Packing services in Gardnerville Ranchos

Gardnerville Ranchos has about 12,000 residents and 4,800 households, and of roughly 5,000 homes about 3,600 have three bedrooms. That uniformity makes planning a pack easier, because the rooms are similar from one house to the next.

A standard house, a different household

The floor plan is often the same, but what is inside is not. A family with children has toys, a trampoline cover and sports gear. A retired couple has decades of dishes and a hall full of framed photos. The estimator's job is to see the contents, not just the rooms, and count the cartons the contents need.

About 86 percent of Ranchos homes are single-family detached, and 81 percent are owner-occupied. Garages, side yards and workshops belong in the count.

What is packed first

The usual order is the rooms you use least: the garage shelves, the guest room, the dining room china, the pictures on the walls. Daily items such as pots, plates and clothes are packed last. The crew can follow the same order if you hire a full pack, and a partial pack can stop where you choose.

• Garage and workshop first
• Guest rooms and closets next
• Kitchen and bathrooms last
• Labels by room on every carton

Heavy goods in three-bedroom houses

Tool chests, books and canned goods are the heaviest items in a house like this. They go in small cartons so each one stays under a lifting weight. The guides to packing books and packing a garage show how.

Long drive, scheduled visit

The Ranchos are the farthest of the Carson Valley communities from our Sparks warehouse, at about 52 miles and 65 minutes via I-580, US 395 and SR 88. The estimator's visit is booked ahead, and the crew's packing days are set on the written estimate.

Storing what will not fit

Three-bedroom houses downsizing to a smaller home often have more furniture than the next place can hold. Wooden vaults in the Sparks warehouse take the overflow, with vault storage from $40 per month and about 2 to 3 weeks notice to ship. See estate and downsizing storage.