Movers carrying labelled crates into a bright Houston office floor

Houston commercial relocation

Office moves
planned to
the hour

We schedule backwards from the hour your staff badge in on Monday, then work out the crews, trucks and elevator hours that makes possible.

Plan your relocation (713) 555-0198

1,284projects since 2009
4.1Msq ft relocated
24 hrinsurance certificates

Sample figures. USDOT 0000000 and MC 000000 are demo placeholders.

Weekend move plan

Shut down Friday.
Open Monday.

Every project runs on the same four phases. The dates move, the sequence does not, and the person who surveyed your space is the person who signs the punch list.

01Week -12 to -8
Survey and scope
A project manager walks both sites and measures what actually governs the schedule: freight car dimensions, dock height, door widths, the distance from truck to lift, and every stair flight above the first. Seat counts come last.
- Written scope and crew plan
- Access register for both buildings
- Estimate type you choose
02Week -8 to -2
Permits, insurance and labels
Freight elevator windows are locked, certificates of insurance go to both building managers, dock slots are booked, and the numbered destination floor plan is issued with a colour-coded label set per department.
- Elevator and dock windows held
- COIs accepted by both buildings
- Labelling plan and desk packs issued
03Friday 6:00 pm to Sunday 4:00 pm
The move window
Crews load by zone in a fixed sequence. A supervisor holds origin, another holds destination, and trucks are dispatched in waves so the destination is never idle and never blocked by three trailers at once.
- Zone-by-zone load sequence
- IT racked to the drawn elevation
- Workstations built and placed by label
04Monday 7:00 am
Monday-ready
Your team badges in to a floor that works. Two movers and the project manager stay on site all Monday for adjustments, and the punch list is walked and signed before we release the crew.
- Floor walk with facilities
- Punch list signed with owners and dates
- Crates collected on the agreed day

Project manager reviewing a numbered destination floor plan

One name, start to finish

A project manager, not a call centre

The person who walks your space writes the scope, holds the elevator windows, runs the move window and signs the punch list. You never get handed to a dispatcher you have never met.

Surveys both sites and writes the scope
Holds the elevator and dock windows
Runs the move window on site
Walks and signs the punch list

Survey to written scope: 2 business days
Certificates of insurance: 24 hours
On site Monday after a move: PM plus 2 movers
Crews on our own payroll: 100 percent

Marisol TrevinoPrincipal, project management

1,284Commercial projects delivered since 2009
4.1MSquare feet relocated across Houston
96%Opened on the scheduled business day
24 hrTurnaround on certificates of insurance

Sample figures prepared for this demonstration site.

Eight scopes

What we move, and how it is priced

Every scope is quoted after a site survey. Scroll sideways for all eight, or open the full list.

Scroll or use the arrow keys. All eight services

Niche scope: IT relocation

The server runbook, hour by hour

A data room is not difficult to lift. It is difficult to rebuild. Every step below produces a document, and the documents are what make Monday work.

T-14
Rack audit and elevation drawing
Every rack is photographed front and back, U positions are recorded, port maps are captured and a destination elevation is drawn and signed off by your IT lead before anything is unplugged.
Signed elevation drawing and port map
T-1
Asset register and seals
Every data-bearing asset is listed by asset tag and serial. Drives, servers and appliances are bagged and closed with numbered tamper-evident seals, and the seal number is written against the asset.
Asset register with seal numbers
H-0
Controlled shutdown and de-rack
Shutdown follows your sequence, not ours. Patch leads are labelled at both ends and pulled to the map, equipment is de-racked onto anti-static foam, and ESD wrist straps are worn for any handling of exposed boards.
Shutdown sign-off by your engineer
H+1
Dedicated air-ride transport
Racks and appliances travel in their own air-ride load, separate from furniture, kept inside operating temperature range. Custody is signed at every transfer between origin, vehicle and destination.
Chain-of-custody log, dual signature
H+4
Recommission to the drawing
Gear goes back to the agreed U positions, cabling is re-terminated to the port map, and power-up follows the documented sequence: core, distribution, access, then hosts.
Seal integrity check recorded on arrival
H+8
Tested handover
Your team tests connectivity and services. We do not sign off when the lights come on; we sign off when your engineer confirms the services respond and the punch list is empty.
Handover certificate countersigned

UPS battery strings are removed before the unit moves, transported upright and secured, then reinstalled and load-tested at destination. Moving a populated UPS is how people damage the unit and the floor at the same time.

Niche scope: insurance and access

What the building will ask for

Property managers approve moves, not movers. These six things decide whether your window is confirmed or bounced back five days before the date.

