Moving house with a container, step by step
Pack once, move when ready
The short version: Moving with a container in San Diego works like this: One Stop Moving & Storage drops a steel portable storage container at your old home, you pack it at ground level, we hold it between homes if you need us to, and we deliver it to the new one. A Standard 8×8×5 ft is $99 a month and a Large 8×8×7 ft is $175, with 25 free boxes; delivery, pickup, loading help and the move itself are quoted in writing.
- Same- or next-day delivery for most San Diego County ZIPs
- Door to door: from your old driveway to your new one
- Our own movers can pack and load it, quoted in writing
- Shipped to the 48 continental states for a move out of state
Since 2008
Moving San Diego
CAL-190616
California mover license
USDOT 1956864
Interstate, MC 694565
BBB A+
Better Business Bureau
98%
Of our customers come back (company records)
7 days
7 AM–7 PM, phone open 24 hours
Step by step
A container move, start to finish
Four steps from booking to an empty container at your new home, for a move where the two homes are not free on the same day.
1
Book it around your dates
Choose a size and delivery date, then tell the office the address and where the container should sit. We deliver same- or next-day for most San Diego County ZIPs, but a move pinned to a closing or a lease end is worth reserving well ahead.
2
Pack the rooms you use least first
Start with the garage, spare room and off-season clothes, and leave the kitchen for last. The container loads at ground level and comes with 25 moving boxes, so you can pack a little each evening.
3
Hold it, or send it on
Once it is full, the container can stay on the driveway until you hand over the keys, go sealed to our facility, or travel to your new address anywhere in the county. Storage at our facility and a move to your new address are each quoted separately, in writing.
4
Unload, then give notice
Empty it into the new home at your own speed. When it is clear, call to schedule pickup and we take it away; that last trip is part of your written delivery and pickup quote.
Between homes
When closing dates don’t line up
A container fills the gap. We collect the loaded container, keep it sealed at our facility until the new address is ready, and bring it there anywhere in San Diego County, each step quoted in writing.
It is the classic reason to use a container. The sale of the old house closes on a Friday and the new one is not yours until the following month, or a lease runs out two weeks before the next one starts. Without a container, that gap means a truck to a storage unit, then a truck back out again.
With a portable storage container, your things are packed once and stay packed. Everything stays sealed in the box you packed, and nobody unloads it into a unit and loads it again.
Dates also slip after you book, and the rental is built for that. It runs month to month, so a closing that moves back three weeks costs you one more month at most, not a new contract. If you need something out of the container while it is at our facility, book a visit: facility access is Monday to Saturday, 7 AM to 7 PM, by appointment.
Service members moving on orders have their own paperwork and storage limits to plan around; our military PCS page covers those.
Two sizes, one county-wide price
Month to month, no long-term contract and no early-return penalty. You supply the padlock.
Movers with containers
Which San Diego moving companies offer storage containers?
One Stop Moving & Storage is a licensed San Diego mover (CAL-190616, USDOT 1956864) that also rents its own portable storage containers, so one company can deliver the container, pack and load it with its own crew, store it and move it.
Most container companies only rent the box: you load it yourself or hire a separate mover. Most moving companies only bring a truck. Having both under one name matters when something changes mid-move, because one office reschedules the container and the crew together.
Our mobile storage containers go out across San Diego County, including Encinitas, Escondido, Vista, La Mesa and El Cajon. For a household moving out of state, we ship the loaded container one way to the 48 continental states, quoted in writing, with delivery at the new address included in the shipping quote.
Your options, side by side
Self-pack
Can I pack a moving container myself?
Yes. Self-pack is the usual way to use a moving container: we deliver it and transport it, and you do the packing and loading on your own schedule. You never drive it.
Do it yourself in this order: heavy furniture against the back wall, boxes stacked tight on top and in front, soft items in the gaps, and the things you will want first nearest the doors. Lock it with your own padlock between sessions. The container is lifted by forklift onto a tow bed, so load it tight, as you would a truck, so nothing shifts.
Moving using a container you pack yourself keeps the crew off the bill. If the small container looks too small, the sizes guide goes room by room. And if lifting is the part you dread, add our crew for just the heavy pieces; the rest stays a do-it-yourself job.
Size, help and storage
Size, help and storage
Pick the size by the home you are leaving, add our crew if you want it, and decide where the container waits between homes.
Size. Moving out of a one to two bedroom apartment? The Standard (320 cubic feet) is enough. A two to three bedroom home needs the Large (448 cubic feet). For a bigger home, we confirm the size and number of containers with you when you reserve.
Help. If you would rather not carry the sofa, our own movers load or pack the container, quoted separately in writing. Book them with the container; loading help explains how the crew is scheduled.
Storage. Storage at our facility between homes and delivery on to your new address are quoted separately, in writing. A container keeps the weather out but is not climate controlled, so pack heat- or humidity-sensitive things separately and keep them in our climate-controlled vaults.
Prices
Two sizes for moving day.
The same price anywhere in San Diego County. Delivery and pickup are quoted in writing for your address.
Standard
8×8×5 ft, 320 cu ft, $99 a month. Fits a one to two bedroom apartment. 25 free moving boxes, month to month.
Get my priceLarge
8×8×7 ft, 448 cu ft, $175 a month. Fits a two to three bedroom home. 25 free moving boxes, month to month.
Get my priceQuestions
Moving with a container, answered.
How a container move works in San Diego County, from delivery to pickup.
All moving questionsHow does moving with a portable storage container work?
We deliver a steel container to the home you are leaving, and you pack it at ground level at your own pace. It waits at home for your new keys, goes to our facility, or goes to your new address in San Diego County, each quoted separately in writing. You unload, then call to schedule pickup.
Can you store my container between my old home and my new one?
Yes. We collect the loaded container sealed, keep it at our facility and deliver it to your new address when you are ready, anywhere in San Diego County. Storage at our facility and delivery to your new address are quoted separately, in writing. Phone ahead if you need something from it in the meantime.
Can you move my container to a new home outside San Diego County?
Yes, by shipping. We ship your loaded container to the 48 continental states, quoted in writing before booking, with delivery at the new address included. Arizona, Nevada and the Bay Area take about 2 to 4 business days; coast to coast about 5 to 10.
Is there a moving company that provides both a container and movers?
Yes. One Stop Moving & Storage is a licensed San Diego mover that rents its own portable storage containers and sends its own full-time crews to pack and load them. The container rent is $99 or $175 a month; delivery, pickup and the crew are quoted in writing.
Can I pack the container myself and have your crew drive it?
Yes, that is the usual way. You pack and load at your own pace and lock it with your own padlock; we pick it up, transport it and set it down at your new address or our facility. You never drive a container. Each move is quoted in writing.
Free quote
Start packing before the closing.
Price a container for your ZIP and a rough count of the months between the two homes. If the closing slips, the rental simply runs on. Call (858) 633-8600; the phone line is open 24 hours.