All-In-One Catch-All Moving Thread (I can hope!)

[daniel lane]

There've been hints here and there in different threads (as if anyone but my wife cared to track my movement), but...I'm moving! I have accepted one of those "offers you can't refuse" and will be moving from St. Louis to Fresno, CA. This was actually a hard decision because St. Louis offered what I thought to be the best possible workshop I was going to get for a while - an 11x25 space in the basement, with which I could do anything. (Some of you may recall threads about building the workshop...I started, then had to undo some to leave it as partially-finished when we put the house on the market.) But, the idea of warmer weather and more money with which to buy tools turned out to be too great a temptation, and we're moving.

Which brings me to the point of this post: What do I need to know about moving a shop?

For example, what do I need to know about moving my tools? There are a couple of threads that talk about what movers to use, etc., and there are some good points in there, but I thought I might beg forgiveness up front and ask that folks chip in and/or mention where else they've discussed this - a search using the phrase "moving" hasn't helped much.

Other things about which I'm curious:
What should I look for in a house in California for a woodworking shop? I obviously won't have a basement anymore, is there more than just "3 car garage!" for which I should look? Electric panel access? Windows? Above-garage storage? Basement? ;)
How should I pack tools for extended storage? It's likely they'll be boxed up for at least 4-6 months as we try to sell the old house and look for a new house.
Is it worth trying to move wood, or should I get rid of it and buy more when I get there? I don't have a lot, but I'm concerned about storage and packing.
What should I do with the larger iron pieces? I've a DJ-20 and a contractor's saw with a wide table - should I take them apart prior to moving and hope I remember how to reassemble them when I get there? Or shall I move them intact?
Should I pack everything myself (and therefore take the expense of buying boxes on myself, rather than letting the company pay for it) or watch the movers pack things?That last one brings up something I've failed to mention up to this point: The company is paying for the move, rather than reimbursing me for the move. For lack of a subtler way of saying this, are there things that if someone else is paying are worth pursuing (e.g. crating tools, etc.)?

I would love very much for this to become a catch-all thread about moving, including stories about good and bad experiences, things you'd do differently or wouldn't change, etc. As the OP, I hereby grant dispensation for everyone to post anything at all, but preferably on-topic! I admit that it's somewhat selfishly-driven, but perhaps this can become a reference thread for the future...?

And I thank all of you in advance for your comments, your suggestions, your snarkily-pointing-out-where-this-has-been-posted-before....everything! :)



daniel

[Dave Lindgren]

any work area in fresno has to be shaded, a metal handle left in the sun there can literally fry your hand in a few minutes. humidity is very low. most of your existing furniture will be subject to checking, and or cracking.


cooling is the big problem with any living/ working space. good news is swamp coolers work there. bad news is they can cause rust

other than that, plan around summertime hi's into the one teens, and start planning your shop accordingly.
:cool:

[Jim Becker]

Check out the "similar thread" links at the bottom of this page as well as use the advanced search on "moving". This topic does come up from time to time... ;)

And congratulations on your new opportunity!

[Brian Kent]

Fresno is hot. My mom lives there and they get a lot of 104° summer weather. Three seasons are nearly perfect weather.

Any new home will have at least a two car garage. No basements.

Fresno was an agricultural town before it was a growth area. There could be ranch-style homes with shops or barns.

I don't know what they have in terms of well-priced lumber, but Fresno does have Starbucks.

[Steven DeMars]

I lived in Bakersfield which is south of Fresno for 6 years. . . Yes, it is hot, hot hot.

The heat is the least of your concerns in Fresno. Just remember, everything in California is illegal and anything you do annoys someone . . .

I have no idea what your financial situation is, but if you can afford it, stay away from subdivisions in California. Your neighbors will whine about anything, noise, dust, paint fumes . . . everyone there is allergic to something and to anything . . . . something as simple as purchasing a can of spray paint can be an experience.

