DOWNSIZING
Downsizing Services
People. Possessions. Peace of Mind.
Start your quote here
A few details is all we need to come back to you with something real.
Downsizing is the part of a move that has no fixed end point. Packing a house has a finish line; deciding what to do with forty years of belongings does not, which is why it is the piece that most often stalls and takes the schedule with it.
Most people underestimate it by a factor of two or three — not the furniture, which is visible, but the basement, the garage, the linen closet, the good china, the boxes of photographs and the things that belonged to somebody who has died.
We help with the doing, so the deciding is the only thing left to you.
Start From the New Space, Not the Old One
The single most useful thing we do is measure. Get the floor plan or the room dimensions of the new suite, apartment or house, and we can work through the furniture with you piece by piece before anything is wrapped.
It is a much better conversation than the one that happens when a beloved wall unit arrives at a suite it does not fit. It also cuts the volume — and therefore the hours — before the truck is ever booked.
Sorting Room by Room, at a Workable Pace
We work in a sequence rather than everywhere at once: the rooms with the least emotional weight first, so there is visible progress early, and the personal rooms last, when decisions have become easier to make.
Where the belongings are an older person's, the pace is theirs. Being rushed through a decision about a parent's furniture is how people end up regretting what went — and regret is far more expensive than another afternoon.
- Keeping — measured against the new space
- Family — going to a son, daughter or grandchild
- Donating — delivered rather than left for someone else to move
- Selling — set aside for the family or a consignment route
- Disposal — general household items and furniture nobody wants
- Undecided — a deliberate holding category, not a failure
Getting the Surplus Out of the House
A downsize is only finished when the things that are not going have actually gone. We can deliver donation loads and remove general household goods, furniture and clutter, which is usually the difference between a house that is ready and a house with a garage full of decisions.
There are limits and we are straightforward about them: nothing bug-infested, leaking or hazardous, so no fuel, chemicals, paint or propane. We will tell you what falls outside what we can take so you can arrange it properly.
Downsizing Without an Immediate Move
Not every downsize ends in a move. Plenty of people simply want less in the house — a spare room made usable, a basement cleared, furniture rearranged so the ground floor works for someone who no longer uses the stairs.
That is an in-home move plus disposal, and it is a normal booking for us.
What Downsizing Help Can Include
- Measuring the new space and working through furniture against it
- Room-by-room sorting alongside you or the family
- Packing what is being kept, labelled by room and contents
- Boxing and delivering donation loads
- Removing general household items and furniture that are not going
- Rearranging what stays so the remaining space actually works
- Coordinating the whole sequence against the move-in date
Every Task in This Category
Senior Moving & Downsizing
Move Services
- Seniors full-service moving
- Packing and unpacking
- Furniture rearrangingIn-suite or throughout the home
- Bed moving
- In-home moving for renovations
- Downsizing move assistance
- Micro-moves within a retirement residenceBetween floors or suites
- Staging support with realtors
Transition Support
Settling In
- Unpacking and setting up essentials
- Light advocacy with retirement home staffCoordinating move-in logistics on your behalfPractical coordination only. We are not a care, medical or legal advocate.
- Room personalizationPhotos, décor and the things that make it home
What This Costs
Keep what matters. We'll help with the rest.
We can help determine what is moving with you, what is going to family, what can be donated and what needs to be removed, while keeping the process organized and manageable.
Reviews
What Families Tell Us
Brett and his team are always professional and caring, I feel as if they would treat each person they help move as their own Grandparent. They respect guidelines surrounding move times for our building, and make sure each piece they move is treated with care and concern.
Amanda M.
Chartwell, Terrace on the Square · via Retirement community
Their whole team are extremely organized, flexible, dedicated and friendly. Stallion makes the moving process seamless and enjoyable for residents and staff.
John Whiting
Chartwell, Westmount · via Retirement community
Brett, Wendy and their whole team are amazing. Professional, courteous and always so very helpful. They are patient with their clients and treat them with great care and respect. I never hesitate to recommend Stallion Movers! It's a no brainer.
Vicki L.
Chartwell, Bankside · via Retirement community
I had Stallion Movers today to move my dad from his home to a retirement home and am so pleased with their professionalism, punctuality and friendliness. Brett and Mitch were so careful getting around the items that weren't being moved. They were very thorough and moved quickly. Also Wendy in their office was extremely helpful and patient with all my questions and emails. I highly recommend them for any service you need that they provide. They came highly recommended so I didn't even get other quotes and that was the right decision. Thank you!
Britta W.
Daughter of a client · via Adult child of client
Wow. Excellent service, clean, professional, timely etc. We needed to move my mother to a senior's residence and her stuff. The residence recommended 2 services and I elected Stallion - possibly (likely) the other may be as good but Stallion were exceptional. I would highly recommend them for any move not just a senior transfer...
Scott A.
Son of a client · via Adult child of client
Great company, prompt and professional. I have used Stallion Movers twice to move my parents into retirement residences. They are professional, and super easy to deal with and understand and respect the protocols with senior residences. I highly recommend them.
Neil T.
Son of clients · via Adult child of client
Ready to Get This Moving?
Tell us what is moving and we will come back with a real plan and a real price — or call and talk it through with someone who does this every day.
Prefer to talk? Call us.
Questions Families Ask Us
How long does downsizing a house take?
It depends far more on the decisions than the volume. A focused week with a family working alongside us is common for an average house; done at an older person's pace it is more often spread over several weeks. Tell us your move-in date and we will work backwards to a realistic sequence.
Will you decide what we should get rid of?
No. That is always the family's call and we do not push it. What we will do is tell you honestly what will not fit the new space, and take away what you have decided is going.
What can you not take away?
Anything bug-infested, leaking or hazardous — fuel, chemicals, paint, propane and similar. We will identify those so you can arrange the right disposal route rather than find out on the day.
Can you downsize a house we are selling on a deadline?
Yes, and we do it regularly. Give us the closing or listing date and we will tell you what is achievable and in what order. Where a property has to be handed over empty, we can leave it empty and swept.
Keep Reading
- Downsizing a Family Home: Where to Start
- What to Do With What Nobody Wants
- Senior Move Planning
- Packing, Unpacking & Setup
- Condo MoversFitting a house into a suite.
- For RealtorsIf the family home is being sold.
- Estate & Executor Moves
- Additional Services
- Senior MovingThe whole senior move, start to finish.
- Retirement-Home MovingIf the downsize ends in a residence.
Let's Make the Downsize Manageable.
Tell us what you are working with and we will give you a realistic plan and sequence — not a pep talk.
Prefer to talk? Call us.