Movers in Des Plaines, IL
Movers in Des Plaines who know the brick bungalows off Cumberland, the ranch streets near Big Bend, and the tight turnaround on the planes over O'Hare. Family-owned, uniformed crews, careful handling, equipment included.
- Licensed & Insured
- Uniformed Crews
- Local & Interstate
- Equipment Included
- MC #087428 · DOT #3120049
- 5-Star, Customer-Focused
Your Local Movers in Des Plaines
Des Plaines is a working city of brick bungalows and mid-century ranch homes, and that housing stock shapes every move. The bungalows off Cumberland and along the Riverview streets have narrow side drives, low basement stairs, and the kind of original woodwork you protect on the way down. The ranches near Big Bend and out toward Rand Road spread wide on a single level, which sounds easy until you count the doorways and the long carry from the garage. We have loaded and unloaded both, and our crews read a Des Plaines floor plan before they ever pick up a box.
Our shop sits in the 60634 area of Chicago, a short run down Higgins and over to River Road, so Des Plaines is practically next door. That proximity matters. It means a crew can be at your curb early, and it means we already know the local rhythm: the Metra crowd heading out from the Cumberland and downtown stations on the UP Northwest line, the office parks and warehouses tucked along the river and the airport, and the steady hum of O'Hare traffic that times the whole northwest corner of town. Des Plaines movers who already live in this traffic save you the surprises.
Family-owned means the Melendez name is on the truck and on the line when you call. Lauren and Kevin built this around one promise: take care of people. Period.
ZIP codes served
60016, 60018
From our hub
about 15 to 20 minutes northwest of our hub
Service radius
Within 50 miles
Pro tip from our crew
In Des Plaines, the single biggest cost driver we see isn't distance, it's the stairs. So much of the housing stock around Big Bend Lake, Forest River, and the Cumberland corridor is split-levels, bi-levels, and raised ranches, which means our crew is carrying your sofa up a half-flight no matter which floor it lives on. When you call for a quote, tell us "split-level" or "bi-level" up front and roughly how many steps at the front and side doors so we can size the crew right and give you an accurate binding estimate instead of a surprise on move day. If you're downtown near the Metra station or in one of the newer transit-oriented condo buildings off Miner Street, ask your association about the freight elevator and loading-dock hours before you book us, and have the COI request in our hands early so we're not idling while management hunts down a certificate. One more local note: if your street runs close to the river, we keep an eye on spring forecasts, because a flooded alley or soft parkway can turn an easy load-out into a slog.
Neighborhoods & Areas We Serve in Des Plaines
- Cumberland
- Big Bend
- Riverview
- Downtown Des Plaines
- Metropolitan Square
- Big Bend Lake
- South of Oakton
- O'Hare / River Road corridor
What Makes Moving in Des Plaines Different
The first Des Plaines challenge is the airport. The neighborhoods near O'Hare and along River Road sit under approach paths and beside some of the busiest commuter and freight corridors in the region. River Road, Mannheim, Touhy, and Higgins all back up hard at the wrong hour, and a move that starts at eight goes very differently than one that starts at four-thirty. We plan the route and the start time around that, not against it. The second challenge is the river. The Des Plaines River and Big Bend Lake cut through town, and a hard rain can put low spots and viaducts under water fast, so we watch the weather and keep an alternate route in mind for the streets that flood. The third is the housing itself. A 1950s brick bungalow has a steep, tight basement stair and a side door you have to thread a sofa through, while a Big Bend ranch has a long flat carry but a single-car garage funneling everything to one opening. We wrap the corners, pad the door frames, and bring the dolly and straps so the heavy pieces never get dragged or dropped.
- O'Hare-area traffic on River Road, Mannheim, Touhy, and Higgins backs up by the hour; we set start times around it
- Des Plaines River and Big Bend Lake low spots and viaducts flood after heavy rain, so we keep an alternate route ready
- Brick bungalows off Cumberland and Riverview have steep, narrow basement stairs and tight side doors
- Big Bend and Rand Road ranch homes mean long single-level carries, often funneled through one garage door
- Downtown and Cumberland Metra commuters and nearby office parks mean weekday parking and curb access need planning
- Older bungalow woodwork, doorways, and stair turns get wrapped and padded before anything heavy moves
Why Des Plaines Chooses Melendez Moving
- We are close. Our home base in the 60634 hub is minutes from Des Plaines, so a crew can reach your curb early and keep the day moving.
- Equipment is included at no extra fee. Dolly, hand truck, straps, rope and tie-downs, hand tools, all on the truck so you are not paying line items for the basics.
- Uniformed, trained crews who treat a bungalow's original trim and a ranch's wide doorways with the same careful handling, wrapped and padded.
- Straight estimates. Ask for a binding estimate and you know the number before the truck rolls, no moving-day surprises.
- Local and long distance. We move within Des Plaines and across the lower 48, fully licensed and insured, so the same family company handles the across-town move and the across-country one.
- For business moves near O'Hare, we coordinate loading docks, freight elevators, and a building COI ahead of time so your office or warehouse is back up fast.