COI lead time
Most Houston Class A buildings require the certificate five business days before the move, with exact additional insured wording. We issue within 24 hours of receiving the requirement, which leaves room for a rejection and a reissue.
Freight elevator reservation
Booked in blocks, usually four hours minimum, outside 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Downtown towers are commonly reserved four to six weeks ahead, and an after-hours building engineer is billed to the tenant by the hour.
Dock windows and truck limits
Dock slots are allocated by the hour and shared with retail and food deliveries in mixed-use towers. Several Uptown docks cap vehicles at 26 ft length or 13 ft 6 in clearance, which changes the truck plan.
Floor and wall protection
Masonite over finished floors, ram board in corridors, corner guards on every turn, elevator pads hung by the building engineer, and door jamb protection at both ends. Photographed before and after.
Crew rosters and badging
Security desks want full legal names 48 hours ahead, sometimes with photo ID numbers. Every mover on our payroll is background checked, so rosters are not returned for a failed check on move night.
Method statements
Anything rigged, anything over 800 pounds and anything in a regulated space moves under a written method statement naming the crew, the equipment, the route and the abort conditions.

Limits we carry as standard

Insurance cover and limits carried as standard
Cover	Limit	Note
Commercial general liability	$1,000,000 each occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate	Owner and property manager named as additional insured
Automobile liability	$1,000,000 combined single limit	Any auto, including hired and non-owned
Workers compensation	Statutory, Texas	Waiver of subrogation in favour of the building
Employers liability	$1,000,000 each accident	Standard for Class A tenancies
Umbrella or excess	$5,000,000	Frequently required above 20 floors
Cargo and contents	Declared value basis	Separate from carrier liability at 60 cents per pound

Higher limits arranged on request. Certificates issued within 24 hours of receiving the building requirement.

Weekend windowsFreight elevator schedulingCOI in 24 hoursBackground-checked crewsBarcoded inventoryChain of custodyBinding not-to-exceedCertified scale ticketsRack elevation drawingsLandfill diversion reportsAir-ride transportMonday-ready punch lists

Niche scope: two pricing models

Hourly or weight and distance

Commercial moves are priced two completely different ways. Put your inventory in once and see both, with the arithmetic shown rather than hidden.

Workstations

Private offices

Access at the harder end

Submarket, for travel time

Weekend or after-hours window

What the tool assumes

42 cu ft per workstation and 95 cu ft per private office, plus 8 percent for shared areas
Office contents at roughly 7 pounds per cubic foot
1.9 crew hours per workstation before the access factor is applied
Five crates per workstation, ten per private office, held for three weeks

Local hourly, sample planning range

$18,400to$23,600

Estimated volume: 3,024 cu ft
Estimated shipment weight: 21,168 lb
Rental crates: 380
Crew and trucks: 8 movers, 2 trucks
On-site hours: 17.5

Turn this into a written scope Which estimate type?

The dividing line is not distance alone, it is who carries the risk of a slow day. On hourly work you pay for the hours; on a tariff shipment the carrier does. Sample rates are planning figures, not a quote.

Local hourly

Crew hours plus truck, portal to portal

Intrastate work inside the eight-county Houston area. Suites under roughly 6,000 sq ft, floor shuffles and same-building changes.

(crew rate + truck rate) x (on-site hours + travel time), two-hour minimum, then quarter hours

Crew rate, 2 movers and a truck: $165 / hr (sample)
Crew rate, 3 movers and a truck: $215 / hr (sample)
Crew rate, 4 movers and a truck: $265 / hr (sample)
Each additional mover: +$50 / hr (sample)
Portal-to-portal travel: 45 to 120 minutes
After-hours and weekend uplift: +18 to 35 percent (sample)

Included

Truck, fuel and equipment
Shrink wrap, blankets and straps
Floor and door protection
Basic disassembly and reassembly

Billed separately

Crates and cartons
Custom crating
Full value protection
Storage

Weight and distance

Net pounds against mileage band, discounted off tariff

Interstate shipments and any long intrastate lane. Multi-site roll-outs and consolidations where hours are the carrier's risk, not yours.

linehaul (net weight x mileage band rate, less discount) + packing + valuation + accessorials

Office contents density: about 7 lb per cubic foot
Typical 40-seat office: 9,000 to 14,000 lb
Linehaul, 500 to 1,800 mi: $1.15 to $2.40 / lb (sample)
Stair carry above the first flight: per flight, per shipment
Long carry beyond 75 ft: per 50 ft increment
Shuttle service: when a 53 ft trailer cannot reach the dock

Included

Certified empty and loaded scale tickets
Inventory with condition codes
Released value at 60 cents per pound
Guaranteed delivery spread

Billed separately

Full value protection
Packing labour and materials
Storage in transit handling
Accessorial charges listed above

Niche scope: estimate types

Three estimates exist. Ask which one you have.

