How We Get You Moving
Moving can seem like an overwhelming task fraught with anxiety and bubble wrap, but we’re here to help guide you every step of the way. To give you a broad overview of what to expect if you decided to work with us on your move, we’ve outlined the major phases of our process below.
- 1. Getting To Know You
- 2. Cost Estimate
- 3. Scheduling
- 4. Move Preperation
- 5. Loading
- 6. Unloading
- 7. Post Move Checkup
1. Getting To Know You
You need help moving and we’d love the work! In order to provide you with the most accurate cost estimate, we need some information – well, actually, a lot of information.
- Are you moving local or long distance?
- What date would you like to move?
- Do you have any flexibility with your move date? (You can save money by avoiding weekends, the end of the week, and/or turn of the month)
- How large is your current home, and how large is the new one?
- How much do you have to move?
- We'll create a move inventory with you or you can create one using our handy move invetory spreadsheet.
- What's access like at both places? - lots of stairs and narrow doorways or zero entry with double-wide doors?
- Would you like packing or crating services?
- How about storage in between?
We can gather most of this information over the phone, but if you’re moving long distance, or if your local move is especially large and complex, then we’ll come to your home and do a free home survey before we estimate the cost of your move.
2. Cost Estimates
Once we know all the nitty and gritty about your upcoming move, we’ll provide you with a cost estimate. If you’re moving locally, we charge a per-crew-member hourly rate that’s date dependent: rates are higher at the end of the week and on week-ends, and at the turn of the month, so if you can move mid-week or mid-month you’ll save money.
Rough Estimate
When we know the broad particulars of your move, like your move date and home sizes, we can give you a rough time and cost estimate based on cost averages for moves like yours. Since we charge by the hour and you only pay for the services you use, some people are comfortable with this cost-average range.
Personalized Estimate
If you’d like a more personalized estimate (and many people do), we’ll work with you to create an inventory of everything you’ll be moving, either over the phone or using our handy move inventory spreadsheet. With your move inventory we can provide you with a personalized cost estimate.
Final Cost
Your final cost for the move will be based on the actual time it takes your crew to complete your move, from the time they arrive until the time they unload the last item at your new place: that means if you do extra work, like disassembling furniture or staging boxes in the garage for easy loading, then your final move costs could be less than your estimate.
For long distance moves we don’t bill hourly for packing, loading, or unloading services. Instead, your charges will be based on how far you’re moving and the actual weight of your goods.
Home Survey
In order to provide you with the most accurate estimate possible, we’ll perform a virtual survey using a video-conferencing tool like FaceTime or Google Hangouts.
- During the survey, we'll not only ask a lot of questions, but we'll also go room by room and create an item-by-item inventory of everything you'll be taking with you.
- This inventory allows us to create an accurate weight and cost estimate for your move.
Non-Binding Estimate
If you choose to go with a non-binding estimate, your actual charges will be based on the exact weight of your goods on move day: we’ll weigh the truck before we arrive on a scale (just like your bathroom scale, only much much bigger), and then we’ll reweigh the truck after we load your possessions.
Final Cost
Final charges will be based on that actual weight and any additional services you’ve requested.
3. Scheduling Your Move
After you receive your estimate you can schedule your move right away or wait until you have more information and are ready to commit. (We know, commitment can be hard!) We're first-come, first-served, though, and we do book up, so if you need an exact date please call as soon as possible!
We require a deposit to book all moves. This amount will be deducted from your final bill. Please note that booking deposits are generally non-refundable. If you need to postpone your move, the deposit will be re-applied when you re-schedule.
Please note, we schedule on a first-come, first-served basis, so the more time you let pass between your estimate and your actual reservation, the greater the possibility that someone else will select your move date and close out the schedule for that day.
4. Move Preparation
In the weeks leading up to your move, we’ll be in communication, both by email and phone.
