Moving a Three-Bedroom Apartment: The Most Common Move and One That Needs Planning
A three-bedroom apartment with a living room is the size most mid-sized families in Jeddah live in, so it is the move we handle most. Although it looks familiar, it is too big to move without a plan and too small to need a huge team, and it is that middle ground that confuses people: how many workers do we need? Is one truck enough? Where do we start? The answer is to begin by listing the rooms one by one, then estimate the load, then decide the number of workers and vehicles, and then plan the moving day hour by hour.
At Three Knights we suggest every family leaving an apartment of this size treats the move as a small project: a list of what will move, a decision about what will be sold or left, a fixed time for dismantling furniture and a plan for receiving and reassembling. The clearer those things are before the date, the fewer minutes are wasted on the day.
A Room-by-Room Inventory
The inventory is the basis of the estimate. We go through the apartment in this order, either on a visit or from photos you send us:
| Room | What we ask about | What affects the move |
|---|---|---|
| Master bedroom | Bed, wardrobe, dresser, mattresses | Dismantling, wrapping and wardrobe size |
| Children's or guest rooms | Bunk beds, desks, toys | The number of small items and boxes |
| Living room | Sofas, tables, TV, curtains | Large sizes, fabric and glass |
| Kitchen | Appliances, utensils, separate cabinets | Fine wrapping and appliance preparation |
| Dining room | Table, chairs, sideboard | Wooden pieces and glass |
| Store room or maid room | Old boxes and accumulated items | Hidden volume that increases the load |
| Balcony and roof | Outdoor furniture, plants, tools | Unwrapped pieces exposed to dust |
How Many Workers and How Many Vehicles
There is no magic number, but there are practical rules. An apartment with average furniture and usual appliances is generally finished by a team of several workers in one day if preparation is good and the floor is reasonable. An apartment with heavy furniture, many sitting-room pieces or oversized items needs a bigger team or an extra vehicle. A high floor without a lift adds workers or time, and you may want to read our page on moving from walk-up buildings. On the other hand a wide lift and parking near the entrance clearly reduce the effort.
As for vehicles, we prefer not to overload one: a smaller vehicle loaded beyond its capacity means pieces that shift and rub. You can see the options on our Dyna trucks page.
What Gets Dismantled and What Moves As It Is
In an apartment of this size the pieces worth dismantling are well defined: beds with large frames, tall wardrobes, a big dining table and some bookcases and dressers. Small sofas, chairs and side tables move whole with wrapping. Dismantling reduces volume, protects pieces and helps them pass doors and lifts, but it takes time at reassembly, so we plan it in advance. Learn about our furniture disassembly and assembly service and our bedroom service.
Preparing the Apartment Before Moving Day
- A week before: decide what will move and what will be sold or donated, and start gathering seasonal items in boxes.
- Three days before: pack non-daily kitchen items, books and decor, and number the boxes by room.
- The day before: disconnect and empty the fridge, drain the washing machine and prepare a bag of first-night essentials.
- Morning of the move: open the entrances, reserve the lift if it is shared and keep valuables with you.
- When loading is done: walk through the rooms, cabinets, balcony and roof one last time.
You can read more in our moving-time guide.
The Kitchen: The Room with the Most Parts
The kitchen holds the smallest and most numerous parts: plates, glasses, pots, small appliances, spices and sharp tools. We wrap plates one by one and stand them on edge, put heavy pots in small boxes so they do not become too heavy, keep sharp tools in a separate case and seal liquid food tightly. Large appliances such as the fridge, washing machine and oven are prepared before the date. See our packing and wrapping page for the methods we use.
Children's Rooms and Family Items
If you have children the move needs extra planning: many toys, small beds and school things, and you will usually want the children's room to be the first one set up in the new home so life feels normal quickly. So we mark children's boxes with a different colour or label and reassemble their beds first on arrival. We prefer small children to stay with an adult away from the stairs and the vehicle while work is under way.
The Living Room: The Pieces That Take Up Space
The living room usually holds the largest items: a big sofa or corner unit, tables, a TV unit, lighting and curtains. We wrap sofas in covers and bags, take down and fold curtains with care, and separate the TV from its stand and pack it in its box or an equivalent. Glass tabletops are lifted from their frames and wrapped separately.
Curtains, Lighting and Wall Art
These small items are the first to be forgotten and the last to be installed, yet they are what makes a new apartment feel like a home. We take down curtains and rods and put them in one bag numbered with the room name, disconnect hanging lights after the power is off and wrap their glass separately, and bring down wall pictures and mirrors, wrap them in cardboard and bubble wrap and carry them upright. We suggest you photograph the wall arrangement before taking things down so you can hang them in the same places if you wish. Hanging hardware goes in a small bag with each item so it does not get lost among the boxes.
