Hello!  We retired Berg's Small Moves in November 2014.  Our moving days are over but Pete and Valerie are available for small packing jobs - kitchens are a speciality.  If you need last minute or extra packing help, give us a call.   303-449-5916.

Thank you, Boulderites, Boulderians, Boulder County residents and citizens of the People's Republic of Boulder! We're pleased to announce that we took third place in the Boulder Weekly's 2014 Best of Boulder in the Best Moving Company category.  That means we've been voted third place in three out of the past four years! Considering that we're filling a niche market, focusing on smaller moves with apartments, houses up to 3,000 square feet, single item moves, etc., we take pride in ranking so well against the big dogs and the best moving companies in Boulder County. Most of our business comes as repeat customers and referrals, so we know we have a loyal customer base, and we thank you again for voting for us!

The Boulder Weekly has announced that it's time to vote for your favorites in the Best of Boulder 2014! We've come in as a runner up in the past, and we'd love to get your votes again this year! Please do us a favor and tell Boulder County that Berg's Small Moves is your favorite moving company in town: http://goo.gl/34khxb

Packing Tips

image from thecollegeprepster.com

Packing for yourself, eh?  You probably know that you should start the job as soon as you know your moving date (or before).  Some ideas for you:

Ziploc baggies are a great for packing little things:
Toothbrushes / toothpaste / floss
Flatware
Spice bottles/cans
Open liquids or sticky bottles (like olive oil)
All the little items from your desk drawers: pens,  pencils, paper clips, sticky notes  all can be easily dumped into a baggy.

Consider bundling and labeling all the cords, remotes, and miscellaneous parts of your electronic equipment.  We deal with cords commonly  but it will save you time and money if you do it ahead of time.
Be sure to remove CDs from your players, too.

A "parts" box might help save time later when you're looking for the screws to reassemble the furniture. And think about taking apart particle board furniture so the movers can carry it flat.    Sometimes, moving is hard on particle board.

Be sure to empty the water from your tea pot and dry out shower curtains, towels, etc before you pack them.   Oh, and moving day is not a good time to water your plants.

You can use clothes and towels for packing material to save on bubble wrap.  And you can pack clothes in large garbage bags rather than buy boxes.

If you have questions about specific items, be sure to ask us and we'll help you.

Get packing!

Our 24' truck on a snowy day

We're happy that we don't have to deal with moving in the snow for the next few days! When it does snow on moving day, we'll still show up and take the necessary steps to keep the snow from causing problems. But it's always easier and faster to move in the beautiful weather that Boulder is famous for!

Starter Kits

When you're packing for a move,  consider packing a starter kit for the new home.  Bathroom items
(shower curtain with rings, tp, soap, toothpaste and brushes) , a couple of pots and pans, paper towels, simple cleansers,  a toolkit (measuring tape, hammer, pliers, screwdrivers), vacuum cleaner and mop, a pen and paper.  You could fill up a clean tall trash can with all these things to make it easier.  Having all these things to hand right when you move in may just save you some time and money.

Like us on Facebook!

We're only 20 likes away from hitting 100! Click the "Like us on Facebook button to the left (on the desktop site) or just go to www.facebook.com/bergssmallmovesllc and click the Like button.

Best of Boulder 2013

Hey everybody! We want to thank you for using us for the past 20 years as our mover. This year we're shooting for Best of Boulder County so all of your votes would help a lot! Please click the link below to vote for us! :)

Vote Best of Boulder!

Disassembling to Save Time and Money

One way to cut down on the time your movers spend with you is to disassemble any furniture that needs to be taken apart in order to move.  We are always happy to do this for you! But if you have the know-how and tools, you can save lots of time if you do it yourself.  

thanks to homedepot.com for the image

 Our pinch-hitter for the weekend :-)

Thanks for voting us Runner Up Movers Again & Remember:

When you move, don't forget to change your voter registration information!

                                                                image from theindependent.com

More Saving Time and $$

We also pack some of our customers and one things we've noticed is that many people go into packing day with a refrigerator and pantry full of food.  Most of the time, we just pack it up, though opened jars and bottles take some extra care and packaging.  Recently, though, we've taken to asking people if they really want to move all those mostly empty boxes and stale crackers.
So here's the advice:  try to eat up some of that food in the weeks before we pack you up. It's likely that there will be a grocery store near your new place and you can re-fill those shelves after you unpack.

Photo from http://thethriftycouple.com

By the way, we do background checks on our employees.

Wow - Thanks!

