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The Home Depot trucks are generally the cheapest way to go. I have even used them to help folks move appliances and such. Dirt cheap if you watch the clock!
Plan your shopping and the delivery service is the best bargain.
Lowes charges $59 to deliver anything and if you buy enough at once it's free.
Of note: that fee though also includes THEM doing the shopping for you too.
I've used the depot trucks a lot. Tip- I do the paperwork for the truck before I start shopping & theyll usually re-figure the time to begin after you load the stuff *if you ask*. That way the truck doesn't get rented while you're picking stuff. Also, if you've got both stores nearby & one doesn't have a truck available, I've used the depot's truck to pick stuff up @ lowes... The last time I did that the manager of the lowes came out & took pictures of her guys loading a depot truck with lowe's merchandise. Apparently that doesn't happen very often, but it made them smile & I had lots of help loading!
I avoid the u-haul trucks because my car insurance doesn't cover them, and even only using 20 miles, with tax & insurance I've never spent less than $100.
For things like tile & carpet the depot & lowes will deliver for $50~$75 & it's well worth it not to wear your back out.
Home Depot truck: ~$25 for an hour (very short 2 mile trip with lumber, which was easy to unload)
U-haul pick-up: ~$50 for four hours and 10-15 miles
The u-haul van was about the same price.
If you have a quick unloading job, I'd use the Home Depot truck. I needed a u-haul van when it was snowing to pick up drywall. I used the u-haul pick-up to take a ton of scrap aluminum siding to a scrap yard, then take old appliances to a re-use center.
Zippyman: u-haul has never asked for my car insurance info. I've always used their optional insurance coverage. I'm assuming things work differently in different states, though. I'm in PA right now.
Home Depot truck: ~$25 for an hour (very short 2 mile trip with lumber, which was easy to unload)
U-haul pick-up: ~$50 for four hours and 10-15 miles
The u-haul van was about the same price.
If you have a quick unloading job, I'd use the Home Depot truck. I needed a u-haul van when it was snowing to pick up drywall. I used the u-haul pick-up to take a ton of scrap aluminum siding to a scrap yard, then take old appliances to a re-use center.
Zippyman: u-haul has never asked for my car insurance info. I've always used their optional insurance coverage. I'm assuming things work differently in different states, though. I'm in PA right now.
I buy the u-haul insurance when I rent their trucks, because my insurance doesn't cover anything bigger than a pick - up, and even the American express coverage does not cover moving trucks. the depot/lowes trucks are double-covered, both by Amex & my own car insurance because they're under 10,000 pounds gvw. Just the insurance runs about $20 @ the u-haul by me - there are some real horror stories out there, so make sure you're covered before renting a u-haul without insurance.
If you can avoid renting from Uhaul, it is worth an extra few bucks to do so. At best, I have found their equipment barely adequate. At worst ....
Another option is to buy a used trailer or even a new one. When moving, it was cheaper for me to pick up a 6' x 12' enclosed trailer than make multiple long runs with a rental.
I took the Home Depot truck once to take home HD merch, and I plan to use it again for an upcoming trip for some gravel (just get the truck at HD, nothing else). If it's easy to unload and close by, you can't beat the single price, 20-25 bucks, don't even have to refill the gas. I believe they give 60 or 75 minutes before they start upping the cost. Miles don't matter; it's all about the time.
Now, if you're going to do this multiple times, you might start looking at something else, perhaps buying a trailer as mentioned. If it's just a few times though, widely spaced, and short enough, the HD truck is probably still more economical. If it's longer distances, more frequent, spread out over time, maybe something else is better. If you need a lot of stuff all at once, more than goes in a HD truck, then you can look at renting something else. Some places will rent dump trucks if you need one or perhaps a large flat bed. (You have to look for heavy equipment rental places for this, Hertz Equipment or Sunbelt are a couple of chains but there are more and sometimes local places as well.) You can also rent a trailer too, but you're going to need a hitch if you don't have one.
I avoid the u-haul trucks because my car insurance doesn't cover them, and even only using 20 miles, with tax & insurance I've never spent less than $100.
I've rented them before, but my new insurance company doesn't cover moving truck rents, so I haven't rented one since. I have to get everying delivered on, or borrow a vehicle.
Why not just pay tpo have the materials delivered like most contractors do now days?
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