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Thread: Moving from Pacific Northwest to East Texas - need advice

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    East Texas
    Posts
    230

    Moving from Pacific Northwest to East Texas - need advice

    Hi,

    Sometime this spring my wife and I will be moving from just north of Seattle to East Texas - probably around Longview. We're downsizing from around 3400 square feet to probably around 2000 so we're facing a lot of difficult (at least emotionally) decisions about what goes and what doesn't. Moving my workshop is an issue I just can't seem to get my head around. I'm looking for advice/suggestions from someone who has gone through this. If you have an opinion to share, please reply to this message since there are likely to be others who might be interested. But you can PM me too if you want to reply privately.

    I started to type out the options I've considered though I've always come back to keeping what I have and paying the moving costs. But just thinking about options like selling, replacing or doing without brings me right back to keeping it all. Maybe I've made up my mind already and just need confirmation. Let me know if you can help.

    Thanks,

    Mitchell

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Brooklyn, New York
    Posts
    207
    Marc Spagnuolo, aka The Wood Whisperer, recently moved from Arizona to Colorado. His process might be helpful.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l7WbN_EmOY

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIkMGeXdZ64
    Last edited by Keith Outten; 06-17-2018 at 8:41 AM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    East Texas
    Posts
    230
    thanks for the link - interesting content, especially what he did to prepare for the move.

  4. #4
    Since Texas has fewer building restrictions than Washington it should be easy (and relatively cheap!) to put your new shop in a separate building even if the property you buy doesn't already have something appropriate. Talk to your real estate agent (or who ever is helping you look) - you will be astounded at how different the regulatory climate is and what a difference it can make to your costs in getting what you want.

    Once you have a place to put your tools, the cost of moving your tools versus selling/buying becomes an issue but it depends mainly on what you have and how happy you are with them because the real (not the quoted) cost of a commercial move is more influenced by the cost of manpower than the cost of freight. i.e. the commercial quote will be based on the carrier's average cost for loading and unloading household stuff per pound - and thus over-estimate the cost of moving much heavier stuff, like a table saw. So get your quotes without the tools, then negotiate tools separately with their representative.

    ---
    on re-reading this several hours after entering the comment I want to add a clarification: what counts is density, not just weight. Movers estimate the labor cost for loading/unloading along with container and freight costs first on a rough $/pd basis but that ballpark guess is itself based on assumptions about the volume needed per pound for household stuff. Tools tend to be much denser and so their weight pushes movers into huge cost over-estimates that they then won't want to back off on. If yours is a container move shoving a few heavy tools in at the end has little real effect on the mover's costs and so negotiating this stuff after you get the quote for everything else lets their sales person offer you a deal that benefits both sides.
    Last edited by rudy de haas; 01-16-2018 at 3:31 PM. Reason: clarifications

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Forest Lake MN
    Posts
    340
    What type of equipment are we talking about, that could influence the recommendations quite a bit?

    When I moved two years ago I did not have much big equipment which helped. I did bring my 14 inch bandsaw but I dont recall that adding anything to the cost of the move really. It did get knocked pretty well out of aliment though and took quite a bit of tinkering to get it running right, I believe that is just expected though.

    My high cost item was a large gun safe which I believe weighed 800ish pounds. I think it ran me an extra $200. For me that was worth the time and hassle vs selling it and buying a new one, probably cheaper as well. I was moving about 300 miles though which is much shorter than yours so I am not sure how that will impact it.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Lubbock Texas
    Posts
    931
    The last time I moved my shop was five years ago. The move was only 4 miles. I ordered a PODS, loaded all my shop equipment in it, myself, and unloaded it all alone also. PODS are only 4" off the ground so I built a ramp for that and rolled everything in an out using it. (Easy for me but I was only seventy back then).
    I secured all the equipment to the inside walls with rope and it worked well. The cost of the move was pretty low here in West Texas.
    No PHD, but I have a DD 214

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Kamiah, ID
    Posts
    280
    Mitchell, I moved from just north of Seattle to Central Idaho about 3 years ago. Only 400 miles, nothing like how far you're going. I was able to pick up a 20' enclosed truck body that I mounted on a gooseneck trailer I already owned. I also had a tractor with forks that I used to load all my big machines. Using either a pallet jack or mobile base I wheeled them against the wall and tied them in using the E-track that came already mounted in the truck box. Packed in around them with smaller stuff and down the road I went. No equipment damage and the truck box is now used as a storage shed.

