Cost to Move a 5 Bedroom House in the UK
By Lauren Prescott, removals specialist with 15 years of industry experience · Updated March 2025
Five bedroom moves are projects rather than jobs. Local moves typically cost between £1,800 and £3,100 for transport and labour and between £2,600 and £4,200 with a full packing service. What you are really buying at this size is sequencing: a move manager, a packing team and two or three vehicles arranged so nothing stands waiting on a driveway.
The short answer
- Local five bedroom move with no packing: £1,800 to £3,100
- Local move with a full packing service: £2,600 to £4,200
- Long distance over 200 miles: £3,200 to £5,000
- Typical load is 2,400 to 3,200 cubic feet spread over two or three vehicles
How much does it cost to move a 5 bedroom house?
The figures below assume good access and a delivery inside two days. Country properties with gravel drives, gated estates and London townhouses with no loading bay all add crew hours.
| Distance | Transport only | With fragile pack | Full packing service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 miles | £1,800 to £3,100 | £2,200 to £3,600 | £2,600 to £4,200 |
| 15 to 50 miles | £2,050 to £3,400 | £2,450 to £3,900 | £2,900 to £4,500 |
| 50 to 150 miles | £2,600 to £4,100 | £3,000 to £4,600 | £3,400 to £5,200 |
| Over 200 miles | £3,200 to £5,000 | £3,600 to £5,600 | £4,100 to £6,400 |
How the days are planned
At five bedrooms the move stops being a single date. A realistic plan for a full service move looks like this and the price follows the number of crew days rather than the mileage.
- Day one and two: packing team works room by room and labels by destination
- Day three: loading, usually two vehicles and a five person crew
- Day four: delivery, furniture rebuilt, beds made up and cartons placed
- Optional day five: unpacking service and removal of all packing debris
Vehicles and volume
A five bedroom home commonly measures 2,400 to 3,200 cubic feet. That is two 7.5 tonne lorries plus a van or one articulated vehicle where the road allows it.
Outbuildings are the usual surprise. A double garage, a workshop and a garden room together can add another 600 cubic feet which is a whole extra vehicle. Open everything for the surveyor including the attic hatch.
Protecting a period or high value property
Larger homes are often older ones. Floor runners, stair protection, banister covers and door jamb padding should be listed in the quote as standard rather than sold as an extra.
Narrow original staircases sometimes mean wardrobes and beds come apart that were never designed to. A surveyor will flag which pieces need dismantling and whether anything needs to come out through a window with a hoist, which is priced separately.
Insurance at this value
Declare art, antiques, jewellery, wine and musical instruments in writing and agree a valuation before the crew arrive. Standard single item limits are far below what a five bedroom home usually holds.
Where items are genuinely irreplaceable, specialist crating and separate transport costs less than the excess on a claim you never want to make.
Using storage to take the pressure off
Very few families move everything in one go at this size. Containerised storage at roughly £120 to £220 per week lets you take the essentials now and release the rest once floors are sanded and rooms are decorated.
It also gives you a safe landing if the chain moves. Agree the storage rate at quote stage so it is a plan rather than an emergency.
Questions to ask before you book
Who is my named move manager and will they be on site? How many crew and vehicles on each day? What is the single item insurance limit? What happens if completion slips by 24 hours? Any firm that answers all four clearly in writing is the one to shortlist.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to move a 5 bedroom house in the UK?
Locally £1,800 to £3,100 for transport and labour and £2,600 to £4,200 with full packing. A long distance move over 200 miles usually falls between £3,200 and £5,000.
How many days does a 5 bedroom move take?
Three to four days in total for a full service move: one or two packing days, a loading day and a delivery day, with an optional unpacking day afterwards.
How many cubic feet is a 5 bedroom house?
Between 2,400 and 3,200 cubic feet for most five bedroom homes, rising past 3,500 where there is a large garage, workshop or garden room.
Do I need a survey for a 5 bedroom move?
Yes. At this size a phone estimate will be wrong. A home survey also identifies staircase restrictions, specialist items and access issues that change the crew and vehicle plan.
Can you move a 5 bedroom house in one day?
Only where the family has packed everything in advance, access is good and the distance is short. Most five bedroom moves are safer and cheaper across two days.
How far ahead should I book?
Eight weeks is sensible, and longer for summer dates. Booking early also secures the packing days either side of your completion date.
Planning a move?
BlueSky Removals gives fixed written prices after a free video or home survey. Call 0800 090 3125 or request a quote online.