Small Moves Detroit

Who Uses Small Load Movers in Detroit

Hospital staff make up one steady group. Residents and fellows who finish training at Henry Ford Hospital on West Grand Boulevard or at the Detroit Medical Center usually ship a bed, a desk, a bike and the kitchen boxes on a start date a few weeks out, which makes a natural fit for a small long distance move.

Newcomers are the second. Downtown, Brush Park and the east riverfront have added a lot of new apartments, and many people who rent them drive in with a carload and ship the rest: a mattress, a dresser, a TV and the bookshelves. A small move to Detroit is the same service run in the other direction.

The third group is longtime homeowners in places like Redford, Westland and Roseville who sell the house and move closer to grandchildren or somewhere warmer. They rarely want the whole house. A china cabinet, the good dishes, a sewing machine and the photo albums go on the truck, and the rest goes to an estate sale. Families in Southwest Detroit and across the metro also send boxes of household goods to relatives abroad, and we deliver to most international destinations.

Sizing Your Detroit Shipment

• A queen bed, a dresser and the boxes from one bedroom
• A home office: desk, chair, monitor, printer and files
• The furniture and kitchen from a studio apartment
• A few inherited pieces that deserve a crate, like a mantel clock or a framed painting
• Tools, a workbench or a bike from the garage

As a small move company, we size each quote to the list you give us, so a short list means a smaller bill.

Pickup Planning for Detroit Streets and Homes

Tell us what kind of building the load starts in before you book. Detroit housing runs from brick colonials and bungalows to restored Victorians to new mid-rise apartments, and each one changes how pickup day goes.

Colonials, Tudors and Bungalows With Rear Garages

Grandmont Rosedale and the University District, along with inner suburbs like Oak Park and Huntington Woods, are full of brick homes with a narrow side drive and a detached garage at the back of the lot. Some Detroit alleys are overgrown or blocked, so the front curb is usually the safer loading point. Call (866) 333-8018 to talk through access at your home before you book.

Downtown, Brush Park and Riverfront Apartments

Newer apartment buildings downtown and along the riverfront usually ask residents to reserve a move time and use a loading area. Call (866) 333-8018 to check access at your building before you book. If your building fronts Woodward Avenue on the QLine streetcar route, the truck cannot stand in the track lane, so ask which side street or rear entrance to use.

Game Days and Parades

Ford Field, Comerica Park and Little Caesars Arena sit within a few blocks of each other, and on Lions, Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons dates the surrounding streets fill with event traffic and parking. For a pickup near downtown, check those schedules first, along with the Thanksgiving parade on Woodward and the Detroit Free Press Marathon in October.

Spring Thaw and Summer Construction

Michigan’s spring thaw brings potholes and seasonal weight limits for heavy trucks on some county roads, and summer is construction season on I-75, I-94 and I-696. Both can slow trucks around the metro. If you have a hard deadline, such as a lease ending in Wyandotte or a closing in Shelby Township, leave room in the schedule.

Pickup is scheduled 2 to 10 business days after booking, and booking at least 10 days ahead is the recommended plan. Same-week pickup is often possible, though extra fees may apply.

What Small Moves From Detroit Cost on Our Published Routes

Three things set the price: packed weight, the space the load takes on the trailer and the distance it travels. On our published Detroit routes, customers have seen these ranges:

• A few furniture pieces and boxes (about 500 lbs): $650 to $1,500
• A bedroom set with bed, dresser, nightstand and boxes: $800 to $1,950
• Studio apartment contents (about 1,000 lbs): $1,050 to $2,550
• One-bedroom apartment (about 1,500 lbs): $1,300 to $2,900

A load bound for the Northeast lands near the bottom of each range, and one crossing to the West Coast lands near the top.

Your delivery choice moves the number as well. Will-Call, where you collect the shipment at the destination terminal, is the most affordable; Curbside and Full Service ask more of the crew at the far end. The online estimator turns your own item list into an exact price.

Shipping a small load between Detroit and the West Coast? See our Los Angeles to Detroit and Detroit to Los Angeles route pages for pricing and what to expect.