A Suggested Timeline for the Day
| Approximate time | Activity |
|---|---|
| Early morning | Crew arrives, quick walk-through, floors and corners protected |
| Next | Large furniture dismantled, pieces wrapped, screws gathered |
| Mid-morning | Appliances and heavy pieces loaded first |
| Afternoon | Boxes and light pieces loaded, inventory completed |
| On arrival | Unloading by room, then beds and wardrobes reassembled |
These times are approximate and change with the floor, the lift, the distance between the two apartments and the amount of furniture. We give a more exact timetable once the load is agreed.
Unloading and Reassembly in the New Apartment
The best way to speed unloading is to have a clear picture of the room layout in the new apartment and to mark the rooms with sheets of paper on the doors: master bedroom, children's room, sitting room, kitchen. The crew then takes each box and piece straight to its room. After that, beds are assembled first, then wardrobes, then the living room is arranged. If the new apartment is freshly built and dusty, we advise cleaning it before unloading so the furniture does not get dirty.
What a Three-Bedroom Move Costs
We do not quote figures on the page, but the factors are clear: the volume of furniture and number of large pieces, the distance between the apartments, floors and lifts at each site, dismantling and reassembly, packing and the type of vehicle. After an inspection or photos we give you a written price before starting. See how moving prices are set in Jeddah for a wider explanation.
Mistakes That Repeat on Family Apartment Moves
- Estimating the load by guesswork without an inventory, so a vehicle that is too small arrives.
- Forgetting the store room, maid room and roof in the inventory.
- Not numbering boxes, so unloading time is wasted searching.
- Leaving the fridge undrained and undried before the move.
- Not measuring the new apartment's doors and the lift for large items.
- Leaving dismantling and packing to the morning of the move.
A Checklist Before You Call Us
- The floor and lift situation at both apartments.
- A list of large, heavy and fragile pieces.
- Photos of the main rooms, the kitchen and the store room.
- The required date and how much flexibility you have.
- What you want dismantled, reassembled and wrapped.
- The new apartment's address and how to reach it.
Dealing with Things You Do Not Need
Every move is a chance to lighten the load. Before packing, walk through the apartment and divide what is in it into what you really need, what you doubt and what you have not used for a year. What you have not used for a year, you probably will not need. Donate old clothes and duplicate tools, sell furniture that does not suit the new home and discard what is damaged. This reduces not only the load but the cost, and leaves the new home lighter and easier to arrange, with less time spent by the crew carrying and unloading.
Documents and Valuables
On moving day there is a lot of coming and going and items pass through several hands, so we advise you to keep your official papers, passports, gold, small electronics and medicines in one bag that stays with you all day. We do not place these in the load even when they are small, since they are your responsibility and not part of loading. If you have valuable furniture, photograph it before wrapping and again after unloading so you can compare the two states and be sure everything is in good order.
Why Three Knights for Your Apartment Move
Because we start with planning, treat each room as part of a plan, provide suitable crews and vehicles, and dismantle, wrap and reassemble to suit your pieces. If your apartment is smaller or larger, see our apartment moving page, and if you are moving from a villa to an apartment, see moving from a villa to an apartment. Call us or message us on WhatsApp with your number of rooms, your floor and your date and we will reply with a clear plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many vehicles does a three-bedroom apartment need?
It depends on how much furniture there is and how large the pieces are. Often one large truck or two medium ones is enough, and we decide after you describe the rooms or after an inspection, not by guessing.
Does the move include dismantling and reassembling beds and wardrobes?
Yes. Beds, wardrobes and dining tables can be dismantled and reassembled in the new apartment as part of the same service, and we agree in advance what will be taken apart.
How long does a three-bedroom apartment move take?
It varies with the floors, whether there is a lift and how much furniture there is. With good preparation it is usually done in one working day, and may stretch into part of the next if the furniture is extensive or access is hard.
Do you move the kitchen and appliances?
Yes. We move appliances and kitchen items after wrapping them, and we dismantle separate kitchen cabinets if you ask. We agree what you want moved.
What if the apartment has a maid room or a store room?
We add it to the plan as a separate room and ask what is in it, because such rooms often hold many small items that affect the size of the load.
Can I decide the layout in the new home?
Yes, and we prefer that you send a plan or photos of the new apartment so we can place pieces in the right rooms from the start.