Small Moves Chicago

What Small Moves in Chicago Usually Look Like

Small moves out of Chicago tend to come from four kinds of customers. Every one is a small move state to state, leaving Illinois or arriving from another state, and each ships something different.

Job Transfers Out of the Loop

Chicago is a headquarters town, and transfers out of Loop and West Loop offices often mean a partial move. The usual load is whatever the next apartment cannot replace cheaply: the bed, a good sofa, the work-from-home desk and chair, a TV and the kitchen boxes. The rest gets sold or donated before the lease runs out.

Students and New Graduates

DePaul in Lincoln Park, Loyola on the Rogers Park lakefront, UIC on the Near West Side, Illinois Tech in Bronzeville, Columbia College in the South Loop and the University of Chicago in Hyde Park all send students home or off to a first job every spring. A dorm room or a shared apartment rarely holds more than a mattress, a desk, a bookcase and a stack of boxes. If you want college movers in Chicago who can take that out of state, book before finals so pickup lands ahead of your move-out date.

Downsizing From a Bungalow or a Greystone

Families leaving a brick bungalow in Jefferson Park or a greystone in Logan Square after decades tend to keep only the pieces with history: a cedar chest, a china hutch, a grandfather clock, the good dining chairs. Those are worth crating, and custom crating is available for antiques, clocks, art and glass. Extra valuation coverage is available on top of the basic coverage.

New Arrivals Shipping to Chicago

Inbound loads follow the same pattern in reverse: a medical resident starting at a hospital in Streeterville or the Illinois Medical District, or a new hire signing for a River North one-bedroom. If the apartment is not ready when the shipment arrives, short-term storage is available at destination terminals until you have the keys.

Planning Pickup Around Chicago Buildings and Streets

The building shapes pickup day more than the distance does. Every estimate includes white glove pickup from the first floor, and these are the Chicago details worth checking before you book.

Bungalows and Garden Units

Bungalows on the Northwest and Southwest Sides often keep storage in a basement reached by a steep, narrow stair, and garden apartments in two-flats sit half a level below the sidewalk. If anything you are shipping sits above or below the first floor, call (866) 333-8018 to check access at your building before you book.

Courtyard Buildings and Vintage Walk-Ups

In Rogers Park, Uptown and Albany Park, a courtyard building can put your door at the far end of a long walkway and up three flights with no elevator. Professional packing is included, so upholstery and mattresses are wrapped before they travel.

Newer High-Rises

Towers in Lakeshore East, the West Loop and the South Loop usually require a reserved freight elevator and a loading dock slot, and some charge residents a move fee. Get the building’s move rules as soon as you give notice, before you book a pickup date.

Parking, Street Cleaning and Snow Routes

Many residential streets have permit-only parking, and street sweeping from spring through fall posts temporary no-parking signs on a rotating schedule. From December 1 to April 1 the city bans overnight parking on main arterial streets from 3 AM to 7 AM, and separate snow routes are cleared once two inches of snow falls. Check your block’s signs for pickup day.

Picking a Pickup Date

Pickup is scheduled 2 to 10 business days after booking, so count back from the day you hand over the keys. A same-week pickup is often possible with extra fees, but booking at least 10 days ahead keeps the date you want. In winter, salt the porch stairs and the walk to the curb the night before.

Small Moves Between Los Angeles and Chicago

Shipping a small load between Chicago and LA? See our Los Angeles to Chicago and Chicago to Los Angeles route pages for pricing, transit times and what to expect.