They allocate the risk of an inaccurate weight in three different ways. Every estimate we issue names its type in words, on the first page, before any number appears.

49 CFR 375.403

Binding estimate

A fixed price for the scope and inventory written on the estimate. The price does not change if the shipment weighs more than the carrier guessed.

You pay: Exactly the estimated amount, whatever the scale says on move day.
Good for: Budget approval cycles, capital projects and anyone who needs one number in a board paper.

Items added after signing are not covered. Additions must be re-estimated in writing before loading, or the carrier can refuse them or convert the estimate.

Recommended

49 CFR 375.405

Binding not-to-exceed

A ceiling price with a floor that can fall. If the shipment weighs less than estimated you pay the lower actual charge; if it weighs more you still pay no more than the estimate.

You pay: The lower of the estimated amount or the actual tariff charges.
Good for: Most commercial clients. It removes the downside without removing the upside.

It only holds for the scope on the estimate. A fourth floor added two weeks out is a new estimate, not a free extra.

49 CFR 375.409

Non-binding estimate

An informed approximation of the final charges based on actual weight and services. The final invoice can be higher or lower than the estimate.

You pay: Actual tariff charges. At delivery the carrier may collect no more than 110 percent of the estimate; the balance is billed after 30 days.
Good for: Shipments where the inventory is genuinely unknown at quote stage.

The 110 percent rule protects your cash flow on delivery day, not your budget. You still owe the balance later.

Every written estimate we issue names its type on the first page, in words, before any number appears. If a carrier will not tell you which of these three you are being given, that is the answer.

The claims clock

If something goes wrong, these are the deadlines that matter. Report concealed damage the day you find it.

Window to file a written claim: 9 months from delivery
Carrier acknowledgement: within 30 days of receipt
Carrier decision: pay, decline or offer: within 120 days
Inventory exception codes: recorded at origin and at delivery
Concealed damage: report as soon as found, inside the 9 months

Exception codes are written on the inventory at origin and checked again at delivery: SC for scratched, D for dented, CH for chipped, R for rubbed, with a location number for the part of the item affected. That record is what a claim is assessed against, so it is worth reading before you sign it.

Read the after-the-move FAQ

Open plan office floor relocated by Summit

The phasing plan was the whole answer. Our delivery team never stopped, and the plan room came back in order.
Renata AlvarezDirector of Facilities, Energy Corridor

Summit box trucks staged at a loading dock

Next step

Book the survey before you book the date

Freight elevator windows in downtown towers are commonly reserved four to six weeks out. The survey is what tells you whether your date is real.

Plan your relocation (713) 555-0198

Either side of the move

Storage before, handback after

Two scopes that decide whether a relocation actually finishes.

Warehousing

When the building is not ready

Fit-outs run late. Everything goes into a sprinklered Houston warehouse on barcoded intake, either in timber vaults of about 245 cubic feet or on racked pallet positions, and comes back to site in the order your installers need it.

Barcoded intake with photographs of every lot
Storage in transit or a permanent agreement, stated in writing
Scheduled release in installer sequence, not first in first out

Warehousing and vault rates

Decommission

Handing the old suite back

The lease does not end when the last truck leaves. We strip the suite, pull abandoned cabling, sort into resale, donation, recycling and landfill, and hand you a weighed diversion report rather than a percentage somebody guessed.

Resale credit on late-model systems furniture, 8 to 18 percent of original cost
Certified data destruction with certificates issued by serial
Landlord handback walk photographed against the make-good clause

How decommission is scoped

Project desk

The people who run your project

Six people you will actually speak to. Everyone on a Summit crew is on our payroll and background checked.

Marisol Trevino
Principal, project management
Runs the project management desk and personally scopes every project above 150 seats.
Nineteen years in commercial relocation, the last eleven in Houston. Writes the method statements for regulated spaces.
Anders Bekele
Operations director
Owns crew planning, truck waves and the dispatch board that keeps six projects from colliding.
Former warehouse manager. Rebuilt our labelling system after one bad Monday in 2016, and it has not changed since.
Dana Whitfield
Technical services manager
Leads IT, laboratory and equipment relocations and signs every chain-of-custody log.
Background in data centre operations. Draws the rack elevations herself and will not let a rack move without one.
Colin Mbeki
Senior move supervisor
Holds the destination on large weekend windows and walks the punch list with your facilities lead.
Fourteen years on the floor. Trains every new crew member on protection, labelling and how to read a floor plan.
Ingrid Solheim
Client services and insurance
Issues certificates of insurance, chases building approvals and answers the questions property managers ask.
Turns around COIs within 24 hours, with the additional insured wording each building actually requires.
Hector Villalobos
Warehouse and asset manager
Runs the Milwee Street warehouse, the barcode system and every scheduled release to site.
Knows where 2,400 vaults and pallet positions are without opening the system, though he still checks.

