Local Santa Monica Movers: From $99/hr for 2 Movers

Loading on Marine Street

The family wanted to start moving in the morning. They were moving from a furnished rental into their first home, so the sectional and the treadmill were the only furniture that was theirs. The family confirmed that we could legally park on the road at the curb. On the move date we drove our truck to Marine Street. It was parked at the curb and the liftgate came down right onto the sloped block.

The family had already packed everything, so our main job was to carry the boxes and the sectional, which the family had already wrapped in stretch wrap, from the apartment to the truck. The building sits above the sidewalk and a steep brick walkway with a short flight of steps was the only way in. Charlie and I took the sectional out first. It didn't take long, since the sectional came apart into pieces. Then we stacked the pre-taped boxes two at a time on a hand truck, rolled them down the brick walkway, and rode the liftgate up into the truck. It took some time because of the angle of the walkway and the street itself.

Once the boxes were in, we came back for another item the family owned. They warned us about a folding treadmill that had to be carried along a narrow hallway. First, we wrapped it in moving blankets and then carried it to the truck by hand, since it wouldn't fit through the front door on top of the hand truck. In the truck, it stood upright, folded, against a side wall of the box.

Delivery to 17th Street

The new home was a detached, one-story stucco house with a private driveway, so we parked the truck right next to the front door. After the walkway and steps on Marine Street, the carry here was short and flat. The family had already decided where everything would go, and as each piece came off the truck, they showed us which room it belonged in. The boxes were quickly divided between two bedrooms.

Charlie and I brought the sectional in piece by piece, steering each section under a low-hanging chandelier on the way to the living room. The treadmill went into the corner of the living room the family had cleared for it.

The family was surprised by how we managed to complete the whole move without a single scratch. They had worried about the sectional and the treadmill in the narrow hallway, but we navigated every tight corner and the walls remained completely untouched.

26th Street Pickup

The client specifically asked for us to arrive in the morning and requested packing service. I decided that this case needs three movers and our standard 26-foot truck. With three, we could wrap and load at the same time. On a gray May morning we arrived with packing materials such as boxes, stretch wrap, packing paper, tape, and bubble wrap. These materials are billed separately from the hourly rate. But our wardrobe cartons and moving blankets come with the crew for any of our moves. 26th Street was busy and the curb in front of the house was painted red, so we loaded from the alley behind the house instead.

The first thing that we did was to put runners down to protect the floors. After that Oleg moved clothes straight from the closet into wardrobe cartons, while Ilya was packing everything else into our standard moving boxes. At the same time I had to make sure the long mirror wouldn't get damaged, so I protected it with bubble wrap, tape and a moving blanket.

Then together with Oleg I wrapped furniture, such as a coffee table, chairs, and a nightstand, in moving blankets and stretch wrap to protect it. We ended up with a few wardrobe boxes and about 20 regular ones with a mattress on top. Ilya and I loaded boxes onto hand trucks, wheeled them outside and strapped them inside. We also securely strapped the mirror upright in the truck.

Palisades Avenue Drop-off

Our destination was just a block from Ocean Avenue, on Palisades Avenue, in a modern apartment complex. It had a spacious lobby and a convenient motor court, where we pulled the truck. The client had reserved the elevator for our arrival time, so we proceeded to move the items into the apartment.

The motor court was a safe unloading zone away from the busy street traffic, and we unloaded without interruptions. While Oleg and I were unloading the truck, Ilya managed the elevator and rolled everything inside. We didn't want any risk of damage, so had to wheel the wardrobe cartons upright, one per hand truck. That way none of them tipped at the entrance. Inside the unit, we unloaded each box and piece of furniture directly into the rooms where the client requested. She guided us to put boxes in the master bedroom and the wrapped coffee table in the main living space. Finally, the mirror was unwrapped and stood where the client wanted it.

During the final walkthrough she thanked us, and said that she was impressed with how fast we handled the packing and finished the entire drop-off.

11th Street Pickup

When we arrived, we parked the truck in the private driveway to load directly from the door. The client had cleared the entryway for us to safely move larger furniture. We started by putting down floor runners inside and then carried what had been already packed from the rooms into the truck. The client was prepared and gave us all the disposable materials, such as tape and stretch wrap. The clothes were still in the closets, so we quickly transferred all of it directly into our wardrobe cartons. That way the clothes stayed on their hangers, the way they had been in the closets. We labeled them, taped them shut and moved them outside while keeping upright.

Alim and I wrapped a small dresser, a few chairs, two nightstands, and a TV stand in moving blankets and stretch wrap to protect them before loading. While I was carrying the mattress, Alim packed a big TV inside of its original cardboard box, stood it on its side and secured it against the truck walls. Alim brought the wardrobe boxes outside and strapped them together, while I loaded larger pieces of furniture and positioned them along the truck walls. We then placed remaining boxes between furniture so they wouldn't shift during the drive. The mattress and lighter boxes were loaded on top and secured with straps.

Stanford Street Drop-off

There was a legal spot at the curb when we arrived, right behind another parked car. We parked and set an orange cone at the back of the truck. The cone marked the back of the truck for passing cars while we worked the long walkway. The townhouse was at the back of the complex and could only be reached from the street by a long concrete walkway. It ran between a row of beige stucco townhouses with lattice fences and the two-story building next door. After I wheeled the first wardrobe carton on a hand truck inside, we realized that the carry was flat, but it was going to be the main part of this delivery. Alim started with the smaller boxes and I unloaded larger furniture. We kept the wardrobe cartons upright and took them down the walkway one at a time. When carrying the dresser and nightstands, we had to slow down as the walkway became narrower. For the dresser, we turned it slightly sideways so it would get past without touching the walls.

The client showed us around the townhouse and explained where each item should go. We placed the small dresser, mattress, most of the boxes and the two nightstands in the bedroom, and the chairs, the TV and the stand in the living room.

During the final walkthrough the client was pleased with how everything went. They had been nervous about the furniture corners getting bumped, and appreciated that we didn't damage anything.