Look what we got in the mail today! We were awarded the runner up place in the Boulder County Gold from the Daily Camera! What a wonderful holiday gift, to get this kind of feedback from our customers. We think you are all great, too!

Again, thanks so much for everybody who voted for us!

Thanks for the Love!

Wow! We were voted #3 in the Boulder Weekly Best of Boulder Moving Category. What a nice surprise and no shabby feat considering that we're a fraction of the size of the first 2 winners. Thanks to everyone for voting for us - our customers are the best in town and Number 1 with us!

We're Number 3! We're Number 3! We're Number 3!

image from bouletgroup.com

How to Make Your Move Longer Anytime

Have you ever walked the length of a football field? Our movers do that while carrying furniture and pushing dollies but without the adoring crowds in the bleachers. One place we go to frequently: we park the truck in the loading area, go across the garage, up the elevator, down the halls, back and forth. If you live in a complex, consider how big your parking area is. We're happy to walk the distance but it does add time and cost on to your job. If there is a way you can arrange close-in parking, doing it can save you the big bucks!

photo from http://www.skylinepictures.com/

The warmer it is, the easier it is to move

Now that we're done with that cold snap, it's time to get moving. Even though we work through rain, sleet and snow (like the Postal Service), business tends to pick up quite a bit when it gets warmer out. So, if you're planning on moving soon it's best to call for your estimate sooner so we can fit you into the schedule. We can usually book about a week out (and sometimes closer to the job date depending on circumstances) but when it gets busier the time between booking and job date widens and it's best to book as soon as you can.
So, once you know what you need to move, give us a call so we can put you in the book.
(303) 449-5916

Snowy Moving

Even though we've had a relatively dry winter, we've still been getting snow off and on. The ways this can affect a move is drive time to the job, and any extra time added by taking shoes on and off in the house or putting runners down. The ways it can improve the move is by making the house seem much warmer by going in and out of the house, by going to get coffee or hot chocolate before or after the job to warm up, and by knowing you're tough at the end of the day for having worked in the cold. Keep all these things in mind when considering a winter move and know that the latter half is very rewarding.

Moving into Winter

In a few hours the days will start getting longer as the new moving season approaches. We want to thank all our wonderful customers for a great year. If our small business is any sign, the economy is on an upswing and things should continue to get better and better. Please let us know if we can help you in the new year - meanwhile, enjoy the rare solstice lunar eclipse!

How to Make Your Move Longer: Summer Edition

Build a house around a piece of furniture.

Example: move a piano into a basement then build the rest of your house on top of that space.

Example: build a floor to ceiling bookcase in your den without checking the dimensions of the door.

We do enjoy a challenge and don't mind the change of pace that working with cranes or pulleys provide. Those jobs do tend to take a bit longer, though.

illustration from Green Point Toys

More Bicycle Movers (this time in Boulder)

Kudos to these guys!

Be Careful Out There!

What's the matter with this picture?

Where's the packing paper? Or the bubble wrap? And what's that lampshade doing, still on that lamp? We may not wear gloves like these Mandarin Movers but we will definitely wrap your fragiles with care.

image from mandarin.about.com (click on link to hear 'mover' in Mandarin)

A Spring Break in Winter

We think we're hearing Blue Jays when we're loading trucks during this great balmy weather we've been having. We want to give a shout out to our customers who have made this winter one of our best ever! Thanks!
Here's to a great 2010 for everybody, whether you're moving or not!

photo from istockphoto.com

How to Make Your Move Longer Fall Edition

If we need to wake you up and remind you that we are moving you today, the move will likely go longer than expected. Just sayin....

The benefits of moving

If you're thinking about moving, this is a golden opportunity to de-kludge and get rid of all the things you never really use. The most common phrase we hear as movers is "I never knew I had so much stuff!" and it's always true. During the course of day-to-day living you never realize all the things you have around which you don't really use and definitely don't need, so take this opportunity to get rid of all the things you haven't really used in a year or more and you'll feel ten times better guaranteed.

Scheduling a Move

One of the most heart-rending things we run into is the call we get from someone who is wanting to schedule a move tomorrow -- or even that day. This can work if we have the time tomorrow. Often we don't.

Fairly frequently we get a call from someone whose friends didn't show up to help, or whose movers didn't (more rare) or who way underestimated how much work it would be, or who just didn't realize that movers might be booked up on the day they wanted.

