Josephine, a Retired Engineer

Laurie and I arrived the day after the movers. After meeting with Josephine to discuss our plan, we got started quickly. The client had unpacked a few boxes and had spent the night in the new home. Our goal for the 3 days of work was to get everything unpacked that she would need immediately and to make sure that everything else was in a state so that she could quickly find it and unpack at her leisure.

We started with the kitchen. We asked her how her previous home’s kitchen was set up, and what worked well or didn’t work about that kitchen. We asked what dishes and cooking supplies she used most frequently and her preferences for how the room was organized. As we unpacked each box, we grouped items into categories. Josephine looked over everything before we placed it and removed any item she no longer needed. She had done some decluttering before the move but was willing to reevaluate based on what would fit into the new kitchen storage space. We had an initial plan for where items would go, but we had to be flexible throughout the day because we didn’t know whether the space would be big enough for that category. After we finished unpacking everything and the client was satisfied, we left post it notes on the outside of the cabinets to use until she was used to the new system.

We followed this same plan for every other room in her house, including the master and guest bedrooms and bathrooms and the office. The final step was organizing the garage storage shelves. All boxes were grouped into categories on the shelves, and every box was labeled such that it could be easily seen. Every day as we left, we removed any items the client wanted to donate as well as empty boxes and packing materials.

By the end of the 3 days, the client was thrilled to feel settled into her new home and to have a plan to complete the rest of the unpacking. Having our help helped make a difficult transition across the country much more manageable and less stressful.

Before (left) and After (right) in the kitchen