A 3-bedroom home move is the most common type of residential relocation in Perth — and consistently one of the most underestimated. Most people assume it’ll take a day. Most 3-bedroom moves take a full day or more, and the ones that run into problems almost always do so because of things that could have been sorted in the weeks before.
Here’s a practical, Perth-specific guide to making your 3-bedroom move actually go smoothly.
Understand What You’re Actually Moving
Most people planning a 3-bedroom move focus on the three bedrooms and forget the rest of the house. Walk through your home honestly and list everything:
- Three bedrooms — beds, wardrobes, bedside tables, dressers, desks
- Living room — sofas, TV unit, coffee table, entertainment system
- Dining room — table, chairs, sideboard, display shelving
- Kitchen — appliances (fridge, washing machine, dishwasher), pantry contents, all cookware and dishes
- Bathrooms — just boxes, but they add up
- Garage / shed — often 10–15% of the total volume, frequently forgotten when estimating
- Outdoor areas — furniture, BBQ, plants, trampoline, kids’ play equipment
The garage and outdoor areas surprise people most often. Don’t forget them when estimating truck size or packing time.
How Long Does a 3-Bedroom Perth Move Take?
Here’s a realistic breakdown by phase for a standard 3-bedroom home in Perth metro:
| Phase | Typical Duration |
|---|---|
| Load at origin (average conditions) | 2–3.5 hours |
| Drive to new property (Perth metro) | 20 min – 1 hour depending on suburb |
| Unload at destination | 1.5–2.5 hours |
| Total on moving day | 4–7 hours |
This assumes the home is fully packed before the team arrives. An unpacked home adds significantly to this timeline — every item the team has to wrap and box on the spot adds time at the full hourly rate.
Access at both properties is the other big variable. Stairs, tight driveways, and lifts can add 30–60 minutes to the job compared to easy flat access.
3-Bedroom Move: The Packing Timeline
Most people start packing too late. Here’s a realistic schedule that doesn’t involve frantic packing the night before:
4 Weeks Out
Start packing rooms you use least:
- Guest bedroom (if not in daily use)
- Study/home office (pack what you won’t need)
- Linen cupboard (out-of-season items)
- Garage: garden tools, sports equipment, stored items
2–3 Weeks Out
- Books, DVDs, and decorative items
- Spare crockery and glassware
- Seasonal clothing
- Kids’ toys they’re not currently using
1 Week Out
- Most of the kitchen (leave one set of dishes and basic cooking equipment for the last week)
- Remaining wardrobe (leave one week’s worth of clothes out)
- Bathroom (leave toiletries you’ll use daily until the night before)
Night Before / Moving Morning
- Final kitchen items: the last dishes, the coffee maker, and the contents of the fridge
- Defrost the fridge if you haven’t already (needs 24 hours ideally)
- Bed linen (strip beds on moving morning and bag it immediately)
- Toiletries bag
Truck Size for a 3-Bedroom Perth Home
As a rule of thumb:
- Average 3-bedroom home with normal furnishings: 6.5T truck (35–45m³)
- Fully furnished 3-bedroom with garage and outdoor furniture: 8T truck, or two trips
- 3-bedroom with minimal furniture (e.g. a shared house with fewer large items): 4.5T may suffice
The garage and outdoor area make the biggest difference here. If you have a garage full of tools, bikes, and garden equipment plus outdoor furniture and a trampoline — that alone can add 10–15m³ to the job.
The Three Access Challenges That Slow Down Perth Moves
Access problems at either end of a move are the most common cause of a job running long. For a 3-bedroom home in Perth, the three most frequent issues are:
1. The Fridge Doesn’t Fit Through the Door
This happens more often than you’d think. Large American-style side-by-side fridges or tall French-door fridges frequently don’t fit through standard doorways without removing the fridge doors. This adds 20–30 minutes and requires a screwdriver or adjustable spanner. Your removalist can do it, but flag it upfront if you suspect it might be an issue.
2. No Truck Parking Close Enough
In many Perth suburbs, street parking is fine for the truck. But in some inner suburbs, shopping strip areas, or gated communities — getting the truck within a sensible carry distance isn’t straightforward. Long carries (40+ metres between truck and front door) slow everything down significantly. Check this for both properties before moving day.
3. Staircase Access
If either property has stairs — particularly if the main bedroom furniture is upstairs — this adds considerable time and physical work. A queen bed frame up a tight staircase can require 2–3 people and creative manoeuvring. Mention this to your removalist at quoting stage.
The Essentials Box — Don’t Skip This
For a 3-bedroom family home, the essentials box is the most important single packing decision you make. It goes in your car, not the truck, and contains everything you need for the first 24 hours:
- Phone and laptop chargers
- Toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, toilet paper (yes, toilet paper — you will thank yourself)
- A change of clothes for everyone in the household
- Medications for anyone who needs them
- Coffee supplies and a kettle if you’re coffee-dependent
- Kids’ essentials: a favourite toy, their own toiletries, a familiar snack
- A light meal or takeaway plan for moving night (you don’t want to cook in an unpacked kitchen)
Without an essentials box, moving night involves searching through boxes for a phone charger at 10pm. With it, you’re set up before you’ve unpacked a single box.
What to Do With Kids During a 3-Bedroom Move
With a 3-bedroom family home, there are almost certainly children involved — and moving day with young kids underfoot is exhausting for everyone. Options:
Best option: Kids go to grandparents, a friend’s place, or school/care for the day. They arrive at the new house once the furniture is in and the chaos has settled.
If that’s not possible: Designate one adult to focus purely on the kids while the other manages the move. Don’t try to do both.
For older kids: give them an age-appropriate job — their own room’s boxes, keeping the pets settled, or making sure the removalists stay hydrated. It creates ownership and keeps them useful.
How Much Does a 3-Bedroom Perth Move Cost?
At current Perth market rates in 2026:
- 3-bedroom local move (within Perth metro): $1,000 – $2,200
- With packing services added: Add $700 – $1,400
- With furniture disassembly/reassembly: Sometimes included in hourly rate; sometimes $150–$300 additional
Get three written quotes before you book. Make sure each quote specifies the crew size, hourly rate, minimum period, and travel charge policy.
Moving Your 3-Bedroom Perth Home With Local Removal
Local Removal is based in Osborne Park and specialises in residential moves across the Perth metro area. We’ve moved hundreds of 3-bedroom homes and know exactly what a smooth job looks like.