Movers for San Juan Capistrano's Old Homes and Ranches
San Juan Capistrano has a street people have lived on since the 1790s and a long history with horses, and both shape how a move here gets planned. Los Rios Street still has its adobes and early wood-frame houses, and out along Ortega Highway, some properties come with barns, riding arenas and tack rooms.
Old Houses on Los Rios Street
The Los Rios Historic District, a short walk from the train depot, is known as the oldest continually occupied residential neighborhood in California. One of its adobes dates to 1794. Some of the old houses are shops and restaurants now, and others are still homes. Our guide to moving from San Diego to San Juan Capistrano covers the rest of town.
A move in or out of a house that old, or any home full of antiques, is slow, careful work. We pad door frames and banisters, protect the floors, and wrap heirloom furniture before it leaves the room. Grandfather clocks, porcelain and other specialty items get their own packing, and anything fragile can be crated.
Moving a Horse Property
San Juan Capistrano has been called the horse capital of the West Coast, and a ranch move is bigger than the house. Saddles and bridles, tack trunks, blanket racks, the ride-on mower and the workshop all need to be inventoried and packed. The horses themselves travel with a livestock hauler, not on a moving van.
If your property sits at the end of a long private drive, or behind a gate a full-size moving truck can't swing through, we plan a shuttle truck for the last stretch and build it into the estimate.
Before We Quote a Capistrano Move
For a home with a barn or outbuildings, we'd rather send a Relocation Consultant to see it in person, and that visit is free. A condo or a smaller house can be quoted from a video survey with an Inside Sales Representative. In both cases the estimate is written, and moves around South Orange County and south to San Diego count as local moves, charged by the hour; ask for the current rate at 1.858.360.1569. We'll ask about:
- The outbuildings. Tack rooms, garages and workshops add packing time and truck space.
- The drive and the gate. How close a full-size truck can get to the house.
- Your date. On the Saturday of the Swallows Day Parade in March, downtown streets start closing by 10 a.m., so we keep downtown moves off that morning.
San Juan Capistrano Moving FAQ
What won't movers put on the truck?
Hazardous materials: gasoline and propane, paint and thinner, pool and garden chemicals, fertilizer and ammunition. On a ranch that list gets longer, so drain the fuel from mowers and equipment before moving day and plan to take the chemicals yourself or dispose of them.
Can you store our furniture while the ranch is on the market?
Yes. Pieces you pull out to show the house, or the whole household between closings, can stay at our secure, bar-coded warehouse until you're ready. See storage.
