How Many Movers Should I Book? (Simple Guide Inside)

Your Caddy Mover Guide

If you don’t read anything else in this article, read this. Caddy has created a helpful mover guide that can really be used as a crutch for determining how many movers you need, solely based on the size of your move. No, this doesn’t take into consideration all of the additional variables that can certainly affect the amount of help you need. But this is a great starting point and will be 90% accurate for most moves. If you know your move doesn’t require much of any special tasks like going up/down flights of stairs, long distance hauls, or handling super-sized furniture, then you can stick with this guide and get on with reserving your Caddy’s!

Variables that will affect the amount of help you need

Although the above Caddy mover table is a great estimate of how many movers you’re going to need, every move is unique and you should keep in mind the things that make your move different before proceeding with your reservation. Here are some additional factors you should take into consideration for hiring the correct amount of moving help.

Large or difficult-to-handle items

While knowing how many things need to be moved (or knowing the size of your home) will help determine how many movers to hire, you may have some items that require special care, or require a bit more than just two Caddy’s to lift! This is because when you have extra heavy items (over 150 pounds), large plants, antiques, or hard-to-pack items like large lamps and special decor, you will need more hands to assure that nobody will be put in a dangerous situation or run the risk of mishandling an item.

For example, if you’re moving out of a two-bedroom apartment, you may only need two movers to handle typical items, however, the same move with a large antique cabinet or two will likely require three or four movers just because of the weight of the antique! 

If you expect to move any of the following items, assume you will need an additional one to three movers than anticipated for the job:

• Fine Art
• Plants
• Antique furniture or decorative items
• Fish Tanks
• Heavy Furniture or Fragile Items
• Large Dressers
• Appliances
• Pool Tables
• Outdoor Grills and Accessories

*For any item weighing more than 150 pounds, be sure to have reserved at least three Caddy’s*

Consider Who You are Hiring

If you’re lucky enough to have family and friends willing to help you move, you may not need to hire as many professional movers, or any at all. However, if you have any doubt in the furniture you are moving or large items that “might be too big for cousin Joey” you are going to want to consider hiring professional help! Even if it’s just one mover for an hour of work (something Caddy is proud to offer, unlike our competitors!)

Hiring even just one professional mover will help guide everybody who is contributing with the tasks at hand. Why? Because our Caddy’s are professionally trained on how to load moving trucks, and they will know exactly how to pack everything to ensure it’s moved safely to your new destination. Caddy’s are also natural leaders, and will help take charge during your move and be the point of contact if you have any questions or concerns.

Lastly on this topic, sourcing out the cheapest labor help you can find on the internet will usually come with some unforeseeable costs. What does this mean? It means hiring the cheapest company usually results in the cheapest service, and unless you consider your personal items perishable, be prepared for some potential damage. Oftentimes companies that advertise “lowest rates guaranteed” and “cheaper than our competitors” are so low in price because they lack the quality in their staff by paying their movers extremely low wages, and hiring anyone who is willing to do the back-breaking work for cheap. When it comes to handling your valuable items, it’s a no-brainer that we recommend doing your research and sourcing out the companies with fantastic customer reviews and a superior track record.

Finding a quality, well-reputable moving company that does by-the-hour labor help, like Caddy, will save you money in the long run because you can be confident our professionals will be taking tremendous care of your items. Not only that, but we also save you time by being far more efficient than the competition. All of our men are trained to work efficiently, without ever sacrificing safety, so your move doesn’t take all day and your things are well cared for!

Some final Factors to Consider

Before you decide how many movers you need, it’s important to consider a few final factors including:

• Flights of Stairs
• Limited elevator space
• Narrow Hallways or Doorways
• Longer Carrying Distances

*For any of the variables above, it is recommended (+1) mover for any base 2-3 mover reservation and (+2) movers for any based 4+ mover reservation*

*Use the Caddy moving guide at the top of this page for ‘base’ reservations*

Any type of obstacle making moving your things from your home to the moving truck will likely slow down your team. Hiring an extra mover for any of the variables seen above can help speed up the process and make things a bit safer with the added hands and eyes.

Finding the Right Balance for Your Move

Hiring the right number of movers isn’t a perfect science. While you may think you only need two movers based on the size of your home, you may have forgotten about the flight of stairs the movers will need to work with to empty out the master bedroom, and a third mover will surely speed up the process to combat that variable!

The right mover/time balance isn’t the same for everybody. If you’re moving less than an hour away for example, you may not be bothered by paying fewer movers for more hours to help you move your things from your old house to your new house.