Our honest answer is that a full packing service is worth it if you’re short on time, moving a house full of breakables, or dreading the attic, but it’s not worth it for every job. If you’ve already got a stack of boxes half filled and you just need the heavy stuff moved, paying for a full pack is money you didn’t need to spend. The right call depends less on the size of the house and more on what’s actually in it.
The mistake we see most often in Wicklow moves
People underestimate how long packing actually takes. They’ll tell us “sure it’s only a three bed semi”, then we turn up on the day and half the kitchen is still in the presses, the attic hasn’t been touched, and the kids’ rooms are a disaster because nobody wanted to start on them. It’s not laziness. Packing a home properly, with labelling that actually makes sense on the other end, takes far longer than people plan for. A two person household often needs two full days just for packing, before the move itself even starts.
The second mistake is packing badly rather than not packing at all. Boxes that are too heavy to lift safely, glasses wrapped in a single sheet of newspaper, wardrobe boxes used for the wrong things. We’ve carried boxes down a narrow staircase in one of the older cottages around Rathdrum where the bottom gave way halfway down. That’s not a removals company problem, that’s a packing problem, and it happens more with self-packed moves than people expect.
What a full packing service actually covers
When we say full pack, we mean we bring the materials (proper boxes, not whatever’s been collecting in the garage), and we pack room by room including the awkward stuff: kitchens, wardrobes, attics, sheds. We wrap breakables properly and label boxes by room so the unpack at the other end is straightforward rather than a guessing game. For a lot of Wicklow households, the attic is the real sticking point. If yours hasn’t been sorted in years, it’s worth looking at our attic clearance service separately before the move, rather than paying to pack and move things you were never going to unpack again anyway.
A full pack also matters more than people think for insurance and liability. If we pack an item, we’re responsible for how it’s packed. If you pack it yourself and it’s damaged in transit because of how it was boxed, that’s a different conversation. Worth asking directly when you’re getting your quote.
What pushes the decision one way or the other
- Time before the move: if you’ve got under a week, a full or partial pack is usually the only realistic option.
- Fragile or sentimental items: glassware, art, instruments, china from a parent’s house. These are exactly where self-packing goes wrong most often.
- House size and clutter level: a tidy two bed apartment in Bray is a different job to a four bed family home in Blessington with twenty years of accumulated stuff.
- Physical ability: stairs, older residents, or anyone who shouldn’t be lifting boxes changes the calculation fast.
- Budget: a full pack costs more than a self-pack move, there’s no way around that, but it can work out cheaper overall if it stops a job overrunning into a second day.
- What’s getting left behind: if a good chunk of the house is going to a house clearance rather than the new home, there’s no point paying to pack it at all.
Where DIY packing genuinely makes sense
We’d never tell someone to pay for a full pack if they don’t need it. If you’ve got the time, a reasonably organised household, and nothing too fragile or awkward, packing it yourself and booking us just for the lifting and the van is the sensible, cheaper route. Most of the self-pack jobs that go smoothly in our experience are the ones where people start three to four weeks out, do a room a week, and get rid of what they don’t want before they pack rather than after. Starting the declutter early is the single biggest thing that makes a self-pack move go well.
Where it falls down is the kitchen and the attic, almost without fail. People leave the kitchen until the last day because it’s “in use”, and the attic gets left because it’s out of sight. Both end up being rushed, and rushed packing is where breakages happen.
The Wicklow factor: housing stock and access
Wicklow throws up a few things that other counties don’t deal with as much. The older stone cottages around Rathdrum and Enniskerry often have narrow stairs, low doorways, and awkward attic hatches, all of which make self-packing heavy or oversized items riskier than it looks. Coastal damp in places like Arklow and Greystones means cardboard boxes that have been stored in a shed or garage can be weaker than they look, which matters if you’re packing weeks in advance. And if you’re moving out towards Blessington or further into the hills, longer drive times mean a poorly packed van (loose items shifting, boxes crushed) causes more damage over the distance than a short hop across Bray would.
If your move is time sensitive, for example you’ve got a completion date that can’t move, our same day removals service is built for exactly that kind of pressure, and it’s usually paired with at least a partial pack because there isn’t time to do it all yourself.
A middle ground that works well
Most of the Wicklow jobs we do aren’t a straight choice between full pack or full DIY. The most common setup is a partial pack: we handle the kitchen, the attic, and anything fragile or awkward, and the homeowner packs their own clothes, books, and general bedroom stuff. It keeps the cost down while taking the worst of the job off your hands. It’s worth mentioning this option directly when you’re getting a quote, because not every removals company offers it as standard, but we’re happy to scope a job around exactly what you need done rather than selling you the full package by default.
Comparison: what you’re actually choosing between
| Pack it yourself | Full packing service |
|---|---|
| Lower cost, more of your time needed | Higher cost, far less of your time |
| You control labelling and organisation | Professional labelling and room-by-room system |
| Higher risk of breakages if rushed | Packed to reduce transit damage, with clearer liability |
| Works well for tidy, organised homes | Better for large, cluttered, or fragile-heavy homes |
| You source your own boxes and materials | Materials included as part of the job |
We’ve been doing removals across Wicklow, from Bray down to Arklow and out to Blessington, for years, and the one thing we’d say plainly is: don’t guess at this. Tell us honestly what state the house is in and what you’re dealing with, and we’ll tell you straight whether a full pack is worth it or if you’re better off doing it yourself and just booking the van. Get in touch through our contact page and we’ll talk through what your move actually needs, not what’s easiest to sell you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance should I book a full packing service in Wicklow?
Ideally two to three weeks before your move date, longer around peak periods like the end of the month or summer when demand for removals is higher across the county. If you’re up against a tight deadline, say so when you contact us, as a partial pack can often still be arranged even at short notice.
Will a full packing service move my attic contents too?
We can include attic items as part of a full pack, but if the attic hasn’t been sorted in years, it’s often more cost effective to clear out what you don’t want first. Have a look at our attic clearance service if that sounds like your situation.
Is it cheaper to pack myself and just pay for the van?
Generally yes, the labour cost of a full pack is the main thing you’re saving by doing it yourself. But factor in your own time and the risk of damage to items you’re not used to packing properly. For a lot of households, a partial pack covering the kitchen and fragile items is the better balance.
What happens to items I don’t want to bring to the new house?
Most Wicklow moves throw up a pile of stuff that’s not worth packing or moving. We can arrange a separate house clearance for that, so you’re not paying to pack and transport things you were going to get rid of anyway.
Do you supply the boxes and packing materials?
Yes, for full and partial packing jobs we bring proper boxes and materials rather than relying on whatever’s been collected from shops or neighbours. This matters more than people think, particularly for fragile items and for anything that’s been stored in a damp shed or garage before the move.
Can I get a mix of packing and a same day move if my timeline is tight?
Yes, this is common when a completion date moves or a lease ends sooner than expected. Our same day removals service is usually combined with at least a partial pack in these situations, since there’s rarely time left for a full DIY pack.