We'll Be On Hand To Answer Questions
We’ll also be on hand to answer any questions you have, to assure you that we absolutely have not forgotten about your move, and to tell you that, yes, this exhausting process will all be over soon. (Our most common question? Can I leave clothes in dresser drawers? Yes you can!)
We'll Provide You With Tips and Tricks
We’ll provide more information about your damage coverage options, secret packing techniques, and tips about how to make move day go more smoothly.
You Can Add Extra Services
If you’d like to add extra services to your move, like packing or storage, we’re happy to do that and then send you an updated estimate.
We'll Give You A Call
We’ll also give you a call or send a text a day or two before your move, just to make sure you’re all set to go and haven’t changed your mind about the whole 'moving' thing.
5. Loading
Your crew will give you a call before leaving the warehouse (if yours is the first move of the day) or after completing their previous job to let you know an estimated time of arrival.
Once they arrive on-site, they’ll walk through your home with you to get the lay of the land and receive any special instructions or information from you, including things like doors to be kept closed, high-value items, extremely fragile items, or items to be left with the house.
Once they arrive on-site, they’ll walk through your home with you to get the lay of the land and receive any special instructions or information from you, including things like doors to be kept closed, high-value items, extremely fragile items, or items to be left with the house.
Once the vulnerable areas of your home are well-protected, they’ll begin wrapping your furniture and loading your possessions onto the truck.
After they’ve loaded everything onto the truck, they’ll do one final walkthrough with you to make sure they didn’t forget anything. Then it’s off to your new home for the unload!
They might take lunch in between the load and the unload, but of course that will be off the clock. (There’s no such thing as a paid lunch, at least not in our world!)
6. Unloading
Once the crew arrives at your new home, they’ll do another quick walkthrough with you to get the lay of the land and find out where you’d like them to place the larger furniture and stack the boxes in each room.
After the walkthrough, they’ll again install floor, door, and woodwork protection so that your new home stays safe and sound during the unloading process.
Even though they’ve received instructions on where the big items go, your crew won’t know exactly where all your smaller items should go, so it’s best for you or a family member to stick close to the door to answer any questions your crew might have. That way the unload will go as quickly and efficiently as possible.
At the end of the unload, at least two crew members will walk with you through the house to make sure everything is exactly where you want it. Don’t feel bad if you want to test that big armoire out in two or three different spots before you make a final decision on where it fits best. We want you to be absolutely happy with where we’ve positioned things, so let us help you get things just right.
Once everything is just the way you want it, your crew leader will have you sign the paper work and collect payment.
7. Post-Move Check-Up
Above all, we want to make sure you’re absolutely satisfied with our services
First, you’ll receive an email asking you to let us know how things went — please, please tell us if you’re less than happy with any aspect of your move, because we’d love the chance to make it right.
If you choose to complete our very quick and easy post-move survey (should take less than two minutes to complete), we’ll donate $10 to a local charity of your choice.
If there was a problem with your move – from a scratch on a piece of furniture to a mix-up on the bill – we’ll immediately start working to make things right and won’t rest until you’re satisfied with the resolution.
Spine Moving Services
Spine Moving Locations
Iowa City, Iowa
- 714 3rd Ave. Iowa City, IA 52245
- (319) 519-0154
- info@spinemoving.com
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- 3227 12th Ave SE Cedar Rapids, IA 52403
- (319) 409-6271
- info@spinemoving.com
Des Moines, Iowa
- 4701 NW Urbandale Dr. Suite #230 Des Moines, Iowa 50322
- (515) 444-5606
- info@spinemoving.com
Client Reviews!
Featured Team Member
Jim Walsh
Crew Leader
Multiple people have said multiple times. JIM WALSH, originally from Des Plaines, IL (a random Chicago burb), is a second-year up-and-comer at Adamantine Spine. Though not as good as Milosch or Mike, he loves playing video games and volleyball in his free time. A competitive problem solver, he is always trying to make people laugh.