Most of us don't move often enough to get practiced at it, so there will always be some things we don't know. One important thing to know is that you should schedule any move when you get your date to get in to the new place. It would be good to have gotten the estimates and chosen a mover; and if your are really, really thorough, a second choice -- in case the first one is booked on your day.

This will potentially save you a lot of grief. Moving is stressful enough without last minute worries about who is going to move you.

How Some Other Movers Do It

Where is the driver going to sit? We would have wrapped this one...

photo from Gruntzooki on Flickr

Tips to Get the Most From Your Boulder Home Sale

I read an article at Moolanomy about How To Sell Your House Fast – 9 Tips To Get The Most From Your Home Sale. Hey! We can help with a few of these:

1. Right Price. Hmm. Can't help there.

2. Remove clutter from your home. Here's one for us. We can help you declutter and move unnecessary furniture into storage or over to your children's homes. Move some of those clothes out of your closet into a wardrobe box and we can take those, too.

3. Improve curb appeal. Well, we're not landscapers but we do have a friend who is.

4. Fix problems around the house. Again, we could refer you to friends who do these things.

5. Learn the Art of Staging. We love to work with stagers, professional and amateur. We'll move things around until you're satisfied and if you want our opinions, they come free of charge.

6. Learn the Power of the web. I can tell you what I know about setting up a free Blogger.com account. Easy.

7. Get a good agent. We know several if you need one of these.

8. Be creative and 9. Don't be there (during an open house)....these are up to you. Good luck!

photo from dreamimagesigns.com

How to Make Your Move Longer, Summer Edition

Books: we all love them. They take us to faraway places and can spark ideas that we never would stumble upon in our daily lives. They introduce us to characters that we grow to love and hate.

They also can cause hernias if not packed the right way.

Yes, we can move a large box full of books if you need us to, but it will probably take longer to pick up and maneuver than a stack of smaller book boxes. Smaller boxes of books can be easily scooped up onto a dolly by one man and whisked out to the truck, 4 or 5 at a time. It's highly likely that one large box full of books will take a couple of men. That wardrobe box on that one move just didn't get out the door before it fell apart.

If you have any questions about what size boxes are good for books, just ask us and we'll help you out.

photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/timetrax/376152628/

Real Estate Economy in Boulder

Lots of people are still on the sidelines, waiting for something to change in order to move.  Our business is holding steady but this season is very different from years past.  Interesting times!

photo from http://shapeandcolour.wordpress.com

Berg's Small Moves, LLC crew

These are our Office Dogs. Like the rest of our friendly staff , they are  always here to help you.

Remodeling in Boulder

It's best to not schedule the plumber, floor refinishers, carpet layers and movers all on the same day. Some of them will inevitably be standing around waiting for the others to finish. If you are really good at orchestrating crews of workers and have an impeccable sense of timing, it could work. But we think it's usually better to try to line them up sequentially.

image from http://www.idcapitolproject.com

Another Way to Make the Move Longer

Yeah, it happens.   Moving in the snow and moving in the mountains will slow things down.  

The snow, for obvious reasons:  slippery surfaces, wet shoes that need to come off and on,  road conditions.  

Most times the mountain moves are a breeze but a couple of times we carried furniture from the road up a  steep and snowy driveway.  

Don't worry, though - if the truck goes into a snow-filled ditch, we don't charge for the extra time.

More: How to Make Your Move Longer

Oil your furniture the night before the move.

Everybody wants nice looking furniture, right? One thing to remember is that oiled furniture wants to slide right through a mover's hand. This is empirical knowledge, earned when our guys tried to pick up a freshly oiled bureau. Somehow they managed to get some gription and carry it to the truck, but time was added. We love the work and will do just about whatever our customers need, but keep in mind that oil=time=money.

Best to give it a few days to dry before we show up, ok?

photo from the Fuller Brush Co.

How to Make Your Move Longer

Sometimes we show up to a job and have to scratch our heads a bit to figure out what the customer is thinking.    We are there for them, whatever they need in order to move. Sometimes, though,  we're baffled by what is going on, even after 15 years in the business. 

 

Take for example, the customer who took time on moving day to water all the indoor plants thoroughly so that the pans underneath were full of water.  Now, we do whatever the customer wants, but folks, it does add time to deal with a plant that is dripping water.  We are happy to do it, mind you, but it will make the move a little longer.

Moving in Boulder in the Fall

Practically any day in Boulder County is a good day to move. We drove north of Hygiene yesterday to deliver a piece of furniture and saw some splendid scenery. We are lucky to live in this beautiful area and that makes moving easier. Except when you're moving in a blizzard or 100º weather but even then, we can't complain.

