Packing doesn’t have to be the dreaded ordeal it’s often perceived to be. While a full-service removal company like Camp Hopson can handle every packing aspect with expertise, we also understand that some prefer to go it alone. Our skilled packers manage delicate China plates to grand pianos, and we’re here to offer practical advice to make your packing experience smoother. In this guide, we’ll share expert tips to lighten the load and minimise stress, making the process more manageable.

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So often the origin is in the name. If you were wondering where and why this familiar phrase came about, dial back to medieval times and imagine guests arriving at your new home with firewood to get all the hearths in the house a-blaze. Nowadays, a housewarming party is a chance to invite friends to your new location and to fill the house with positive energy at the start of a new phase in life. By inviting friends and new neighbours into your home you can establish new connections in the area swiftly and encourage your existing friends to participate in your life going ahead. So, while you may not be relying on them to bring firewood, the sense of warmth of friendship and community is still present in the name. 

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No matter how well-executed your moving plan, and the well-founded ideas you have had for the next phase in life, there are always snakes and ladders in the game of life.   Relocating is notorious for being unpredictable, and we don’t know how we will really feel once we are in the new home and out of the old one.   If your expectations don’t meet the reality you have entered, then you may find yourself in a state of regret about the move.  It is easy to find examples of this through friends’ networks and on the internet.  Sometimes the new place just doesn’t quite work, and this can be hugely disappointing.   Often people invest in the idea that a new home will restore their relationship or bring about a whole new wave of positivity and if these things do not come to fruition, there is not only the physical unpacking to deal with but the emotional unpacking as well. 

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Moving house during January and February, the final throes of winter, may not at first glance seem like the best idea. But if you approach it the right way – there is no reason why it should be any more complicated than moving at any other time of year. Plus, there are some benefits to relocating during this season that people might not consider when they begin planning their move.

Depending on where you are in the country, the icy temperatures, adverse weather conditions, and reduced daylight can all pose complications, but none of them is insurmountable. We’ll use this blog to explore the upside to choosing to move home in January or February. Then you can see if this would work for your situation.

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If you’ve moved to Berkshire and are on the verge of decorating or redecorating a new home, then doing it the eco-friendly way is a fitting choice. This is especially poignant if you’ve moved from city to countryside. You can alter how you approach life by creating a sustainable and environmentally sound property from day one.

Making your Berkshire home a lovely place to be while simultaneously being kind to Mother Nature is the way more and more people are going. Joining them doesn’t have to be a slog. Even if your home is partially eco-friendly, that’s going to be better than not at all. We’ll go through some of Camp Hopson’s best practical ways you can achieve this without it costing too much money upfront.

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There’s no need to repeat the rather worn and tired stuff about whether or not moving in Berkshire (or indeed anywhere on the planet) is stressful. Many, many things in life could warrant that adjective – but it doesn’t mean they’re not worth doing. One aspect of uprooting yourself from one house (or flat) to another is that it’s bound to bring you into immediate contact with a lot of people – strangers, most of them. While it’s good to be assertive about what you want and what you’re looking for in such situations, it’s also necessary to keep things reasonably harmonious. Removal companies may have the advantage in that they move people every day, but it’s also worth bearing in mind that they – being human – experience stress, too. Here are some of our gentle suggestions for helping your chosen removal company because, after all, that way they’ll be better able to help you. 

1. It’s hugely appreciated if you’re able to apprise them of all the parking restrictions/options/details near your property. If it’s not easy to describe the kind of access there is to your front door/garage, you can always take photographs and send them by email. Without these steps, the risk is that your moving vehicles will arrive and only then will it be discovered that there’s a host of parking impediments. If your removals team is forewarned, they’ll be able to come up with a solution, saving time in the long run.

2. Giving your removals company an inaccurate idea of how much stuff needs to be moved can be disastrous and costly to both parties. If you can’t work it out yourself, then let the company come and do a survey, making sure you flag up the out-of-sight stuff like belongings in attics/cupboards/garden sheds. 

3. While, fortunately, it doesn’t happen too often, there are times when clients forget that their removals teams are highly trained men and women who know what they’re doing. Consequently, they talk to them dismissively or in a manner that is blunt, imperious and haughty. It goes without saying that a good Berkshire removals company will still do a fantastic job even in such circumstances, but to get the best out of anyone, it’s always a good idea to extend to them a manner that is – at the very least – courteous.

