Anyone who has ever relocated to or from an apartment in New Orleans will tell you that moving there isn’t really the same as being described on paper. With the narrow corridor of the shotgun-house style, the metal balcony that can be climbed at the foot of stairs in the French Quarter, the third-level walk-up in Mid-City that you have no elevator to, and streets that are so narrow that parking a moving van takes the kind of achievement to which one can be proud, apartment moving in the city really is unique personalities-wise. It won’t take long after considering the hot and humid climate for many the year one would readily see people who have concluded that having enough hands is better than being brave by themselves and struggling through it alone.
Start With A Plan, Not A Pile Of Boxes.
The biggest mistake people make is waiting until the week of the move to start packing. It always takes longer than expected, especially in an apartment where storage is already tight and there’s nowhere to stage boxes without tripping over them. Give yourself at least two to three weeks if you can. Start with the stuff you don’t use often, things like off-season clothes, books, and decorations, and save the everyday items for last.
Labeling matters more than people give it credit for. A box marked “kitchen” is fine, but a box marked “kitchen – pots and pans” saves you from opening five boxes when you’re trying to make dinner that first night in the new place. Color coding by room with dot stickers or colored tape also makes unloading day go a lot faster, especially if you’ve got help carrying boxes who’ve never seen your apartment layout before.
Packing Smart For New Orleans Conditions
Humidity is the invisible villain of many household objects that will be moved to this place. Photographs, books, and any item that is made out of wooden or leather materials can get distorted or even begin to rot if it is placed in a hot truck or storage room for some time. Try to use plastic boxes instead of cardboard ones for storing such items and avoid placing a fully packed truck under direct sunlight.
Any fragile object must be properly wrapped. Put each dish into individual wrapping and place plates standing up instead of lying down in a flat position. Fill all empty places inside a box with clothing or other items to prevent items from moving during transportation. This method will allow you to save money and use packing material that you already have at home.
Loading The Truck Without Wasting Space Or Wrecking Your Back
Heavy items go in first and go on the bottom, always. Furniture, appliances, and heavy boxes belong against the walls of the truck to keep the weight balanced, with lighter, more fragile boxes stacked on top. Leave a narrow aisle down the middle if you can manage it, since being able to walk items in rather than climbing over a wall of boxes saves a surprising amount of time and prevents accidents.
They aren’t just extras, but the items that stop your dresser from falling sideways every time there is a bump in the road because, trust me, New Orleans is full of them. If you have to move through narrow staircases and tight turns to get into a shotgun house, make sure you measure your door frames before attempting to fit a couch into them.
Unloading Without the Chaos
Unloading is generally more rapid than loading, but only if it’s planned properly. Start by bringing in your furniture and placing it somewhere close to its place without putting your boxes around yet. Having one person directing others as to what goes where and not letting your boxes be stacked around things you might need is highly efficient.
Unpack the most needed things right away: sheets, bathroom supplies, dishes, and anything that will make your life easier during your first days there. Other items can be unpacked later when you get some time to do so.
When It Makes Sense To Bring In Help
Not all relocations call for a fully staffed team, but there certainly are a number of apartment relocations that would require a minimum of two people to do some lifting and maneuvering. The need for such help would come out of such circumstances as stairs, narrow doorways and hallways, street parking requiring you to carry your things half a block away, and experienced movers able to move furniture around awkward angles. For all those interested in moving help for apartments, New Orleans can offer plenty of local crews familiar with the peculiarities of shotgun houses and other types of buildings.
It does not matter if you choose to relocate yourself or get some helping hands for the heaviest part of it, a bit of pre-planning will definitely make your day easier. However, should you want someone to take all the responsibility off your shoulders, Movers and Helpers have earned their good reputation by doing just that – coming on time, treating belongings with care, and making apartment relocations in New Orleans smooth and trouble-free.
