After 14 months of chain collapses, pandemics, lost buyers, lost sellers, an exchange three days before moving day and completion with minutes to go, we are in!
It’s been a long process from start to finish amidst a pandemic and a cancelled wedding. 2020 really was a chaotic few months. But we are in and living surrounded by boxes.
So I wanted to document the process, now that we are finally moved!
Here’s a short timeline of the process of moving house:
- Nov 2019 – on to the market with the wonderful Purple Bricks
- Jan 2020 – accepted offer on ours
- Feb 2020 – found our new home
- March 2020 – pandemic hit
- April 2020 – we lost our buyer
- May 2020 – we lost our seller and came off the market
- June 2020 – went back to the market
- August 2020 – accepted an offer
- September 2020 – found ANOTHER house
- Dec 2020 – months of paperwork, negotiations, and packed with 48 hours to go and WE MOVED!!
Moving Day
As the moving day rolled around it felt like we had had no time to prepare. We only signed contracts on Thursday, exchanging later that day, and then we completed on Monday.
We had packed our lives into 28 boxes (I only know this as we bought that exact amount) as well as lots of backpacks, suitcases and a coolbox for whatever was left in the fridge and freezer.
We booked home removals with Fantastic Services who I would highly recommend.
Fantastic Services is your one-stop-shop for 25+ professional home cleaning and maintenance services, provided within London and the UK. They use high-grade equipment that is inaccessible to everyday households, and their dedicated service specialists go the extra mile in everything they do.
They do everything from Plumbing & Heating, Cleaning, Tradesmen, Gardening. Removals & Storage, Dry Cleaning & Laundry, Waste Removal and Pest Control.
At 10 am two men arrived and after a quick look around to see how much stuff we had, they immediately got to work. They started with the big pieces of furniture before making their way downstairs.
The amazing team at Fantastic Services home removals were great and managed to get all of our stuff in their van in only two hours. We all stopped for some lunch outside in the sun, before getting in the van and car and heading to the new house!!!
Once we got to the other side, again within half an hour most of the van was empty and in the new house. They were so quick, I felt like I blinked and it was done! It was so amazing to have them there all day to help us unload, move in and arrange boxes in their allocated rooms. We would never have been able to do it ourselves so we are eternally grateful.
In terms of pricing, it cost around £70 p/h for a Luton van with two men depending on whether you are a Fantastic Services member.
I would highly recommend using Fantastic Services and I have a code for £10 off your first booking – simply use ‘sophiessuitcasetravel‘
As we slowly unpack, we are thinking lots about renovations and what we want to do to the property. Painting the magnolia walls is the first job, then we are going to focus on each room over the coming months.
Whether you’ve just moved home, or you want to update a property that you’ve lived in for numerous years, there are several ways of giving your home the luxury or style you’re looking for.
From accessories and colour schemes to fabric choices and furniture, here are the top three things I am doing first…
1. Invest in Good Quality Furniture
Other than people, it’s the furniture we own that makes a property feel like a home. This is why the type and quality of the furniture we choose are so important. People often find it hard to choose new pieces of furniture for their home.
The dilemma of choosing between expensive items that last many years or getting inexpensive items that only last a few months are quite common.
When it comes to purchasing furniture, there are a number of reasons why you should invest in high-quality products. Not only are they more durable, but they’re also more likely to meet your needs. If you can’t afford to upgrade every piece of furniture don’t worry, simply start with the larger pieces first. This includes your sofas, dining room table and bed.
Anyone wanting to make their bedroom look and feels more luxurious should consider purchasing a Hypnos bed and Hypnos mattress. You can find the Hypnos bed and Hypnos mattress on sale at Big Brand Beds. Not only are their items high-quality, but they also look amazing too.
In fact, they’re that good that they’re the preferred choice of bed and mattress of the Queen. Why not check out the outstanding choice of Hypnos beds and mattresses in the Hypnos mattress sale?
Remember, investing in good-quality furniture will not only make your home look and feel more luxurious, but it can also save you money in the long term as you won’t need to replace items as often.
2. Display Artwork on Your Walls
Artwork can make any home look amazing. Whether you choose to hang an oversized piece of artwork on a blank wall or create a gallery wall with the artwork of various sizes, is up to you. It’s a good idea to test out your ideas on the floor before attaching them to the wall. Take time choosing pieces that you like the look of and make sure that they complement your home.
3. Lighting
While setting the mood and tone of your property, pay close attention to the lighting. You should consider investing in some elegant, decorative fixtures that enhance the ambience of your room.
However, it’s not just the artificial light that you need to pay close attention to. The amount of natural light in a property can also have an impact on how luxurious it feels. You can make any property look bigger, lighter, and airier by opening up the blinds and letting natural light in.
If your blinds or curtains block out natural light, then now might be the time to change them. Choose window dressings that not only look great but also keep the heat in during winter too. This can help you to save money on your energy bills.
There are lots of things you can do to make your home feel more luxurious, and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. However, it’s important to know where to spend your money if you want to achieve the best results. Follow some of our top tips above to make your home feel more luxurious.
4. Sort your drains out!
One of the first things we need to sort now we’ve moved in is the drains.
If you think housemates or family members can be annoying every so often, a blocked drain will soon put things in perspective for you. They also sap all the joy from the world on occasion, especially if they’re not looked after properly.
If you only clean something when it is in a foul or smelly state, then you have lost the game before you even started playing. Leaving things until the last-minute means that everything that follows is an uphill struggle. The worse the mess, the longer you can expect to be in filthy conditions, frantically pulling your hair out until you’ve put right all the wrongs.
All of the drama can be swiftly subverted if you merely clean your sinks, showers, and the drains of both once or twice every few days. The occasional rinse with some warm water and wipe with a cloth might just be enough to prevent an annoying blockage. Keep up the simplest of routines, and you could well save yourself a thundering headache in the future.
Once you have spent all your other options, it may well be time to enlist the Drain Detectives. If you’re struggling with managing your drains, then find out more about this company’s services. They specialise in blocked drains and repairs and provide free no-obligation quotes on demand. Better yet, they work round the clock, which means your cries for help will never fall on deaf ears. Toilets, showers, baths, sinks – they can unblock them all in a two-hour response time.
Additionally, expert advice is also freely given by the drain detectives, which means they can walk you through any simple solutions right away. No job is too big or too small for their methods, and they’re connoisseurs of removing the annoying little obstacles from your life so that you might get back to it all the sooner. Acquire their help, and you can’t go wrong.
Stay tuned for more house updates in the coming weeks and months.
Sophie xxx
