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A house move is not a bigger apartment move. It has three things an apartment move does not, and each of them is where house moves go wrong.
There is a garage, an attic, and usually a shed, containing an amount of material nobody has counted. There is a closing date that is not fully under your control. And there is a set of outdoor and utility items that do not belong in a carton and that most people do not think about until the crew asks.
The furniture part is the easy part.
Direct answer: Three things separate a house move from any other kind. Count the garage, attic, and shed properly, because that is where estimates go wrong and it is often a third of the volume. Treat the closing date as movable until funding is confirmed, and have a plan for what happens if it slips. And sort the outdoor and utility items early, meaning yard equipment, fuel, chemicals, propane, and anything a mover cannot legally transport. Handle those three and the rest is a normal move.
Short answer: what to plan for a house move
Inventory the garage, attic, and shed as their own rooms rather than as an afterthought, since they routinely hold more volume than a bedroom and are the most common reason an estimate changes. Confirm the closing timeline and decide what happens if funding lands late, because that is the single most disruptive thing that can occur on the day. Sort out anything a mover cannot carry, including fuel, propane, paint, and garden chemicals, well before the date. Then handle the ordinary things: HOA notice if your association requires it, utility transfers at both addresses, and the access review at each end.
The garage, the attic, and the shed
This is the honest part of a house-move inventory, and it is the part people skip.
A two-car garage with shelving down one side holds a surprising volume, and an attic with a decade of storage in it holds more than the hatch suggests. Neither gets counted when someone estimates from bedroom count, which is exactly why estimates built that way change.
Do this properly. Walk the garage and list it as its own room. Go into the attic and look, rather than remembering. Open the shed. Then, before the estimate is prepared, decide what is not going, because a garage is the easiest place in a house to reduce volume and the most expensive place to move things you did not want.
Things a mover cannot take
There is a standard list, and it surprises people every time.
Fuel of any kind, including what is in the mower and the string trimmer. Propane tanks, including the one on the grill. Paint, solvents, and most garden chemicals. Pool chemicals. Aerosols in quantity. Anything corrosive or flammable.
Drain fuel from equipment ahead of the date and dispose of the rest properly rather than putting it in a bin. The city publishes guidance on household chemicals, electronics, and other material through Austin Resource Recovery, and it is worth checking what applies to what you have.
Plants are a separate question worth asking about early, and anything irreplaceable, including documents, jewelry, and small valuables, should travel with you rather than on the truck.
The closing date problem
Apartment moves have a lease end. House moves have a closing, and a closing can slip by hours on the day for reasons that have nothing to do with you.
Two practical protections. First, do not schedule the truck to arrive at the new address before you are confident you can get in; the gap between "funded" and "keys in hand" is real. Second, decide in advance what happens if it slips, whether that means the load sits on the truck overnight or goes into a storage unit. Neither is a disaster when it is planned. Both are expensive when they are improvised.
If a storage stop is a possibility, the Austin moving and storage stop guide covers planning it as part of the same job.
Utilities at both ends
Electricity in much of the area is supplied by Austin Energy, though service territory does not follow city limits and several suburbs run their own utility. Georgetown is the clearest example.
Set the start date at the new address a day before you move in, and the stop date at the old address a day after you leave. Overlapping by a day costs very little and prevents unloading into a dark house or finishing a clean-out with the water already off.
HOA notice and access
If either address is in an association, ask about notice requirements, permitted move hours, and where a commercial vehicle may stand. Some associations want advance notification and some do not care. Finding out takes one email.
Outside the city limits, county roads are the responsibility of the county rather than the city, which for much of the metro means Travis County.
The house move checklist
- Inventory the garage, the attic, and the shed as separate rooms.
- Decide what is not going before the estimate is prepared, starting with the garage.
- Drain fuel from mowers, trimmers, and other equipment ahead of the date.
- Dispose of paint, solvents, garden and pool chemicals, and propane properly.
- Set aside documents, jewelry, and small valuables to travel with you.
- Confirm the closing timeline and agree a plan if funding lands late.
- Give your association notice if either address requires it.
- Set utility start and stop dates with a day of overlap at each address.
- Photograph the street, driveway, and entry at both addresses.
- Measure the narrowest doorway and tightest interior turn on the route.
Where this sits in the wider batch
The Austin moving services guide covers how a house move fits alongside the other services. For access specifics by area, start with the Austin metro moving access guide, or go straight to the South Austin guide if the house is in the older central stock. For packing decisions, see the Austin packing services guide.
Where Pro Alliance fits
Send both addresses, your date and how firm it is, a room-by-room inventory that includes the garage, attic, and shed, and photographs of the street, driveway, and entry at each end. See the residential moving page or the Austin movers page, then use the free estimate form.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the garage matter so much to the estimate?
Because it often holds as much volume as a bedroom or more, and it is the part most commonly left out when someone estimates from bedroom count. Counting it properly is the main reason an estimate holds.
What can a moving company not transport?
Fuel, propane, paint, solvents, garden and pool chemicals, and anything corrosive or flammable. Drain equipment ahead of the date and dispose of the rest through the appropriate route rather than a general bin.
What happens if my closing is delayed on the day?
Decide in advance whether the load stays on the truck or goes into storage, and tell the team which. Planned, it is a minor change. Unplanned, it is the most disruptive thing that can happen on a house move.
When should I switch the utilities on?
Start service at the new address a day before you move in and stop at the old address a day after you leave. The overlap costs little and prevents unloading into a house with no power.
Do I need to tell my HOA about the move?
Some associations require notice or restrict move hours and commercial vehicle parking, and some have no rules at all. One email to the management company answers it, and whatever they say should go to the mover.