Moving Services Available in Des Plaines
See all moving servicesWe Handle Des Plaines Building Requirements, Too
Condos, apartment complexes, and offices in Des Plaines come with their own rules: Certificates of Insurance, elevator reservations, and loading-dock windows. We coordinate the building side so your move day stays on schedule.
Certificate of Insurance (COI)
Many high-rises and condo associations require a COI on file before move day, and some won't let the crew past the lobby without one. Send us your building's requirements and we coordinate the paperwork with property management.
Freight Elevators & Loading Docks
We help reserve your freight-elevator window and loading-dock time slot, then plan the move around them so your slot is never lost.
City Permits & Parking
On blocks without a dock, the truck needs a legal spot. We walk you through Chicago's moving-truck permits and posted signage so you're not circling on move day.
Walk-Ups & Vintage Stairwells
Tight greystone staircases and narrow doorways are our normal. We measure first, protect woodwork and floors, and disassemble whatever needs to come apart.
Not sure what your building requires? Tell us about it and we'll handle the paperwork and scheduling.
Honest, Transparent Pricing
The number one fear when hiring movers is a final bill that blows past the quote. We explain exactly how pricing works and confirm the details with a direct call before move day, so the number you hear is the number you pay.
Hourly Pricing
Best for most local moves. You pay for the crew and truck by the hour, with a clear estimate up front of how long your move should take based on your home and access.
Flat-Rate & Binding Estimates
Best when you want one locked number, common for long-distance moves or moves with tricky building access. We assess your inventory and access up front and hold the price.
What Drives Your Final Cost
- How much you're moving (your inventory volume)
- Access on both ends: stairs, elevators, and carry distance
- Packing help and specialty items like pianos or antiques
- Storage needs between closings
- Timing, since month-end and summer are the busiest
Our No-Surprises Promise
- No surprise stair or long-carry fees
- No last-minute truck or fuel charges
- No inflated materials upsells
- Standard equipment included at no fee
What Chicagoland Customers Say
I hired Melendez to move my 3-bedroom home with a full basement and shed. I wanted a company that wouldn't damage my new house, and they delivered. Great experience.
A friend used Melendez for a cross-country move and recommended them. From my first phone call, Lauren Melendez was responsive, knowledgeable, and professional. So glad we used them.
Nearby Areas We Serve
Des Plaines Moving FAQs
Yes. We cover the whole city, from the bungalow streets near Cumberland and Riverview to the ranch subdivisions around Big Bend and Rand Road, plus the business corridors near O'Hare and along River Road. Des Plaines sits well inside our 50-mile service range from our Chicago base.
We plan for it. We know River Road, Mannheim, Touhy, and Higgins clog at certain hours, so we set your start time and route to dodge the worst of it. Knowing the local traffic is part of why people pick movers in Des Plaines who already work this corner of the suburbs.
No. We move plenty of Des Plaines bungalows. The crew wraps the corners and pads the stair turns and door frames, then uses straps and a dolly to control the heavy pieces so nothing gets dragged on that narrow stair or scuffs the original woodwork.
Yes. We handle office and commercial moves throughout Des Plaines, including the office parks and warehouses near O'Hare. We coordinate loading docks, freight elevators, and a building COI ahead of time so your operation is back up and running quickly.
A binding estimate is a quote that locks in the price for the work described, so you know the number before moving day. Yes, you can ask for one. Reach out with your Des Plaines address and the details, and we will put together a clear estimate.
No. The dolly, hand truck, straps, rope and tie-downs, and hand tools come on the truck at no extra fee. They are part of doing the job right, not add-on line items.
Three things, in order. First, access: Des Plaines is full of split-levels, bi-levels, and raised ranches, so even a "one-story" move usually means stairs, and a third-floor walk-up near downtown or a unit with a long carry from the alley adds crew hours. Second, the parking and truck approach: a tight cul-de-sac in a subdivision like Forest River, a narrow alley behind an older Cumberland-area home, or a downtown condo with a reserved loading dock all change how fast we can shuttle to the truck. Third, volume and special items, since pianos, gun safes, treadmills, and big sectionals all add time. Distance inside town barely moves the number because everything is within a few miles. When you ask for a quote, walk us through the stairs, the door the crew will use, and where we can legally park the truck, and we will give you a binding estimate that holds.
Des Plaines doesn't require a citywide moving-truck permit the way the City of Chicago does for many blocks, so for a single-family home we can usually stage the truck on the street or in the driveway without paperwork. The real scheduling pressure is the calendar, not city hall. Aim to lock your date two to four weeks out, and more like four to six weeks if you're moving the last weekend of the month, around a Metra-adjacent lease turnover, or anytime late May through August when O'Hare-area relocations and school-year moves crowd the schedule. If you're in a condo or apartment building downtown or near the Metra station, the bigger constraint is the building itself: reserve the freight elevator and loading-dock window with your association as soon as you have a date, and get us the certificate of insurance request right away, because those slots fill faster than our calendar does.
Chicago-Based, Serving the Whole Area
We are based on Chicago's Northwest Side and move households and businesses within about 50 miles, plus long-distance moves across the country.
- Address3900 N Normandy Ave, Chicago, IL 60634
- Phone+1 (206) 803-7770
- HoursSun – Sat, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
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