You’re on the verge of planning your move and it hits you – how on earth are you meant to tell which moving companies are good and which ones are perhaps best avoided? It may be your first fully independent house-move, so you’ve got no frame of reference. Or you may have moved before, but now live in a completely different area and have no first-hand knowledge of the local removals companies. But somehow you’ve got to tell good from bad from indifferent. Every company is, of course, going to tell you that it’s the bee’s knees, so you’ll have to look for other signs to help you make up your mind. Here’s some guidance: 

Websites: Look beyond the hyperbole and the exaggerated promises, (in fact, be sceptical about those because if it’s not in writing in your contract with the removers, then it really doesn’t mean anything). Are there action shots of the company at work? Do their vehicles look branded and in good condition? If the photographs look like stock, royalty-free images from photo libraries, beware!

Governing bodies and memberships – Is your company part of the British Association of Removers (BAR) or a similar body? If so, it gives you, the client, certain protections and assurances. Other business memberships displayed on badges may be irrelevant, so if you’re not sure, look them up.

Location – Look up the address of your potential removals company, using Street View if necessary. By doing this, you can glean how serious and established the company is. If, for example, it turns out that their HQ is a residential home, rather than a proper commercial premises, you may want to consider giving them a wide berth.

Contracts and quotations – Does the company issue you with proper, printed quotations and contracts, outlining everything clearly? Or is it just a small slip of paper with a handwritten price on it? By now, you should be getting a good idea of how authentic and professional they are and be well on your way to making a decision.

Housewarming parties

There’s one aspect of moving that we can keep in mind so that we have something to look forward to, something to help us get through the tougher and more challenging moments. Yes, it’s the housewarming party! It’s the moment when all the tireless work is over and we celebrate our new habitat with friends and family. We let the stress fall away and throw open our homes to loved ones and neighbours who join us in marking the start of a new chapter in our lives. Here are some of our ideas for making your housewarming party a night (or day) to remember.

1. Invitations – If you’re sending out printed invitations, consider personalising them with a handwritten note. This is particularly important if you’re inviting neighbours you may not yet know properly. They’re more likely to come if they feel they’re genuinely wanted and a bit of handwriting on the invitation (even something like, “Really hope you can come”) will increase the likelihood of that happening.

2. Sit-down versus drinks party – There are advantages and drawbacks to both of these options. A formal sit-down dinner gives you control over seating arrangements and also allows people prolonged contact with each other, but it’s also more intimidating and harder work. A drinks party lets everyone mingle, allows people the option of popping in quickly or staying the full course, and has a pleasing informality. However, it’s less intimate and the inter-personal contact can be more superficial.

3. Directions – If you’ve moved to the wilds of the country, sending or emailing directions, perhaps with a printed or hand-drawn map, can be a welcome kindness. There are still plenty of places in the country where GPS becomes imprecise or downright misleading.

4. Friends’ friends – If your housewarming party is an informal, drinks and snacks event, why not take the opportunity to expand your social circle by letting friends bring their friends? This is a particularly good idea if you’ve moved to somewhere where you have no prior connections.
5. Guestbook – Make sure you’ve bought a nice, proper-bound guestbook so that everyone can leave you their details as they leave. This will pay dividends if your guests are new neighbours and friends of friends with whom you’re unfamiliar. At the end of the night, you’ll be left with their up-to-date contact details and will be able to call on them for support

It’s almost as inevitable as death, rain and taxes – if you’re about to move house, then at some point you could well be responsible for doing a deep-clean of your old property. This can be the case whether you’re leaving a rented home or selling an owned one. It’s a thoughtful and considerate thing to do for the people who’ll be moving in after you’ve left and, in the case of rental properties, if you don’t do it, you could compromise the return of your damage deposit. If you’ve been renting, you may well find that your contract stipulates the degree of cleaning that’s expected before you vacate. This is often along the lines of ‘leave it as you found it’ so, in the event that it was a poorly-cleaned tip when you moved in, you won’t have to do much at all. But it’s more likely that it was handed over to you in spotless condition and it is now up to you to restore it to the same state. We suggest going in the order of kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, sitting room, hallways/landings/corridors.

• Why not start with the kitchen, wiping everything down, cleaning cupboards, and blitzing any appliances that are going to be left behind? Then it’s time to turn to the floors, sweeping and mopping all over and then leaving to dry.
• In the bedroom(s), do a good dusting of furniture that’s staying put, dust the ceilings, vacuum the floor (not forgetting beneath the beds).
• Bathrooms – take out all mats, rugs, towels, toiletries and products, use hot water on the shower, tiles, tub and use a dedicated tile-cleaner if necessary. Mirrors, sinks, toilets, shower racks must be sparkling, and taps should be left shiny. Leave a window open so that you’re not left hoarse from breathing in cleaning products
• In the sitting room/drawing room/living room/lounge, dust furniture (or use the furniture fitting on your vacuum cleaner). Remove furniture temporarily from the room so that you can clean better. Ceilings, walls, fireplaces need special attention so that