Summer is the busiest moving season in Brisbane, and the hardest on people and furniture. December through February brings 30 degree plus days, heavy humidity and afternoon storms that arrive with little warning. You don't need to avoid a summer move. You just plan it a bit differently.
Here's how we run summer moves, from the Queenslanders in Ashgrove and Paddington to the new estates at North Lakes and Springfield Lakes.
Start early, finish early
The most useful thing you can do is book the earliest start you can get. A 6:30am or 7am start means the heavy lifting happens while it's still cool, and the truck is usually loaded before the worst of the heat.
Early starts also beat the storms. Brisbane summer storms are mostly an afternoon event, building through the middle of the day and breaking between about 2pm and 6pm. A move that starts at 7am is often unloaded before the sky turns grey. A midday start is racing it.
If your apartment building only allows moves from 8am or 9am, book the first slot and have everything staged by the door. Our apartment removals service covers the lift and dock bookings.
Watch the forecast, but don't cancel on a rain icon
Brisbane forecasts in summer nearly always show a chance of storms. If you cancelled every time you saw a lightning symbol, nobody would move between November and March. What we actually do:
- Check the forecast two days out and again the night before.
- Look at the timing of the storm risk. A chance of storms "late afternoon" is a normal summer day. A severe weather warning for the morning is a different conversation.
- Keep going through light rain. Furniture is wrapped and the truck is dry inside.
- Pause for heavy rain, hail or lightning. Nobody should be on a wet ramp with a fridge in a thunderstorm.
If a storm hits mid move, the usual pattern is a 20 to 40 minute wait and then back to it. Build that slack into your day and don't book the cleaners or the handover for an hour after the removalists are due to finish.
Protect the things heat and water damage
The back of a truck gets hot, and a few items suffer more than others.
- Candles, chocolate, cosmetics and medications. These travel in your air conditioned car, not the truck.
- Electronics. Load TVs and computers last, unload them first, and let them reach room temperature before switching on.
- Plants. Water them the night before and move them in your car.
- Leather and timber. Wrap them. A well wrapped lounge handles sun and a passing shower.
- Mattresses. Use a mattress bag. A wet mattress is a mould problem a week later.
- Fridges and freezers. Empty and defrost them the night before, or they'll leak across the truck floor.
Pack a "wet weather box" with towels, a tarp and bin bags. It's the box you'll be most grateful for if the rain comes early.
Look after the people
Moving in heat is physical work, for you as much as the crew.
- Have cold water and ice in an esky at both ends.
- Keep the air conditioning running at the old place until the last room is empty, and get it going at the new place as soon as you arrive.
- Take breaks in the shade. Ten minutes every hour in 35 degree heat is how you get to the end of the day.
- Watch for headache, dizziness, nausea or cramps. If anyone shows them, stop, cool down and drink.
- Wear light clothing, a hat and closed shoes with grip.
We schedule more breaks on summer jobs and rotate the heaviest lifts. It barely slows the move, and everyone is still sharp at the end.
Pick your date carefully
Summer is peak season for reasons beyond the weather. School holidays, end of lease dates and families wanting to settle before school goes back all land in the same few weeks. If you have any flexibility:
- Avoid the last week of December and the first two weeks of January. Trucks are booked out.
- Weekdays are easier to book than Saturdays, and early starts are easier to get.
- Mid month is usually quieter than the end of the month.
- Book two to three weeks ahead for a summer weekend, longer for a specific date.
If a lease or settlement locks your dates in, that's fine. Book early and give us a backup date in case severe weather forces a reschedule.
A simple summer move plan
- Night before: defrost the fridge, pack the wet weather box, check the forecast.
- 7am: crew arrives, quick walk through, load while it's cool.
- Mid morning: truck away, you follow with plants, electronics and the esky.
- Early afternoon: unload, beds assembled first, fridge in place.
- Later: boxes inside, truck gone, storm rolls over while you're on the couch.
That's how most of our summer moves go. Our house removals service handles the lot, and if a few bulky things didn't make the cut for the new place, our junk removal service can take them the same day.
Planning a move this summer? Call or text us on 0491 097 706 or send the quote form and we'll lock in an early start before the good slots go.