As always its all about size, and when moving size IS important! >=Well sir, it looks to me that you have about 45 cubic metres here, but Ill have to get back to office to confirm that<=. >=Ah<= you say >= but last company told me I had 1365 feet. Is there a difference?<= In this case there is a difference, about six cubic metres!..Mystified? Welcome to world of metric and imperial cubic capacities, designed to completely baffle and confuse anyone who simply wants to move house.

In UK we have traditionally measured volume in cubic feet, easily calculated by taking height, width and depth and multiplying three together. Hence a washing machine that is say 3ft by 4ft by 3ft, measures 36 cubic feet. If you measure in metres then it is 0.9m by 0.9m by 1.2 m, which gives 0.98m3. To convert from cubic feet back to cubic metres just divide cubic feet by 35 to give you cubic metres. So 1365 cubic feet becomes 39 cubic metres!!

>=Ah<= you say, >=My dining room table is 3 foot tall by 6 by 4 which gives a total of 72 cubic feet, but what about all space under table<=? As I said in previous articles, moving house is not an exact science and precise measurements are not needed. After all one >=box<= could contain one saucepan or 25 cuddly toys! What is being sought is simply a guide as to what space will be required on vehicle and how much time is going to be needed to pack load and unpack. As for that space under table, well that is used, probably by boxes of bed linen that you didnt count in first place! Remember here that if you use a Brokerage for your move then whether you have 20m3 or 24m3 it is not going to make a difference to price you pay, as broker is looking for spare capacity on a vehicle. Removal companies if approached directly, will charge more for 24m3 than for 20m3, but they will in general terms be fairly flexible! The important thing is not to underestimate what you have got as this only causes problems.

Having arrived at your total volume and after receiving horrendous quotes to move your belongings, a flash of clear thinking suddenly raises its head and you say >=Lets do it ourselves and save a fortune<=

Peter Driscoll of European Transport Brokers (www.etbrokers-removals.com) takes you through some of trials and tribulations associated with moving to Europe and explains away some of mystery associated with moving. In this article he will go on to some of pitfalls that can trap unwary as well as providing a sometimes amusing view of an industry still trying to drag itself into 21st century.

'Hello I am moving to France can you give me a quote to ship my furniture please?'

A simple phrase that can often lead to clumps of hair being pulled from roots, cardiac arrests (on getting quotes) and sleepless nights worrying about scratches on dining room table. After Death and Divorce, moving house is recognised as one of most trying and stressful times that anyone can endure, yet we all do it and often approach this potential minefield with Ostrich like abandon. Yet does it have to be like this?

Today there are over one million people a year moving between EU member states, and most of them take their home contents with them. All that appears to have changed over past two hundred years is number of people moving and distance they travel. BUT furniture is still carried down flights of stairs and still placed on various forms of transport and moved from A to B. Why then has it all got so complicated and by extension, so expensive, especially for European moves?

So you have bought your house in sun and decide to contact a removal company. Ten calls later you are wondering why half companies you call don't do Europe and why other half have completely misunderstood your enquiry and are giving you quotes that would enable you to buy a third home in Romania. Not only do quotes seem large but one low quote you have got seems so low that now you are worried that there is something wrong with company!

But why do you ask are there such differences in quotes you do get? In April this year we acted for a family moving from South Wales to near Bergerac. The family themselves had obtained quotes to have their thee bedroom house contents moved to their new home in France. The cheapest quote they had come across was £2500. We acted on their behalf and received 47 quotes from companies all over Europe to do move. We found family a firm to do move for an all inclusive price of £1558. A saving to them of just under one thousand pounds.