Moving house with large number of books
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: UK
Posts: 192
Moving house with large number of books
We have decided to move to be closer to grandkids. I have loads of stuff including about 750 books.
My wife says she will organise it all with the removal men packing everything.
However, I wondered about getting a large number of cardboard boxes (about18x12x12 ins) and packing in my own time ending up with a load of boxes for the removal men.
I am looking at all the tips and advice on-line but does anyone here have any experience of this?
Mike
My wife says she will organise it all with the removal men packing everything.
However, I wondered about getting a large number of cardboard boxes (about18x12x12 ins) and packing in my own time ending up with a load of boxes for the removal men.
I am looking at all the tips and advice on-line but does anyone here have any experience of this?
Mike
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Yakima
Posts: 173
I've moved more than 1000 books to New Zealand and back as well as locally; I suggest you start lifting weights. Books are easy to pack, just pop them in the boxes; sorting and labeling while packing helps at the other end. It's certainly easier than packing glassware......
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Station 42
Age: 67
Posts: 959
I've moved with hundreds of books and magazines several times. I'd suggest getting the loan of - or hiring - a box strapping kit. Or even buy one; they start at around £40.00. Makes the boxes easier to handle as well.
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Back on The Island.
Posts: 473
We moved from The Netherlands to the UK eight years ago. We had around 2,000 books, this was whittled down to 1,000 or so before the move. The remover provided fold flat boxes and I packed everything in those. Upon arrival on The Island they were all unpacked once the bookcases were built. It helps if you know which books are in the various boxes and make a mental plan as to where they are to be stacked on the shelves, subject by subject, etc. There are now a lot of fold flat boxes stacked in the garage!
Good luck with your move.
Good luck with your move.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: 4DME
Posts: 2,383
Would suggest crisp box size boxes as once full of books they can be heavy, spent some time working the books department for a charity warehouse and the day the book man came people disappeared.
As previous mentioned is it time for someone else to share parts of your library. You can always buy more in the future.
As previous mentioned is it time for someone else to share parts of your library. You can always buy more in the future.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Glorious Devon
Posts: 679
750 is a spit in the bucket. In the RAF we regularly moved with almost 3000, and the bookcases that held them all. We spread the weight by putting a layer or two of books in the bottom of most of the our boxes. The most precious books went into boxes of their own. These were the smallest the removers supplied and marked "heavy". A parcel tape dispenser speeds the process up. Be generous with the tape.
We did our first move ourselves using a rented Transit. I learned about the weight of books from that as we owned very little else other than books and clothes at the time. The first time I used the brakes in earnest was coming off the motorway and discovered the principle of momentum.
We did our first move ourselves using a rented Transit. I learned about the weight of books from that as we owned very little else other than books and clothes at the time. The first time I used the brakes in earnest was coming off the motorway and discovered the principle of momentum.
Thought police antagonist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Where I always have been...firmly in the real world
Posts: 1,165
Originally Posted by Ninthace
750 is a spit in the bucket. In the RAF we regularly moved with almost 3000, and the bookcases that held them all. We spread the weight by putting a layer or two of books in the bottom of most of the our boxes. The most precious books went into boxes of their own. These were the smallest the removers supplied and marked "heavy". A parcel tape dispenser speeds the process up. Be generous with the tape.
We did our first move ourselves using a rented Transit. I learned about the weight of books from that as we owned very little else other than books and clothes at the time. The first time I used the brakes in earnest was coming off the motorway and discovered the principle of momentum.
We did our first move ourselves using a rented Transit. I learned about the weight of books from that as we owned very little else other than books and clothes at the time. The first time I used the brakes in earnest was coming off the motorway and discovered the principle of momentum.
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Bristol,UK
Posts: 225
A4 copier paper boxes are great for books, not too heavy to lift and are designed for the weight.
Failing that I have also used boxes that Bottled beer is delivered to pubs in. Again the right size and strong enough.
I once was moving when I had 44 of the paper boxes and about 8 friends helping. With a chain of people we loaded the boxes into the van in 5 minutes.
Failing that I have also used boxes that Bottled beer is delivered to pubs in. Again the right size and strong enough.
I once was moving when I had 44 of the paper boxes and about 8 friends helping. With a chain of people we loaded the boxes into the van in 5 minutes.