    Assuming you don't have access to the same things I did, perhaps you could rent a box truck? Maybe have a neighbor with a tractor or forklift help you load? Or rent one? I can't imagine trying to reacquire what I already have and I felt there was really only one person who was going to transport my equipment like they owned it. We looked into PODS also but due to the extreme rural nature of our new home, and several other factors, it just didn't work for us.

    For our household we used U-Pack. They bring you a semi-trailer that you load and seal (they provide the system to do that), then they transport to your new location using their regular, LTL freight network. Getting all our stuff up that high wasn't particularly easy but most things we were able to lift with our tractor so not horrible. They did provide a ramp but I don't think we ever used it. They drop the trailer off at your new home and give you a few days to get it unloaded.

    Idaho, too, is much cheaper than WA. On property tax alone we pay 1/10th for over 16x the acreage with building square footage being comparable. Hopefully you'll find TX to be comparable.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    TX / LA border.. Toledo Bend
    Posts
    746
    Mitchell - FYI - here is a link to the local shopper paper for that area - http://www.peddlernet.com/

    I live about 130 miles S of Longview.

    Be aware this area virtually never has used machinery.. VERY hard to find even like a real 5 hp decent compressor for example.

    I looked for 2 years for a local one, ended up buying new.

    Check out the Clists for "Deep E TX" and "Tyler/ E TX" , not much there.

    https://nacogdoches.craigslist.org/ https://easttexas.craigslist.org/

    There's that Dallas option though.

    You need Longview specifically ? or, are you open to the General E TX area ?

    If I can help in anyway, contact me...PM sent.

    Marc

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Ogden, UT
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    1,659
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    I hear Nacogdoches has a really cool airshow.

  10. #10
    Mitchell,
    I have to agree with Marc. I live in Tyler, about 40 miles west of Longview. Finding good used machinery in this neck of the woods is rare. There really aren't any woodworking machinery outlets around here except for the big box outlets. I have gone to Dallas to get stuff. I have bought most of my large stuff new. People are correct in saying it's a lot cheaper to build something here than in the Seattle area. Welcome to the deep piney woods! Feel free to contact me via PM as well.
    Tom
    Last edited by Thomas L. Miller; 01-16-2018 at 10:48 AM.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    TX / LA border.. Toledo Bend
    Posts
    746
    There is a sawmill around there that cuts a wide variety, and relatively decent prices.

    Not sure about local drying facilities though.

    Here is just two examples of his stuff, he has MUCH more not shown on Clist.

    https://easttexas.craigslist.org/mat...458953205.html

    https://easttexas.craigslist.org/mat...458972781.html



    Marc
    Last edited by Marc Jeske; 01-16-2018 at 10:55 AM.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,685
    Moving like that is both a curse and an opportunity when it comes to your shop, not just for the downsizing of the house aspect!

    What I'll suggest to you is that on the opportunity side, you need to ponder if "reinventing" your shop is better than just moving it the way it is now. Finances obviously come into play with that, but setting up new with, perhaps, things you've often wanted, but didn't have the space or means at the time should be on the table. You'll be starting with a brand new space anyway. So if you've contemplated a Euro combo machine or some other different setup but never did it, this is a great time to consider. Ask yourself what you want to focus on with your woodworking going forward and how best to do that since you have to make changes anyway. If you decide to "reinvent", then sell off stuff you would be replacing before you move and just take cherished things as well as hand tools and the things you need to actually setup at the other end.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Dickinson, Texas
    Posts
    7,655
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    Are you ready for the change in culture?

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2017
    Location
    Marietta, GA
    Posts
    275
    I'm expecting to face this within a few years, about 900 miles. Right now my plan is to get one of the UPack semi-trailer deals, and probably have to rent a forklift to load it and unload it. I'm not looking forward to it, moving the shop I mean. I'm more than ready to get out of this area otherwise.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Bellingham, Washington
    Posts
    1,149
    Quote Originally Posted by lowell holmes View Post
    Are you ready for the change in culture?
    The change in culture will be dramatic. My daughter, who grew up in Bellingham, moved to Texas with her husband eleven years ago and
    still seriously misses the Northwest and its culture. When I go to visit I am constantly amazed at what I see there. My wife and I like to
    go walking in the morning, regardless of temperature. At 104 degrees people look at us really funny. Surprisingly few people seem to ever go outside.
    Bracken's Pond Woodworks[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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