Two Collection Addresses

The first thing worth mentioning is that this move had two collection points. The client had a second home in Surrey, and the bulk of the contents came from their main property in Mayfair. That’s not unusual for the people we move, and it just means a bit more planning. We work out what’s coming from where, schedule the days around it, and pull it all together into one consignment.

The Fragile Pieces

There were eight gilt-edge mirrors on this job, and they need real care. Because they’re so fragile around all of the edges, they can’t simply be wrapped and laid flat. If a gilt mirror rests on its edge it’ll damage it. So each one goes into a bespoke crate built specifically for the mirror, and inside that crate we fit a batten so the mirror can hang. It’s effectively hanging on a wall, just inside the crate, which keeps it properly protected for the whole journey.

The chandeliers were the same kind of specialist work. There were six of them, and these weren’t standard light fittings, they were proper chandeliers that have to be completely dismantled. We bring in a chandelier specialist for this, and there are only a handful of them in the UK. They strip each chandelier down, take off every crystal, and wrap each piece individually, because there’s a specific way it has to be packed. Some of them go into special chandelier crates that have a hook in the top, so the chandelier hangs inside the crate rather than resting on the base. Then at the other end each one is rebuilt and reinstated at the new property.

On the Ground

The UK side ran over three days. There was a day in Surrey and two days in Mayfair, with a team of four across those days. We also had the chandelier specialist on site to dismantle and pack the chandeliers, and a handyman in to take the bolts out of the safes and dismantle a couple of four-poster beds.

At the destination it was two days. Day one was delivery and reassembly, getting all the content in and rebuilding everything we’d dismantled at the collection addresses. Day two was the full maid service.

The Full Maid Service

We offer different levels of unpacking. At the lighter end, we’ll unpack boxes to a flat surface and clear the packing materials, which suits clients who’d rather put things away in their own kitchen, cupboards and wardrobes exactly where they want them. This client paid for the full maid service, which is the white-glove version. We unpack every box, wipe down all the cupboards, put everything away, and we dress the beds with duvets and bedsheets. Everything is set up so the family can move straight in and sleep that night.

The Safes

There were two safes on this job, both bolted to the floor. We get a specialist in to unbolt them at the collection property, and at destination we reinstate them in situ for the client. One point worth making here: the safes are always emptied before we move them. We handle the safe itself, but not the contents.

The Wine Fridge and the Wine Collection

This was the interesting one. The client had a large double wine fridge, an American fridge-freezer size, very heavy and genuinely valuable.

Getting it into the Zurich property was the challenge. It wouldn’t go in the normal way, so we arranged a glazier to remove a window and hired an external elevator to lift the fridge up and in through the opening. Before any of that, we made sure we’d asked all the right questions about the window so we turned up with the right plan.

The wine itself travelled separately. The client had an extensive collection, and it had to go temperature controlled, which means a completely separate refrigerated vehicle. Red and white sit at different temperatures, so they’re kept in separate zones in the van to hold them at their ideal temperature for transit.

How It Started

This one began as a move somewhere else entirely. The client had originally planned to relocate to the US, but the visa didn’t come through, so the plan changed and Switzerland became the destination instead. That happens more often than you’d think, and it’s never a problem for us. We just pick the plan up and rework it around the new country.

The first thing we always do is get out to the property and carry out a physical survey. That’s where I work out exactly what needs packing, wrapping and crating, the volume we’re dealing with, and all the logistics around it. On this job there were several pieces of fine art, plus sculptures and statues that were going to need crating, so I took measurements there and then. That way, when we turn up on collection day, the crates are already built and ready and nothing holds us up.

Once I had all that, I came back into the office, put a quote together for the move to Switzerland, and the client was happy to go ahead. We booked it in.

Packing and Collection

We turned up to carry out a full, comprehensive packing service. That means we pack everything. The client doesn’t lift a finger.

Collection ran over four days. People are sometimes surprised it takes that long, but the origin end always does. Someone might have lived in a house for twenty years, and there are belongings tucked into every cupboard, every nook and cranny. You can’t rush it, because it all has to be packed properly. As a rough rule, a team will pack, wrap and load around 500 cubic foot a day. This home came in at about 1,900 cubic foot, so the maths puts you at just under four days.

We had a team of three on the packing, with a fourth coming in for a day purely for the piano. Pianos are heavy, awkward and valuable, so they get their own dedicated handling. All the furniture was dismantled and export wrapped, everything was boxed and inventoried, and the fine art, the sculptures and the statues were all crated and wrapped before they went anywhere near the lorry. Then we loaded up. It all went into an 18-tonne removal truck.

Storage in Between

The property in Geneva wasn’t quite ready when we collected, which is very common. So we brought everything from the origin back to our depot and held it in short-term storage. As soon as the client gave us the green light that the new place was ready, we got moving.

The Move to Switzerland

Transit over to Geneva, including the customs clearance, took two and a half days. Then we carried out a full delivery and unpacking service at the other end.

We delivered everything into the rooms the client wanted, unwrapped and unboxed it all down to a clear surface, reassembled the furniture, and uncrated the fine art, the sculptures and the statues. We took photos of those pieces as we went, so there’s a clear record that everything arrived exactly as it left.

The interesting part was access. Several of the larger pieces simply would not go up the lift or the internal stairs. So we brought in a hoist and took them in through a window instead. To do that we arranged a glazier to remove the window first, then we lifted the pieces straight up and in. You need two people at the bottom loading the hoist and two at the top bringing it into the property, so we had a team of four on the delivery that day, with a team of three on the half day for the rest of the unload.

Finishing the Job

Once everything was in, set up and in the right rooms, we cleared away all the packing and wrapping so the client wasn’t left with anything to tidy. Then we did a walkaround together. They were very happy, and we wished them well in their new home.

Start to finish, from collection to our team getting back, it was a few days of collection, two and a half days of transit, a day and a half of delivery and two days back. Not a straightforward A to B by any stretch, but that’s exactly the sort of move we’re built for.

If you’re planning something similar, get in touch and we’ll talk it through.