Boulder Movers Handle Depression

That was some week, wasn't it? That bailout took its toil on a lot of people, didn't it? Are you looking for a way to feel better about the world? Rearrange the furniture in your house! They say physical exercise is a great mood elevator so imagine all the endorphins you'll release by lifting that hide-a-bed couch.

On the other hand, if you're inspired to Feng Shui up your house for the winter and make that Chi flow like a river but don't want to exert yourself, call us and we'll come over and help you out. We love to move furniture around houses, in and out of houses, across town, whatever you want.

photo from weymouth-pictures.co.uk

Really Local Movers

We're a small company but one thing that we are very proud of is that we have been in business in Boulder since 1993.  We are truly a mom and pop; a locally owned company.  Our kids were raised here and now live and work here.  We've volunteered hundreds of hours in the community.  We walk our dogs on Boulder streets and if you live near us, you've probably seen our trucks in the neighborhood.  The people in Boulder county have been very good to us and we hope to serve them for many years to come.   Many thanks!

Fall in Boulder

The Equinox is nearly here, but in terms of the moving business, Fall has already arrived. We can tell not just by the lower volume of calls but also the nature of the calls. In the busy season, the message is pretty much: We don't care how much it costs or how long it takes, we want you to move us!

Fall customers are more unusual, like wanting a stove carried down a steep mountain driveway. Or a TV carried from one room to the other. Or the granite tabletop that took 4 men to move. Or the pile of firewood. Oh, and the lady who needs her plants moved out in the Spring and inside for the winter.

Big whole household moves or itty bitty ones; we love them all.

Choosing a Mover in Boulder

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I've given this a lot of thought.  If I was going to move and couldn't do it myself (or didn't want to do it myself) how would I choose a mover?  The best way is to ask around - get feedback from everybody that you know or run into about their moving experiences.   Some mover will eventually stand out from the the others as the one to go with.  

But don't stop there.  

• We all are required register with the PUC and that means having all the legal requirements in.  If you don't see it, ask for their PUC number.  
• You want to make sure the mover is insured - and be sure to find out how much you are covered for.  
• You want to make sure the mover has Workman's Comp for his employees (for the occasional armoire that falls apart onto the foot).   
• Make sure you're comfortable with the people you're dealing with.  If they make you uneasy over the phone or during an estimate, imagine a full day with them.
• Cost isn't always the best guide.  If you're end up paying for therapy after the move or have a lot of damage to deal with,  the lower price just isn't worth it.

There are good movers out there.  Just take your time investigating and  you'll find yours.

Advice for Moving People

This is pure gold, straight from one of our A Team movers:

If you want an easier, more straight forward move, don't schedule movers, carpet cleaners, plumbers and carpenters all on the same day.   

14 Flights, No Elevator

A couple of members of our A Team recently moved someone to the 14th floor of a building in Denver. The couch was too big to fit into the elevator so the guys carried it up to the 14th floor.

Huge couch, 14 floors.

They got the rhythm down by about the 5th floor.




photo from fotosearch.com

Long Walks

Most of our guys enjoy a good walk but add a mattress or some file cabinets and the fun factor fades a bit.  We are happy to do this for our customers but it does add more cost to the job.  If you like your mover, try to find close-in parking and you'll be rewarded by a smaller bill at the end of the day.

                                                                                                                 image fr0m mentalfloss.com

Moving along in the busy season

It's nearing the end of summer which means that things are getting a little busier. The best thing to do if you think that you're going to move is to call your movers as far in advance as possible because it can be hard during this time of year to get a mover even a week in advance, let alone the day before. Having said that, sometimes people cancel so it doesn't hurt to check if you need to move in a couple days and haven't found a mover yet.

Shortening the Move

Unless you're getting paid for it, moving is not fun. But there is nothing tedious and stressful that cannot be made more tedious and stressful by not giving yourself enough time to prepare. If you haven't moved in the last year, you are out of practice and your estimation of how much time and effort it will take to do the various things involved in transferring your stuff from where you are to where you will wind up is probably wildly optimistic.

So, what to do.

Some wait until the last week or two to start packing up the closets and bureaus and garage and kitchen and all and wind up exhausted and not done on moving day. Better to take the most pessimistic guess as to how long it might take and add twenty per cent. The worst that could happen is that you will be done a few days early and look foolish to your family and friends. Much better than coping with chaos and a much, much bigger bill on moving day.