From Last spring
Sally J. · Midlothian, VA
“Steve, I just wanted to say thank you for moving my parents out of the Woodlake house we grew up in. They handled my mom's china hutch like it was theirs. Tell the boys I said hi.”
Hi, I'm Steve.
Seventy-four years young. I run a small moving company out of Woodbridge, Virginia. Me, ten guys on a bench, three on any given day. Since 2008 we've moved a little over four thousand Virginia families. These days the crew handles the heavy lifting; I run the trucks and answer the phone.
Years
17
Since I borrowed a truck and figured I'd do this for a year or two.
Families moved
4,217
Most of them inside Virginia. About four out of five call me again.
The truck
One 19-foot box truck. Two smaller. All padded, all ours.
The big truck smells faintly of cedar from the furniture pads I hand-sewed in the garage last winter. My grandmother taught me how when I was four. The smaller trucks handle in-town and tight driveways. We carry every kind of dolly that matters.
The crew
Three of these guys, every job.
Ten regulars on the bench. Three come with me on any given day, usually the same three for the same kind of job. They're background-checked and they've worked together for years.
Tue · Midlothian A two-bedroom out of Woodlake. Done before sundown.
Mike & Jordan Two-truck Saturday Bench depth · 10 Recent moves, in plain English.
Not testimonials. Not case studies. Just the actual jobs out of my calendar over the last couple of months, with names taken off and a sentence each about how the day went.
May 6 Midlothian → Fredericksburg Two-bedroom, lots of books.
Apr 29 The Fan → Lake Ridge Three flights up, baby on the way. Done by 4.
Apr 22 Woodbridge → Glen Allen Helped a U-Haul renter load. Two hours flat.
Apr 14 Spotsylvania → Stafford Estate move. Antique secretary and a 1962 Hammond.
Apr 6 Short Pump → Outer Banks Long-haul. Two trucks. Beach house by sundown.
Mar 30 Chesterfield → Manassas Pool table, piano, and a gun safe. Big day.
Mar 23 Mechanicsville → Mechanicsville Across the street. Took an hour. Charged for an hour.
Mar 18 Lake of the Woods → Springfield Repeat customer. Third move with us.
Mar 11 Burke → Burke Senior downsizing. Slow and careful, the way it ought to be.
Mar 4 Church Hill → Charlottesville Grand piano via the freight elevator. Tight squeeze.
…and another two thousand or so before these. The list runs back to 2008.
I know these streets by heart.
Most of my work is Central Virginia and the I-95 corridor up into Northern Virginia. In the neighborhoods I'm in every month, I know which doors swell in summer, which buildings have a tight freight elevator, which HOAs make you park sideways.
If your town isn't on the list, ask anyway. Odds are I'm headed past it this week.
- Midlothian
- Woodlake
- Fox Creek
- Short Pump
- Glen Allen
- The Fan
- Church Hill
- Mechanicsville
- Chesterfield
- Fredericksburg
- Lake of the Woods
- Stafford
- Spotsylvania
- Woodbridge
- Lake Ridge
- Manassas
- Springfield
- Burke
Letters I keep
Notes from people I've moved.
Saved on the fridge, the corkboard above my desk, the inside of the truck's sun visor. Lightly edited for length.
From Two weeks ago
Marcus H. · Richmond, VA
“Booked you through U-Haul on a Saturday at the end of the month. You showed up early. Finished in four hours. I have used you every move since. That's three now.”
From March
Priya R. · Fredericksburg, VA
“I watched a 74-year-old man carry my couch up three flights of stairs faster than guys half his age. I'm still telling that story. Tell Steve I said so.”
From Last fall
David & Anne L. · Lake of the Woods, VA
“You quoted us a fair number and billed us exactly that. We've been quoted by three other companies and ended up paying more than the quote every single time. Thank you.”
Saved on the fridge.
Money
I'll tell you the whole price up front.
I'm not the cheapest. I quote you a fair number, bill you that number, and show up when I said I would.
-
Two movers + our truck
Most homes. Two-hour minimum.
- $200 /hr
-
Three movers + our truck
Bigger houses. Faster days.
- $300 /hr
-
U-Haul load or unload
You bring the truck. I bring the muscle.
- $160 /hr
No fuel charge. No stair fee. No "weekend rate."
The things people always ask first.
- Q.01
How much do you charge?
Two of us, with the truck and all the pads, is two hundred dollars an hour. If we need a third hand for a bigger house, add a hundred. Two-hour minimum. I bill to the quarter hour after that. No fuel charge, no stair fee.
- Q.02
How far in advance should I call?
End-of-month Saturdays book two or three weeks ahead. Anything else, you can usually call me on a Monday for a Thursday. The worst that can happen is I say no, and then you've still got the rest of the week.
- Q.03
Can you move a piano?
Yes. Upright on any floor. Grand piano if there's a route. I'll come look at the stairwell or freight elevator first. Spinets and small uprights are part of the regular rate; full grands carry a small specialty fee. I'll tell you up front.
- Q.04
Will you really pick up the phone?
Yes. If I'm under a couch I'll call back inside the hour. Voicemail goes to my pocket, not a call center.
Got one I didn't list? Call me.
When you're ready
Just call me.
(804) 555-0117Tell me where you're moving from, where you're going, and roughly when. I'll give you a real number on the spot.
Steve