Not trying to be negative, it's just coming from Louisiana it was an experience . . . . Also, wherever you live in the Fresno area, think security . . . . The crime rate for burglary and larceny are quite high

[Don Bullock]

Daniel, welcome to California. No, you won't find a basement in Fresno. Most of us out in California have our shops in our garages. In Fresno both heat and cool weather will be a problem you'll face when working in the garage. In the winter months there is also a lot of moisture in the air. It's amazing how much thick fog they get. The sun doesn't burn through for weeks at a time. With the recent home loan problems, home prices in that area have dropped quite a bit. Some neighborhoods have been hard hit by the loan defaults. You need to realize, however, that the cost of living out here is much higher than it is where you live now.

As for moving, since your employer is paying the bills, you might want to consult with your moving company on what they advise as the best way to pack your shop. Label everything with a code that you understand and can check quickly. Inventory is key at both ends of any move.

Keep us posted and enjoy California. It's a great place to live.

[Wayne Cannon]

Speaking from experience, expect movers to stack heavy items atop anything flat and sturdy -- like table saw extensions and jointer tables. I would seriously consider taking them apart, or at least monitoring their packing very closely. If there's any chance of it being stored temporarily (i.e., if you don't meet the same truck at your destination on HIS schedule), I would definitely consider taking them apart. Inspect carefully for hidden damage.

There can be a very wide temperature swing during the day, from cool, damp, and foggy in the morning to blazing hot and dry in the afternoon.

I'll second the comments about California subdivisions -- read the CCNRs carefully.

Having said that, there are some nice locations in the Sierra foothills to the east of Fresno that are still withing commuting distance of the city. Sierra skiing is much better than St. Louis'!

[Don Abele]

Daniel, I've been in the Navy for almost 21 years now...and that equates to A LOT of moving - 12 times to be exact! :eek:

I have a full shop of tools. After my move from Virginia to Washington I vowed to never allow the Navy to move my tools...not really the Navy, but movers in general. They destroyed almost half of my tools, mostly due to moving, not packing. Though packing played a part in some of the destruction.

Packing is a giant game of tetris. Get the most things stacked and packed into the smallest area so you can get more in behind it. That means that there was about eight feet of "stuff" loaded on top of my tablesaw (any wonder why the extension table was cracked?).

Loading/Unloading is an exercise in moving things as quickly as possible. And when they are heavy, it's even quicker. So jointers are picked up from the ends of the tables and drill presses are tipped and dragged at awkward angles.

After that move to Washington, I moved back to Virginia and then eventually to Boston. Both of those moves, I moved my entire shop (about 6,000 pounds) by myself. It makes it a little easier that I own a Ram 3500 dually with a bed crane and a 35 foot flatbed trailer. But if I had no other way, I'd rent a U-haul and do it myself.

The Navy allows full-replacement insurance which will cover any damages. The typical lead time from move-in (damage discovered) to payout is about 6 months and I'm the one responsible to get the quotes for repair vs replacement. Frankly, it's not worth the trouble (which is why most Sailors don't ever even file a claim).

Can this be done by a professional moving company - yes. But once you get to cabinet-type tools in the 300, 400, 500 pound range, you need a company that has experience in moving them - not the average company that moves 5000 households a year.

I wish you the best of luck in your move and in your new location in California (I lived in Oceanside which I was stationed at Camp Pendleton back in the late 80's and LOVED California).

Be well,

Doc

[James Hart]

To echo Doc and then some.
I'd take your tools, and any family photos, heirlooms, etc, and get a U haul and move them yourselves. Statues, pictures, glassware, etc.

The movers consist, typically, of an over-the-road truck driver and some local temp workers packing and loading on each end. They have no concept of how you can or can't lift a heavy power tool. Just looking at the stuff in your shop, the most obvious way to lift most of them is the worst possible way to handle them. Extension tables, motors, etc. are what extend the most and are the easiest to grab.

Take a couple of days and spend a few hundred bucks and you'll be happier in the long run.

