Commercial moving involves the relocation of office equipment, including office furniture – desks, desk chairs, sofas – electronic equipment, photocopiers, printers, scanners, desktop computers, and more. Commercial movers also transport the contents of laboratories and warehouses like machinery, crates, and pallets. Oftentimes, a commercial move will require specialized equipment, transportation, and moving expertise to safely move these items.

What is the difference between Commercial and Residential Moving?

Commercial movers are equipped to handle businesses like offices, warehouses, gyms, laboratories, etc. Meanwhile, residential movers provide relocation services to homeowners or renters who are moving from one home to another. The type of home can range from a 1-bedroom apartment in the city to a 5-bedroom family home in the suburbs.

Unlike a residential moving company, a commercial moving company is equipped to deal with the packing and transportation of business equipment like laboratory machinery, electronic devices, and larger pieces of furniture. Commercial movers will be trained and knowledgeable in how to disassemble, pack, and safely transport these items.

Additionally, commercial moving companies will work late-night hours and have the ability to provide a quick turnover so that your business has as little downtime as possible. Residential-only moving companies will not be equipped to provide such specialized services or hours of operation.

Types of Commercial Moves

Office Moves

Whether you need the contents of a law, marketing, or accounting office moved, commercial movers will be knowledgeable in how to get the job done carefully and quickly. Many offices will have confidential resources that they wish to keep safe. Commercial movers will have the appropriate training and measures in place to ensure that these resources are protected during the move. They will work closely with office managers to create a moving timeline and plan suited to the operational needs of the office.

Warehouse Moves

Oftentimes, warehouse moves will involve transporting numerous crates and pallets, heavy pieces of infrastructure, and equipment like forklifts, dollies, ladders, etc. Any reliable commercial moving company will have the appropriate machinery and trained crews on hand to disassemble, pack, and transport these items.

Laboratory Moves

Laboratory moves will often require a robust timeline to ensure lab technicians can get back to work as soon as possible. Most commercial movers offer overnight services so that labs are reopened within a week, or in some cases, overnight. The movers will also have experience in packing and moving expensive and fragile equipment found in labs. Where specialty services like crating or craning are required, professional commercial movers will have these services on hand.

How much do Commercial Movers cost?

The cost of hiring a commercial moving company will depend on a number of factors like:

• The size of the location being moved;
• Whether it is a local or long-distance move;
• The number of items to be moved;
• Whether specialty services like craning are required;
• Whether packing and unpacking services are needed;
• Etc.

You can expect to pay anywhere from $1000 to $5000 for a 1,500-square-foot office relocation. If you plan on moving a 3,000-square-foot warehouse, be prepared to pay up to $10,000. According to Nexus.com, a ‘large space with numerous workstations could cost as much as $30,000.’ Again, these numbers will vary depending on the distance between your current and destination location, the number of items to be moved, etc.

Do you have an upcoming commercial move? Speak with a professional commercial moving company like Gentle Giant. We have some great resources to get you started on your relocation, including some recommendations on a timeline for an office move. Check out our moving checklist for information on how to prepare and use our free move estimate tool to determine the cost of your commercial move.