Coverage

Six Houston submarkets, one yard

Everything runs out of Milwee Street. Drive times below are portal to portal, which is exactly how local hourly work is billed.

Aerial view of the Houston metropolitan area

Dashed rings show 20, 35 and 50 minute drive bands from the yard. Illustrative, not to scale.

Downtown Houston
22 minutes from our Milwee Street yard
Class A towers, tunnel-level loading and freight elevators booked weeks out. Downtown moves live or die on the elevator schedule.
Office inventory
About 51 million sq ft of office inventory
Building type
Towers of 30 to 75 floors, most with two freight cars
Access notes Call
Energy Corridor
28 minutes from our Milwee Street yard
Campus-style low-rise buildings along I-10 West with surface docks, wide corridors and far friendlier access than downtown.
Office inventory
About 23 million sq ft of office inventory
Building type
Mostly two to twelve storeys in landscaped campuses
Access notes Call
Galleria and Uptown
18 minutes from our Milwee Street yard
Dense mixed-use towers with shared docks, tight turning circles and retail traffic that makes the loading bay the hardest part of the job.
Office inventory
About 24 million sq ft of office inventory
Building type
Office towers of 15 to 50 floors, many above retail
Access notes Call
The Woodlands
42 minutes from our Milwee Street yard
Master-planned campuses 30 miles north with generous docks, strict landscaping rules and long internal carries from bay to suite.
Office inventory
About 11 million sq ft of office inventory
Building type
Low and mid-rise buildings in mixed-use villages
Access notes Call
Sugar Land
35 minutes from our Milwee Street yard
Fort Bend County offices and medical suites with drive-up access, ground-floor entries and the simplest logistics in the metro.
Office inventory
About 7 million sq ft of office inventory
Building type
Two to eight storeys, many with ground-floor suites
Access notes Call
Clear Lake and Bay Area
45 minutes from our Milwee Street yard
Aerospace, engineering and laboratory tenants near NASA Parkway, where equipment handling matters more than seat counts.
Office inventory
About 6 million sq ft of office and flex inventory
Building type
Low-rise office and office-flex with attached warehouse bays
Access notes Call

Talk to a project manager

Milwee Street, Houston

Call the yard, send a floor plan, or book a survey. Whichever you pick, you get a named project manager rather than a queue.

Phone: (713) 555-0198
Project desk: projects@summitcommercialrelocation.com
Yard and warehouse: 6120 Milwee Street, Suite B
Houston, TX 77092

Plan your relocation Book a site survey

Reception area at the Summit Commercial Relocation office

Office hours

Mon - Fri: 7:00 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday: 8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Sunday: Scheduled moves only
After hours: Weeknights and weekends by project plan

Move windows run outside these hours by plan. Emergency and same-week work is triaged by the duty project manager.

Office movesplanned tothe hour

Shut down Friday.Open Monday.

Survey and scope

Permits, insurance and labels

The move window

Monday-ready

A project manager, not a call centre

Summit Commercial Relocation in numbers

What we move, and how it is priced

Office relocation

Local business moves

Long-distance and multi-site

Packing, crating and unpacking

Warehousing and asset storage

IT and server relocation

Specialty and high-value equipment

Decommission and liquidation

The server runbook, hour by hour

Rack audit and elevation drawing

Asset register and seals

Controlled shutdown and de-rack

Dedicated air-ride transport

Recommission to the drawing

Tested handover

What the building will ask for

COI lead time

Freight elevator reservation

Dock windows and truck limits

Floor and wall protection

Crew rosters and badging

Method statements

Hourly or weight and distance

Included

Billed separately

Included

Billed separately

Three estimates exist. Ask which one you have.

Binding estimate

Binding not-to-exceed

Non-binding estimate

The claims clock

Book the survey before you book the date

Storage before, handback after

When the building is not ready

Handing the old suite back

The people who run your project

Marisol Trevino

Anders Bekele

Dana Whitfield

Colin Mbeki

Ingrid Solheim

Hector Villalobos

Six Houston submarkets, one yard

Downtown Houston

Energy Corridor

Galleria and Uptown

The Woodlands

Sugar Land

Clear Lake and Bay Area

Milwee Street, Houston

Office hours

Office moves
planned to
the hour

Shut down Friday.
Open Monday.