Man with a van Edinburgh, for moves that do not need a lorry
A studio flat, a room in a shared flat, a sofa from Gumtree or the contents of a garage. A smaller crew and a moving van Edinburgh streets can actually park on, priced by the job rather than by the hour.
- Fixed written quotes
- Short notice where we can
- Fully insured
When a van is the right answer, and when it is not
Man and van Edinburgh jobs are priced by access and volume, not by the hour, so the honest question is whether your move actually fits in a van. Here is roughly where the line falls.
| What you are moving | What that usually needs |
|---|---|
| A single item, ground floor both ends | One van, two people, an hour or so including the drive. |
| A room in a shared flat | One van and two people, longer if either end is a tenement stair. |
| A studio or one-bedroom flat | A van load or two, usually half a day once stairs and parking are counted. |
| A two-bedroom flat or bigger | Past the point where a van makes sense. Our house removals service is cheaper per hour. |
| A collection from a shop or seller | One van, and the seller’s access details before we set off. |
If your move is closer to the fourth row than the first, say so and we will quote it as house removals instead. Two van loads and a stair usually costs more than doing it properly once.
What we take on
We run small removals Edinburgh wide, from a single wardrobe to a full studio flat, with the same crew and the same fixed pricing as our larger moves.
Studio and one-bedroom flats
Whole small-flat moves across the city. Furniture dismantled where it needs to be, boxes carried rather than slid down a stair, and everything landed in the right room.
Rooms in shared flats
The classic Edinburgh student and sharer move. One room out, one room in, often on the same day and often up two stairs at each end.
Single large items
Sofas, beds, wardrobes, fridges, desks and the occasional awkward antique. Measured against the stair before we set off rather than after.
Collections and deliveries
Marketplace, Gumtree, auction lots and shop pickups. We collect, protect it in the van and bring it to your door.
How a small move runs
Four stages, agreed in writing before anything is lifted.
Tell us the two addresses
Floors at both ends, whether there is a lift, and a rough list of what is going. Photos of anything big help more than measurements.
Fixed quote back
One figure covering the van, the crew and the time, not a rate that starts when we leave the yard. If a bay suspension is needed we say so now.
Collection
We protect the load rather than stacking it loose, dismantle what needs it, and carry rather than drag anything down a stair.
Delivery and placement
Into the room you want it in, reassembled if we took it apart, and packaging taken away with us if you would rather not deal with it.
Send us the job
Two addresses, the floor at each end and what is going. Photos of the awkward items are worth more than a description. We will come back with a fixed written quote, usually within one working day, and tell you if a full removal would work out cheaper.
Where a van beats a full removal
Four situations where a smaller crew and vehicle is genuinely the better answer, rather than just the cheaper-looking one.
Student areas at term change
Marchmont, Newington, Bruntsfield and Gorgie in June and September. Rooms out and rooms in on the same day, usually up a shared stair at both ends.
City centre flats with tight access
Old Town closes, New Town basements and Leith one-way streets, where a smaller van gets close enough to keep the carry short.
Single items and marketplace pickups
Sofas, wardrobes, pianos and anything else you have bought that will not go in a car. We measure the stair before the day, not on it.
Part-loads and clear-outs
A garage, a spare room, or the last van load after you have moved the rest yourself. We can also run things straight into storage.
Four things worth knowing before you book
Small moves fail for small reasons. These are the usual ones.
Parking at both ends
A small job goes wrong when the van cannot stop. Controlled parking zones still apply for twenty minutes of carrying, so we check both streets before quoting and tell you if a bay suspension is worth it.
What will not fit
A van is not a lorry. Three-seater corner sofas, American fridges and full bedroom sets can need two runs, which usually costs more than booking the right size vehicle once.
Stairs at the far end
People remember their own stair and forget the one at the other address. Tell us both, because a second-floor delivery changes the crew and the time far more than the mileage does.
What we do not take
We are not a waste carrier, so we cannot take things to the tip or dispose of furniture for you. We will happily move it to a charity shop, a storage container or a relative instead.
Why book us rather than the cheapest van
A man with a van is the easiest service in the city to undercut, and the easiest to get wrong. We run these jobs with the same crews, cover and care as a full house move, which is why the quote is a fixed figure rather than an hourly rate that grows on a stair.
A fixed price, not a running clock
Hourly rates reward a slow day. You get one figure covering the van, the crew and the time, agreed before we set off.
A removal firm doing small jobs
Same insurance, same blankets and straps, same protection on the stair. A cheap van and a stranger is a different service at a similar price.
We will talk you out of it
If a full removal would cost you less than two van runs, we say so. It is a smaller job for us and a better day for you.
Moving a whole house or a larger flat? See house removals in Edinburgh. Need somewhere to put things first? Removals and storage covers the gap. Everything sits together on our services page, and the Edinburgh moving guide explains permits and access across the city.
Man with a van in Edinburgh: your questions answered
The questions we are asked most often about smaller jobs.
It depends on volume, the floors at both ends and how far the van has to be from each door, rather than on a flat hourly figure. A single item between two ground floors is a short job. The same item down three tenement flights and up two more is a different one. Tell us both addresses and what is going, and you get one fixed written price rather than a clock that starts at our yard.
For a room, a studio or a few large items, yes. Once you are past roughly a one-bedroom flat it usually stops being cheaper, because two or three van runs across the city cost more in time than doing it once with the right vehicle and crew. We will tell you which side of that line you are on when we quote, even when the answer is the larger service.
Yes, single items are routine. What matters is the stair rather than the item: we ask for the width of the tightest turn or a photo of it, and where a piece will not go round, we dismantle it if it comes apart safely or say honestly that it will not fit before you pay for a wasted trip.
Yes, and they are a large part of what we do in June and September. Rooms in shared flats around Marchmont, Newington and Gorgie, often out of one flat and into another on the same day. Book early for the last week of any month, because that is when everyone else is moving too.
Yes. Marketplace, Gumtree, auction lots and shop collections are all normal work. We need the seller’s address, a contact number, and to know the access at their end. Payment for the item stays between you and the seller, and we recommend you have confirmed it is ready before we set off.
No. Moving waste for disposal requires a waste carrier licence, and we are a removal company rather than a clearance firm, so we will not pretend otherwise. We can move unwanted furniture to a charity shop, a relative or into storage, and for a genuine clear-out you want a licensed waste carrier instead.
Less than for a full removal. Midweek jobs can often be arranged within a few days, and sometimes sooner if a slot opens. The end of the month, Fridays and the student change-over weeks fill first, so if your date falls in one of those, ask as early as you can.
Yes. Single items and small loads out to Glasgow, Fife, the Borders and further are all fine, and are usually priced as one job rather than by mileage bands. Longer runs are easier to fit midweek, when we are not working around city change-over dates.
Get a quote for your van job
Two addresses, the floor at each end and what is going. We will come back with a fixed written quote, usually within one working day, and no obligation to go ahead.