Founded in 1890, Hansen Bros. Moving & Storage the parent company of Portabox has successfully weathered many history-changing events including the Great Seattle Fire, WWI, the Spanish Flu of 1918, the Great Depression, WWII, the 2008 recession, and 9/11 among many other public crises. We are taking the current COVID-19 threat very seriously and will promptly adhere to any and all directives from local, state and federal government officials. Hansen Bros. and Portabox have been categorized as an essential industry business (moving & relocation) within the current mandate established by Washington State Governor Jay Inslee.

As essential services, we will maintain normal operations until such time as either company management determines we must close our offices or we are directed to do so by a governmental authority. We are taking extensive precautionary measures including the adoption of all CDC guidelines and the establishment of our own policies intended to minimize health risks for all customers, employees, contractors, vendors, and community stakeholders. We are proud to be able to support the needs of our customers during this crucial time but are prepared to quickly change course as required.

Stay safe together with Hansen Bros. and Portabox

The COVID-19 crisis is fluid and there are many uncertainties and factors outside of our control that may, with little or no advance notice, impact our delivery of moving & storage services. Please be aware the current crisis could potentially result in small inconveniences such as a delayed project start time or significant inconveniences such as the complete rescheduling of services.

Although there are many unknowns to be navigated, you can be certain that Hansen Bros. and Portabox will be timely and transparent in our communications regarding servicing your moving & storage needs, and our professional relocation consultants will work diligently to offer creative solutions in the event your project is impacted by the current health crisis.

Steps We're Taking:

  • Company-wide Implementation of all precautionary measures recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
  • Office staff and crews are being monitored daily for symptoms and/or known exposure by management and asked to go home, contact their healthcare provider, and self-quarantine as directed. Staff that experience symptoms and/or aware of exposure when not at work have been directed to stay home and notify their supervisor.
  • Office staff and crews are receiving daily briefings on precautionary measures and have been directed to follow them on and off the job.
  • Office staff and crews are being instructed to maintain appropriate “social distance” of 6 feet minimum between one another, customers, and all other people.
  • Office staff and crews are being provided with appropriate hand sanitizer and surface disinfecting supplies. They have been directed to disinfect truck cabs and moving equipment between each move to the best of their ability. These supplies will continue to be replenished as we are able, based on availability from retailers.
  • We are limiting visitation to our branch offices. If you wish to purchase moving boxes or supplies, please simply call in your order and we will happily deliver to your vehicle outside.

We are all in this together.  The team at Hansen Bros. and Portabox is proud to continue offering our services in accordance with the necessary precautions outlined above. We are here to make the process of storing belongings seamless & safe for you.

Tips for coordinating large-scale moves

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Are you thinking about a huge move? If you’ve got a large household or you’ve been tasked with managing the relocation of your company, you should know something right away. This definitely won’t be as easy as it seems. Indeed, coordinating large-scale moves is never as simple as it looks at first. However, don’t worry. If you plan everything out properly, managing this process shouldn’t be a problem. And PortaBox Storage Seattle is more than happy to help you do everything right! Read on for some useful tips on handling large-scale relocations. 

Start with a plan for coordinating large-scale moves

Right from the get-go, you need to realize something about coordinating large-scale moves. This is definitely something that you won’t be able to do without a plan. While you may have great management skills and the ability to organize most things on the fly; this is one of those processes that just demand rigorous planning. Soon enough, you’ll see that even the simplest of relocations contains plenty of facets that demand the proper attention and focus. While you do this, you will have plenty of chores to handle at once; even if you’re got someone to help you out.

A woman typing on a laptop and writing in a notebook simultaneously.
It’s vital to begin your moving preparations on time!

If you decide to push ahead without a plan and just handle issues as they crop up; you will have less time to think some important things through – resulting in poorer decisions in the long run. For instance, if you don’t have a firm grasp of the volume of things you’re moving in the very beginning; you may not realize that you need business storage Seattle offers at first. And while that may not seem like much of an issue; it also means that you’ll have less time to pick a proper storage provider like PortaBox Storage. 

Making the plan

So, how do you approach the process of making this plan? Well, the first prerequisite is that you actually think about this long enough in advance. Indeed, coordinating large-scale moves is pretty impossible if you don’t start on time. Generally, you want to give yourself at least a month; this is true for any type of relocation, even if you’re just moving from one studio apartment to the next. Conversely, large-scale moves – with long distances or large volumes of things – require even more time to plan out properly.

A woman making a phonecall while her child plays next to her.
In the end, it’s always important to find professional service providers who can do a better job than you alone!

If you’ve started in a timely manner – congratulations, you’re on the right track! And the next thing you need to do is to get a “lay of the land”. In other words, the beginning of your moving plan should be taking a look at the objective situation surrounding your move. For instance; how much time do you have until moving day to get everything ready? How much stuff do you need to pack up and move – and do you have someone helping you out? 

Finding storage and moving services

One of the first things that anyone who’s moved anywhere will tell you is – coordinating large-scale moves without professional help is just too damn difficult. In fact, it’s almost impossible if you’ve got other stuff to think about as well, and most of us realistically do. Indeed, if you truly want to do this properly; you should first focus on seeking help where you need it. For example, if you make a moving inventory and find that you’ve simply got too many things to relocate; consider finding some self storage Lynnwood WA offers to temporarily keep some of the stuff there.

Additionally, you need to think about whether you need moving services for the duration of the relocation. And let us tell you right away – you almost certainly do. Moving a household or an office is difficult enough when it’s a small move that we’re talking about. And in the case of large-scale relocations, doing it right without a team of experienced movers by your side is just too hard. The process of moving can mean plenty of unpredicted issues popping up; problems that people with industry experience can handle easily. That’s why it’s always better to let professionals handle the hard work.

Create a realistic moving budget

One of the hardest parts about coordinating large-scale moves is the fact that they’re quite costly. And the last thing you want is to over-budget here and potentially burn through a big chunk of your savings. Of course, going over your budget is far easier if there’s no budget to begin with; which is why we urge you to plan the finances of your move with a penchant for details. Once you’ve created a moving plan that contains all of the assorted tasks and chores, go through that list. And then think about the expenses that you might incur to complete each of them.

Feel free to add the costs in a small column, and then make a tally in the end. This is the final expense of your entire relocation – and yes, it can add up to a surprisingly large number. However, don’t worry; there are ways to save money even during the biggest relocations. For one, you can consider selling off or donating a part of your possessions that you don’t use; in most cases, movers charge by the volume of items that they’re relocating. 

A notepad and a calculator on top of dollar bills.
If you want to succeed in coordinating large-scale moves, sound financial management is an absolute must!

Also, you’ve got the final expense budget for the move; we recommend adding a leeway of at least 5% to that for unexpected costs. As we’ve already mentioned, there are all sorts of surprises that may happen while you coordinate a big move. And unfortunately, some of those may end up costing you!

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