See and avoid
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: USA
Posts: 590
If the books are old, pack them yourself and don’t rely on some guy under time pressure slamming them into boxes and damaging them.
Especially if they have a leather binding or were printed in a day and age that used acid to create the paper, which can fall apart into shards unless you are very careful.
I’ve been giving away books I’ll never read again to a volunteer movement called “Little Free Library,” where you can donate books you don’t want and pick up ones that catch your eye.
https://littlefreelibrary.org
Many of our local libraries accept free books and make some money selling them at a cheap rate.
We’ve given away most of our dictionaries because it’s been ages since we reached for a book rather than the internet to look up a word.
I’m still hanging onto a 1932 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica because although I haven’t consulted it recently, I always liked the photographs.
Alas, far fewer people reads books nowadays, the internet being oh so captivating, so the market for old books has shrunk considerably, along with the newspaper industry.
Especially if they have a leather binding or were printed in a day and age that used acid to create the paper, which can fall apart into shards unless you are very careful.
I’ve been giving away books I’ll never read again to a volunteer movement called “Little Free Library,” where you can donate books you don’t want and pick up ones that catch your eye.
https://littlefreelibrary.org
Many of our local libraries accept free books and make some money selling them at a cheap rate.
We’ve given away most of our dictionaries because it’s been ages since we reached for a book rather than the internet to look up a word.
I’m still hanging onto a 1932 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica because although I haven’t consulted it recently, I always liked the photographs.
Alas, far fewer people reads books nowadays, the internet being oh so captivating, so the market for old books has shrunk considerably, along with the newspaper industry.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: France
Posts: 1,007
Lots of boxes. I'm a bit picky about shelving a la library, so first sort is by shelf order, then sort by size, while packing. I hope I don't ever move house again, the book area is 8 metres by 5 metres and up a spiral staircase. I haven't counted, but three shelves up and total length of 24 metres, double faced, makes around 144 linear metres. Maybe a bit more, as there are a couple of book cupboards with a glass front for anything special. I've stopped buying dead tree books except for vintage and photo heavy.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Glorious Devon
Posts: 679
Originally Posted by Krystal n chips
Really ?...of what type because 3000 sounds an awful lot for one person and presumably you weren't taking the Station library inventory with you. And how did you get that lot to Germany, and back, twice ?..and MQ's weren't noted for their generous living areas.
As I said, books got hidden in most boxes on a move. I made a large (floor almost to the ceiling) bookcase from pine planks which flat packed plus some other book cases that I could take apart plus the govt issue MQ bookcase and some just stayed in boxes. The big book case usually went along a wall in one room and the rest in bedrooms hallways and landings - I was lucky with quarters I guess, mostly Type V specials. I know roughly how many books we had because we had a huge clear out when we retried to France. We are down to just 5 book cases now - some still lining the landing.
Last edited by Ninthace; 30th Oct 2021 at 18:47.
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Finland
Posts: 3
Use small boxes intended for books from a supplier of packing materials to the removal industry (I'm in Finland so specific suggestions unlikely to help).
Real removals boxes are much, much, much stronger than the ones normally found from DIY stores etc which are usually only one layer of corrugations thick, and too soft to protect the contents properly as they have a tendency to collapse when stacked.
If you want to be really nice to your books you could also use the kind of packing paper used for glassware (acid free, shiny paper like fish and chip shops use).
Take bundles of books a couple of inches thick and wrap them together, of course valuable books can be wrapped individually. This should totally eliminate any bumping etc happening to the bindings.
Real removals boxes are much, much, much stronger than the ones normally found from DIY stores etc which are usually only one layer of corrugations thick, and too soft to protect the contents properly as they have a tendency to collapse when stacked.
If you want to be really nice to your books you could also use the kind of packing paper used for glassware (acid free, shiny paper like fish and chip shops use).
Take bundles of books a couple of inches thick and wrap them together, of course valuable books can be wrapped individually. This should totally eliminate any bumping etc happening to the bindings.
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 181
Moved house about 8 years ago. Carefully packed circa 1,000 books. Carefully unpacked them and placed them on new shelves. Have not opened a single one of them since. So my advice? Save money, time and shelf space by throwing most of them out - it will save your children doing it when you are gone.
