Residential moves in the Chicago area cover a wider range of buildings than most quotes account for, and Checkmate prices and plans for what the home actually is rather than a generic “3-bedroom house” estimate. A Cicero bungalow with a narrow gangway and a back-porch entrance moves differently than a graystone in Oak Park with a walk-up and pocket doors, and both move differently than a two-bedroom on the 30th floor of a downtown high-rise sharing one freight elevator with the rest of the building.
That’s why the walkthrough matters before crew day, not after. Jamal Whitfield looks at the actual entry points, staircases, and tight turns of the specific home being moved, not a floor plan pulled off a listing site, and works out with Desmond Hale which pieces come out first, which hallway is going to be the bottleneck, and whether a couch is coming out a window before it comes out a door. That plan gets handed to the crew chief before anyone touches a box.
Checkmate has moved bungalows, two-flats, graystones, ranch houses, and high-rise condos across Chicago, Oak Park, Evanston, Cicero, Skokie, and the rest of Cook, DuPage, and Lake County since 2013, and the hourly local rates apply the same way regardless of house style: $145/hr for two movers up to $225/hr for four, with a $175 deposit credited to the final bill.
- Bungalows and two-flats (Cicero, Berwyn)
- Graystones and walk-ups (Oak Park, Evanston)
- High-rise and mid-rise condos (downtown Chicago)
- Single-family homes across Cook, DuPage, and Lake County
What This Service Includes
- Walkthrough tailored to the home's actual layout
- Load order planned around stairs, gangways, and tight turns
- Experience with bungalows, graystones, two-flats, and high-rises
- Same hourly rates regardless of home style
- $175 deposit credited to your final invoice
- Basic released-value protection included free
What This Service Costs
Crew size sets your hourly rate — $145/hr for two movers, $185/hr for three, $225/hr for four — or if you'd rather book off a written number, Jamal can walk the place first and price it before move day
That hourly rate covers the truck, dollies, furniture pads, and shrink wrap — nothing billed separately: $145 for two movers, $185 for three, $225 for four, and $50/hr for each mover beyond that. A $175 deposit holds your date and comes straight off the final invoice. Every job includes basic released-value protection at no added cost; for anyone who wants more coverage on a specific item, Michelle sets up a full-value quote when she books your date.
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