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Key Advantages of Using Specialist Packing Cases
If you are in the process of a house move, a decluttering, or are about to put items into storage, it may be tempting to put items in any cardboard box that comes to hand. However, this could prove to be something of a false economy and could end up leading to damage to your belongings.
At Hamiltons Removals, we stock premium packing materials for moving house from our base on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Here we look at some of the key advantages of using specialist cartons to pack your belongings.
They Help with Labelling
We have recently extended our range of specialist packing cases available on our online shop.
All of them are labelled, helping you save time as you know exactly what is in what box. Our range includes specialist packing cartons for include glassware, a (plasma) TV carton, a box for CDs and DVDs and a bottle box.
With the glassware and bottle boxes in particular, the bespoke packaging should drastically reduce the risk of any breakages, as everyone will know to handle those boxes with care. To be doubly sure, we also offer ‘Fragile’ tape which comes in handy when it comes to sealing your boxes up.
The Provide Better Protection for Your Items
Bespoke cases are purpose-built with the storage item in mind – one problem with DIY removals is that you can end up putting wrong sort of item in the wrong sort of box and cause damage to your belongings in transit to your new home.
Bespoke or specialist packing cases have been designed by professionals who are fully aware of the bumps and stresses and strains items will experience while they are being moved from one home to another – and the designs account for that.
At Hamiltons, for example, all our specialist cartons (with the exception of the DVD/CD box) are double walled, so there’s less chance of any of the contents being damaged.
They Save You Time
Although they ideally need further labelling, having bespoke packing boxes will certainly save you a lot of time, both when packing up for your move and when unpacking at your new home.
Wardrobe cartons are particularly useful as you can transfer your clothes straight from your wardrobe to the carton, and vice versa, because they come with a handy plastic hanging rail. You won’t have to shake out any creases or folds and shouldn’t have to send them away to be dry-cleaned or put them in the washing machine straight away either.
They Keep Items Clean
As well as wardrobe cartons, bespoke packaging and covering should keep your items free of any dirt and grime they might otherwise pick up during a move, or while being lifted or handled.
This particularly applies to sofa and armchair covers – which we at Hamiltons can also supply.
Packaging Materials for Moving House in Norfolk
At Hamiltons we also supply a range of other boxes and cartons, and you can also buy packaging paper and other accessories from our online shop.
And, if you need somewhere to store your possessions, for example if you are having a declutter, are undertaking a home renovation project, or are stuck in a homebuying chain – then remember we also have safe and secure self-storage facilities available at our Harleston and Aldeby sites.
The former (which is also the base for our packing materials stock) has a range of self-storage rooms available for as little as £65 a month, while our Aldeby site has containers which are ideal for storing larger items such as vehicles.
For more information about our self-storage facilities, follow this link.
Moving House to Long Stratton with Hamiltons Removals
Long Stratton is a small town in the heart of South Norfolk, and it will be familiar to anyone who drives between Norwich and Ipswich on the A140. However, a long-awaited new bypass is due to start next year in a project which could also see Long Stratton almost double in size – and mean that you don’t have to drive through the centre of the town any longer. Here Hamiltons Removals, who can help if you are considering moving house to Long Stratton, take a closer look at the town.
The History and Heritage
Long Stratton is made up of two historic parishes: Stratton St Mary to the south, and Stratton St Michael to the north.
The town is mentioned in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of the “Great Survey” of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086, when it had 127 households (and nine major landowners) listed. It has two Church of England churches, St Michael and St Mary, as well as a Methodist church. St Mary is one of 124 round-tower churches in Norfolk.
Nowadays, the town has a population of around 4,500 people.
The Transport Links
The A140 runs straight through the town, which is simultaneously a curse and a blessing for residents – the former because there’s a lot of traffic going through the town and all the negative environmental impact that comes with heavy vehicle traffic (as well as making life more difficult for pedestrians).
However, this does mean that the town is very accessible, particularly in a north/south direction. The A140 runs through to Norwich in the north, and through to Suffolk in the south (most of the way to Ipswich). In terms of public transport, there are regular bus services from the town to Norwich and Diss.
A Long Stratton bypass has been mooted for many years, with routes to the east and west of the town being considered – but problems with the planning process, the war in Ukraine, inflationary pressures which pushed up the cost, and the coronavirus pandemic have all contributed to delay the project. The latest update on this is that permission for a bypass to the east has now been given planning permission, with a projected start date of April 2024 and an estimated cost of around £46million.
The Main Facilities
Long Stratton is located in the heart of South Norfolk and has plenty of facilities for residents.
These include plenty of independent shops along the High Street (the A140) and two small centres (the South Norfolk Shopping Precinct and The Icehouse Precinct), as well as a Co-op supermarket and a petrol station on the main street.
There are two pubs (The Queen’s Head and The Swan, pictured), three schools (an infant school, a junior school and a high school), a doctors’ surgery and a library in the town.
Long Stratton is also the home of South Norfolk District Council, a major employer who also operate a leisure centre in the town. It is also a commuter town, with many people commuting to work (mostly to Norwich, but also to other parts of Norfolk and Suffolk).
The Housing Market
The bulk of the housing stock in Long Stratton are detached and semi-detached homes. However, ACRE (the Action for Communities in Rural England charity) points out that the town does still have a number of smaller homes (including terraced properties) which helps first-time buyers to get onto the market; there’s also a sizeable sector of rented properties as well. It also says the town is quite ‘youthful’ and has a large number of younger homeowners.
The new bypass should also bring with it around 1,800 new homes (around two-thirds to the east of the existing town, and the remainder to the west) as well as a new primary school.
According to property website Rightmove, the average price of a Long Stratton home was around £285,000 last year – and most of these were semi-detached houses. Terraced houses were around £60,000 cheaper.
Moving House to Long Stratton with Hamiltons Removals
If you are interested in removals to Long Stratton, then call Norfolk removals company Hamiltons Removals.
We are also based in South Norfolk (with sites at Harleston and Aldeby) and have plenty of local expertise when it comes to high-end removals within the county. We can help you kick-start the moving process with an online quotation or a video survey.
And we don’t just provide Norfolk moves – we can help you move to anywhere in the UK and overseas, and we can move your business as well if you’re looking for a commercial removal.
For more information about all our services, you can also call us on 01379 855203.
Photo: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/Geographer