Posts: 613
Threads: 92
Joined: Jun 2005
I can't believe it, after putting our home on the market for only two weeks - it is in escrow and we are bound to puna....things must be lining up since our new home in orchidland is 90 percent done just in time for us to choose all the finished materials. My partner is planning can bring his job to hawaii and we can live mortgage free and as green as we see fit.
The only scary part is really purging a 2300square foot home brimming with personal junk and packing up what will work in hawaii....my question is to those that have made the move via container...how do you judge between a 20 or 40 foot container (if you have alot of junk), who you would contact to do the delivery and if they can actually drive through the dusty almost undriveable roads in our blockk, what types of things do you think we should bring along that would cost an arm and a leg (since we might have more room if we bump up to a 40ft container) i actually want to bring all my garden pots, sculpture, mosaics etc.....how can i find day labor help to unload a full container of heavy boxes and heavy furniture?
Thanks again all for your help, after being part of the punaweb community for over 5 years, we are finally heading home.....
noel
Posts: 1,727
Threads: 29
Joined: Feb 2006
Go through and only take the stuff you like, the stuff that has happy memories and the stuff that makes you comfortable. Pack that up and sell the rest.
Ditch all the winter time stuff, ditch all the dress up stuff. Forget seasonal items other than spring and summer stuff.
Sell everything else at a yard sale and then come over here and buy everything you need at a yard sale. You get essentially the same stuff at the same price and haven't had to move it.
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
Posts: 966
Threads: 61
Joined: Jan 2006
you will be amazed how much fits into a 20 footer if you pack it well. before you start, have LOTS of rope and a few sheets of plywood precut to fit... remember it is 8 foot wide on the outside. this way you can make baffles and shelves and when you get here use the plywood for a chicken house or something else. some things you can buy here other stuff usually your favorite stuff you might never find and you will never get stuff shipped as cheaply as the container. I too brought over several large concrete pagodas, benches, and even put a car inside.. plus big furniture and an 8 foot stock tank for my fish... matson said it was sure heavy! i have to say i have got rid of alot once here to the animal welfare yard sales, but things come and go in a normal household anyway. good luck....
We only brought a 20 ...
We made a big mistake leaving our garden art behind. That kind of stuff is expensive here. Doing it again I would probably even acquire some new stuff before coming. Birdbaths for $300? Nice ceramic pots are outrageously expensive. I left mine all behind and have spent too much money getting the inventory back. Remember that when you use a container is the only time that weight doesn't matter. Bring your heavy stuff.
OTOH, patio furniture type stuff is pretty cheap.
Try not to bring leather clothing items. It hurts to see them mold.
All the little stuff that it takes to set up a house, from spatulas to wastebaskets, costs more than it should here due to shipping. I would try to bring what you need, and garage sale the rest, but as long as you do have a container, don't make the mistake of ditching all those hundreds of items and products that cost $5-20 bucks to replace, because it adds up.
Congrats on selling your house! Where are you (which state)?
PS. For us it was worthwhile to have pros pack the container. Nothing broke and they got so much stuff in! Anyone can unpack a container, but moving specialists really are worth if for a trans-ocean move.
The way we did it, we organized our stuff such that there was a second tier of "only if there's room" stuff. Not all of that stuff fit. The way a container is packed, you can't take something out and sub it when you end up with it full. This is basic common sense and you would probably do it anyway, but it did help with our anxiety, using a 20, to know that the important stuff was assured a place.
Posts: 613
Threads: 92
Joined: Jun 2005
thanks for all the helpful hints, especially using plywood for support and eventual future uses. i think i'm past a 20ft container so i'm in a quandry on either trying to eliminate for things or bump up to a 40ft and bring more useable material ie raw materials, wood, solar, etc?
kathy, i'm coming from sonoma which is pretty depressed real estate wise but fortunately our property stood out well to get the key buyer.
best
noel
Posts: 2,019
Threads: 201
Joined: Jan 2008
Noel,which company are you going to use?
I did some research about 6 months ago.Horizonlines seemed pretty good,but most people use Matson.
As far as how to determine what size you need,how did you get your answer?
___________________________
Whatever you assume,please
just ask a question first.
Posts: 37
Threads: 4
Joined: Jun 2006
Hi Noel, I agree that you should bring absolutely everything you think you may want and then some. And I agree, if there is something you think you will want, buy it there and bring it with because really nice stuff is sometimes hard to find here - especially nice furniture. And so many things are more expensive too. I even bought a huge box of tube hangers at The Container Store and it was worth it. I wish I had bought stuff like a luggage stand for guests, guest bathroom stuff, even new sheets. We had a major garage sale and got rid of some stuff and in the long run what we got rid of would have taken so little room in our container. Once I settled in I wished I had this or that afterall. We decided at the last minute to bring many pieces and we are glad we did. And after all that, the moving company (we used Allied and were satisfied) estimated a 40' container and we filled, according to them, 6/10 of it! Ha - we could have probably gone with a 20' container. But the movers did a spectacular packing job, within the container. If you pack it yourself you might not pack so concisel or do so well. We brought all our garden equipment, all our ceramic pots. I sold a bedroom set I didn't think we would have room for and we might have afterall and then if not I know we could have sold it here. Some of these things look different in hindsight, though, now that we know the area. When you first move here you don't know a lot. Anyhow, sorry to ramble and I hope that helps some. Good luck with the move. Sheryl
Posts: 613
Threads: 92
Joined: Jun 2005
still hope,
horizon lines is slightly cheaper than matson, if you arrange your own trucking it is alot cheaper than having the lines arrange drop off...
any good recomendations on pick up/delivery on the hilo end especially for 40ft containers?
does anyone know if its better to bring your own pressure treated wood still or is that available now in hilo?
noel
Posts: 2,019
Threads: 201
Joined: Jan 2008
quote:
Originally posted by emorata
still hope,
horizon lines is slightly cheaper than matson, if you arrange your own trucking it is alot cheaper than having the lines arrange drop off...
any good recomendations on pick up/delivery on the hilo end especially for 40ft containers?
does anyone know if its better to bring your own pressure treated wood still or is that available now in hilo?
noel
Thanks,Noel.Sorry to bug you,but any recommendation on arranging your own trucking?
___________________________
Whatever you assume,please
just ask a question first.
Posts: 942
Threads: 17
Joined: Aug 2005
I used Big Island Moving and Draying, and they were great. Granted that was YEARS ago (about 8), but I know they are still around. It might be worth asking the people that deliver the container if they would like some extra cash after they get done with work -- you might find someone you could pay a reasonable amount to help you unload it as well.
John Dirgo, R, ABR, e-PRO
Aloha Coast Realty, LLC
808-987-9243 cell
http://www.alohacoastrealty.com
|