Jim

[Danny Thompson]

I am going the PODS route (www.pods.com (http://www.pods.com)).

They drop off an 8' x 8' x 16' shipping container (they have 2 smaller sizes, as well). You take up to 30 days to carefully load your equipment. They pick it up and store it in an environmentally controlled warehouse until you are ready for it to be delivered to your new home. When you are ready, they deliver it, and you get 30 days to carefully unload it.

I get mine delivered tomorrow.

[Don Abele]

Danny, I didn't check for your area but where I'm at PODS is really expensive. A one month rental (with storage on my location) is almost $600 for the first month and $200 for every month thereafter.

For moving, they seem to be pretty expensive as well. For Daniel to move a 17' PODS from St Louis to Fresno is $3216.39. :eek:

Let's see...that sized POD holds 1024 sq feet. You can rent a 1401 sq ft U-Haul for a one-way trip for $1799.00. Then factor in gas - 1900 miles at 10 mpg at $3.50/gallon adds another $665 = $2464. Of course, the other point is that someone has to drive it as well.

Hmmm, now that I look at the numbers, they are pretty close. I guess it really depends on what fits his moving situation.

Be well,

Doc

[Wayne Cannon]

Another thing to be careful about is theft. It's had to watch everyone -- typically three or four people. I had a toolbox packed with almost $1000 in small tools stolen during the truck unloading, i.e., I saw it unloaded from the truck, then it was gone.

[Danny Thompson]

Don,

It isn't nearly that expensive here. For a 16' POD the fees break down as follows:

$49 drop off fee
$149 monthly storage
$49 delivery fee
$247 + tax

Maybe it's cheaper because I am moving from and to the same major metropolitan area.

Last time, I used "Two [Meth Addicts] and a Truck." Last time is right. I won't do that again.

[daniel lane]

Thanks, all. I'm definitely not looking forward to the actual move, but we are both looking forward to being at the other end of the move! To complicate matters, it looks like we'll be furnishing a 2BR apartment until we sell/buy a house, so I'll have to put half the stuff in storage...the hard part will be packing it so we don't have to have everything delivered to the apartment, then move what doesn't fit!

We will have a 2 car garage at the apartment (pricey, but worth it for keeping some items with us), I'll have to figure out if I'm going to store the tools or keep them in the garage. Storage would be in a conditioned unit (I don't rent anything else, anymore), garage is obviously not conditioned, but it's close and it's locked and it's ours.

We're hoping to have movers take everything in a couple of weeks, I'll have my hands full until then...I'll keep checking back in, and thanks again for all the advice and comments!


daniel

P.S. Of course, once the announcement went out, everything went wrong! Our basement flooded, the drain piping from the master bathroom sink cracked and leaked in the wall, etc., etc., etc. We're definitely looking forward to the apartment for a while, when it's ALL someone else's problem!

[Sean Troy]

I lived in Bakersfield which is south of Fresno for 6 years. . . Yes, it is hot, hot hot.

The heat is the least of your concerns in Fresno. Just remember, everything in California is illegal and anything you do annoys someone . . .

I have no idea what your financial situation is, but if you can afford it, stay away from subdivisions in California. Your neighbors will whine about anything, noise, dust, paint fumes . . . everyone there is allergic to something and to anything . . . . something as simple as purchasing a can of spray paint can be an experience.

Not trying to be negative, it's just coming from Louisiana it was an experience . . . . Also, wherever you live in the Fresno area, think security . . . . The crime rate for burglary and larceny are quite high
I had to laugh at this but it is quite true. I have family and friends in Ca. and all I hear is people complaing. Now that being said, it's all what we make of it and you sound like you've got a great attitude. When I moved accross country, I made the desicion to sell my larger power tools and start over after the move although I never had a full wood shop. What ever you do, I sure wish you the best in everything. Moving is a pain but when it's over the fun begins. Be safe.http://sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon14.gif