; larger homes usually mean either two trips or the 4 movers + 2 trucks crew. The quote form asks about bedrooms and any big single items, which is what actually decides it.

Furniture travels wrapped: pads and blankets for the big pieces, wrap for upholstery. That's standard, not an extra. The pieces that get damaged in moves are almost always the ones carried unwrapped in a hurry, which is a good argument for not rushing the load.

Some, and it protects you: a written quote up front and a record of the job. If you're moving interstate, keep your inventory list with your documents; it makes any insurance conversation short.