How the hourly rates work, and how to estimate your hours honestly

The three rates

One rate a tier. No online-versus-standard games, no weekend mystery surcharge quoted after you're committed, no second number.

What the hour covers

• The whole crew and the truck (or trucks), fuelled and equipped
• Felt blankets, straps, trolleys, stair gear, floor runners and the padding
• The measuring survey at both ends, and the run-sheet that comes out of it
• Wrapping of furniture in transit blankets as it's loaded

Packing materials, cartons and paper, are the usual extra, priced as materials when we pack for you. Packing runs on these same hourly crews.

The estimates we'd give a mate

Every move is its own arithmetic, but honest ranges beat vague reassurance. With reasonable access, most moves land here:

Ranges, not promises: your access, your volume and your distance set the real number, and we give you our read on it before you book.

What quietly adds hours

• Stairs without a lift: every flight is carried twice per trip
• Long carries: a truck parked three doors down taxes every single item
• An unbooked lift: sharing with the breakfast commute can add an hour on its own
• Packing on the fly: loose items load five times slower than cartons
• The distance between homes: the drive is on the clock too, so we plan the route, not just the rooms

How to keep your hours down

• Book the lift and the dock before the day (the guide)
• Have everything boxed and sealed before the crew arrives, or have us pack the day before
• Clear the paths: hallways, stair landings, the strip of driveway the truck needs
• Label cartons by destination room so nothing gets carried twice
• Empty drawers; furniture moves lighter and safer without its insides

Comparing quotes fairly

NSW Fair Trading's standing advice for hiring any service holds for removalists: get it in writing, and make sure you're comparing the same thing. An hourly quote is only comparable when you know the crew size, the truck count and what the hour includes. Ours is above, in writing, which is rather the point.

Get your hours estimated honestly