Moving a Family of Four Into 6,500 Square Feet in Washington Square West

By the House of J Team · October 22, 2026

This fall we moved one of our favorite families into their new home in Washington Square West. It's a gorgeous house, all 6,500 square feet of it, and getting a family of four and their dog settled in took two days of packing, three days of unpacking, and a total of six of us on the job with Jess leading the way.

We wanted to share how it went, including the parts that didn't go exactly to plan.

We already knew this family well

This wasn't our first time working with them. In their old house we'd swapped rooms around, decluttered, reorganized, and even helped them downsize their storage units. So by the time the move came up, Jess had a really good sense of everything they owned. That made a huge difference. When you already know where the winter coats live and how many serving platters there are, you can plan a move a lot faster.

A full house, the whole time

The family was home for all of it. Two parents, two kids, the dog, all going about their week while we packed up the old house and unpacked the new one. On top of that, painters and other contractors were coming and going at the new place. It was a lot of people in a lot of rooms. Chaotic? A little. But that's real life, and we'd much rather work around a family's routine than ask them to put it on hold.

How we planned it

We knew the kitchen and the kids' rooms had to come first. If the family can make dinner and the kids can sleep in their own beds, everything else can wait a day.

We also color coded everything. Each room in the new house got its own color, and every box going to that room got the same color label. With six of us, a moving crew, and the family all in the house at once, it meant nobody had to stop and ask where something went.

Two days of packing

We packed seven rooms plus all the closets and bathrooms, which came to more than 200 boxes. This family loves photography books and framed art, and they have a lot of both, so we spent extra time wrapping and padding those.

We also brought 20 of our reusable totes. We pack with a mix of new and recycled materials whenever we can, and the totes are a big part of that. They're quick to pack and unpack, and you can spot them right away in a pile of cardboard. We like using them in kids' rooms because the kids can keep opening them to grab a favorite toy or book right up until moving day, and then they're easy to unpack on the other end.

The family's everyday stuff stayed out the whole time, so school mornings and dog walks went on as usual.

Three days of unpacking (and working around the painters)

We unpacked about 13 rooms in three days, and the schedule mattered a lot. The painters were booked for Thursday, so on Wednesday we went straight to the daughter's room and got it completely unpacked and set up before they arrived.

We'll be honest about one thing. We didn't get to see the new house before move day, so we didn't have a perfect plan going in. Once the movers left, a lot of things still had to be carried to different floors. This is where the color coding really helped. Since every box was labeled by room, we could move things wherever they needed to go and nothing got lost.

After that we just kept going, room by room, breaking down boxes and getting the packing paper out of the house as we went.

The primary closet

If we had to pick a favorite part of this project, it's the primary closet. It was a pretty standard closet system, but luckily it was adjustable, with lots of pegs so the shelves and rods could be moved around. Before anything went in, Jess set it up around what our client actually owns and how she gets dressed every day. Then she unpacked and organized it herself. Pretty is nice, but a closet that works for you every morning is the real goal.

When our client saw it, she was speechless. Honestly, that's our favorite kind of reaction.

Every room, done

By the end of the project, every room in the house was unpacked. No leftover boxes stacked in a spare room for "later."

A few things we'd tell anyone moving

Look at your closet with fresh eyes. Just because a closet comes set up one way doesn't mean that's what works for you. Some people are shoe lovers. Some have a goodie collection that can't be tamed. Some have way more summer clothes than winter, or a whole vacation wardrobe. Before you hang a single thing, think about what you own and move the shelves and rods to fit it.

Declutter before you move, and again after. Most people remember the first part. The second part is just as important. If something made it to the new house, that doesn't mean it has to stay. (And when our clients let things go, we donate locally, so it all goes to good use.)

Give each room a color. It sounds simple, and it is. But it saves so much time on moving day, especially when plans change.

Moving in Philadelphia or South Jersey?

We help families all over Philadelphia and South Jersey with packing, unpacking, decluttering, and organizing, whether it's a small apartment or a house this size. The goal is always the same: a home that actually works for the way you live. If you've got a move coming up, book a free 15-minute consultation call and tell us about it.

About House of J: Jessica Jeanine founded House of J in 2023. Today we're a team of organizers serving Philadelphia and South Jersey, helping with everything from a single closet to a whole-house move. A lot of our clients, like this family, keep calling us back.