The four things that set the price
Time is the biggest one. A local flat move that takes three hours costs what it costs because of those three hours, and a two bed house with a piano and a spiral staircase costs more because it takes longer. That is not a trick, it is arithmetic.
Team size matters. Two of us can carry most things, but a large sofa, a piano or a full three bed house moves faster and safer with a third pair of hands. More hands, fewer hours, that trade off is real.
Access decides everything. Ground floor to ground floor in the same street is the cheapest job we do. A fourth floor walk up with no lift, or a narrow terraced street with no parking, changes the time the job takes and therefore the price.
Distance and disposal. A move across town costs more than a move across the street, obviously, and if we are taking anything away, from one mattress to a full clearance, the disposal is quoted as its own clear line.
The extras people forget to mention
Stairs and lifts are the classic one. A building with a goods lift is a joy, a building with a broken one is a different job entirely. Tell us the floor and the lift when you call, it is the single most common reason a quote needs revising.
Parking costs and permits are real money in Manchester. Where we need a meter or a permit we tell you up front and you decide whether it is worth it.
Packaging materials add up quietly. We include blanket wrapping in the job, and boxes, tape and paper can be supplied at cost if you want them.
Disposal fees for waste are set by the tip, not by us. We pass them on exactly as charged, with the receipt if you want it.
How to get a quote you can trust
Give us the real details the first time: the property size, the floors, the lift situation and what is going. A quote built on accurate information is a quote that holds.
Ask what is not included. Any company that quotes you a straight quote without asking about stairs or parking is quoting you a guess, and the guess will meet you on the day.
Ask for the total, not the hourly rate. Hourly rates are theatre, the total is the truth.
Get the quote in writing, however informal. We send ours by text so there is no memory fog on move day.
Why we quote the way we do
We quote one clear price for the whole job after we know the details, agreed before we load a single box. If the job changes halfway through, we stop and agree the new number with you before continuing, never after.
We would rather quote you honestly and not get the job than quote you low and punish you on the day. That is not a marketing slogan, it is how we run the business, and it is why most of our work is repeat customers and their friends.