Is pricing hourly, or one fixed total?
We let you pick, since both exist here. Around Pierce County, an hourly local job starts at $140 for a pair of movers with the truck and equipment included, climbs to $185 with a third mover, and runs $240 with a fourth. Prefer a single locked number? Once we have looked over everything you are taking and how access works at both ends, we commit to a flat amount that stays put even when I-5 crawls or the work stretches past plan. Moves leaving Washington get handled differently: those are written up as one binding total before we begin.
How early should I get on your calendar, and what holds my date?
Share four things, the starting point, the destination, your home's size, and your ideal day, through the form here or over the phone at (888) 711-4778. A price comes back quickly, and the moment you approve it, that day is held. Demand spikes on weekends, around the first and last days of each month, and across the busy summer when JBLM PCS rotations and end-of-school-year moves pile in, so for those try to give us about two weeks of notice if your timeline lets you.
Is a deposit required to reserve?
For most jobs inside the area, you owe nothing up front. The day gets held and payment happens after the work wraps. A move leaving the state asks for a modest deposit that secures a truck and a crew, and we credit that amount against the binding total. Whichever applies, you see the number on paper before agreeing to a thing.
Can you supply a Certificate of Insurance for my building?
Routinely, yes. Those downtown and Stadium District high-rises, along with the gated neighborhoods around University Place and Gig Harbor, often require one filed in advance. Pass us the building's rules and a property manager to contact, and Wes over in dispatch issues the certificate and reserves whichever loading dock or freight elevator the day calls for, at no extra cost to you.
What coverage protects my belongings, and how do claims work?
Full licensing and a million dollars in cargo coverage back the company. Every job automatically carries released value at 60 cents per pound, and you may upgrade to full-value protection, roughly 1 to 3 percent of whatever total worth you declare, with pricing set per item. Filing happens directly with our office, a carrier licensed in Washington rather than any broker, and the window to submit a claim runs nine months.
Will you do the packing, or does that fall to me?
Split the work however you like. Hand the full packing to us, point us at just the worrisome rooms (usually the kitchen, the fragile stuff, electronics, and artwork), or grab supplies and box everything yourself. Whatever our crew wraps receives identical protection to the rest of what rides aboard the truck.
What if my move-out and move-in dates do not line up?
Then your belongings wait with us, inside a climate-controlled Tacoma facility the family owns and operates, holding wood, electronics, and art stable right through a damp Puget Sound winter. Monthly cost runs about $120 to $280 by unit size, written into the estimate alongside the move itself. Where one lease ends ahead of the next beginning, your things stay secure in our warehouse until you ask us to deliver.
Can your crew move a grand piano, a safe, or similar heavy items?
Squarely our specialty. Marcus Halvorsen heads the heavyweight and specialized jobs: pianos at any size, gun safes, shop and gym equipment, antiques, plus those awkward fragile pieces. Describe the object and the path it has to follow (a flight of steps, a tight corner, an upper floor) and the right equipment and crew show up ready. Budget around $330 to $490 on an upright, and $560 to $850 once a baby grand enters the picture.
Are the long-distance jobs kept in-house?
Entirely. Same crew, same trucks, the full distance. Steady lanes leave Tacoma for Seattle, Spokane, Portland, Boise, Sacramento, and Phoenix, and on top of those we take complete cross-country relocations and PCS orders. At no point does the load reach a freight board or pass to a different carrier. A lone Three Generations crew rides with it from end to end, GPS tracking the route the whole time.
Will stairs, a lengthy walk, or an elevator push the price up?
Those details get worked into the walk-through we run beforehand, so nothing about them surprises you on the final bill. Mention the access early (a third-floor Hilltop walkup, a long push from a parking structure, the elevator slot you reserved), and it is already accounted for in the figure you agreed to.
Which payment methods do you take?
All the major credit and debit cards go through, and on the larger interstate work we can set up alternative terms when needed. An itemized written quote reaches you before moving day and a receipt follows once the job is finished, leaving none of your paperwork unclear.
What happens if I need to reschedule or cancel?
Things come up, and a rough winter storm rolling off the Sound can force a date change all by itself. Locally, rescheduling or canceling brings no penalty so long as the notice is fair. Once a truck and crew sit committed to an interstate run, a few days' heads-up is what we request, with every term laid out in writing right next to the quote, none of it hidden.
Are the movers genuinely yours, or is the work subcontracted?
All ours, every last one: full-time, screened, salaried W-2 Three Generations movers operating company-owned trucks. There is no broker, no subcontractor, no day labor off a parking lot, and no matching service. Whoever loads the truck is whoever unloads it once you reach the other end.
Are there things you simply refuse to move?
Regulations and safety rule out hazardous materials, meaning paint and solvents, gasoline, propane cylinders, household chemicals, and ammunition. Perishables, living plants, and pets also stay with you. Before the day arrives, we will tell you precisely what to set aside so everything goes smoothly.
Are you the actual movers, or a website that passes my job to someone else?
Yes, we are the moving company. Three Generations Moving & Hauling is a Washington-licensed, insured mover with our own trucks and our own W-2 crews, started by the Hagen family when Earl began hauling in 1971. We connect you with nobody, broker nothing, and never hand the job off. Whoever you book is whoever does the work, from your Tacoma doorstep all the way to your destination. Call (888) 711-4778 and we will walk it through with you.