Wardrobes & larger items of furniture
Wardrobes and larger items of furniture. The main pieces that we come across issues with as removers time and again. When moving day comes, it’s usually wardrobes that won't fit down the staircase. Narrow access points within the property can also cause problems for wardrobes. This can usually add an hour or so to the job. Larger items are usually tricky too. Big things, like American fridge freezers, may need doors removing. Sometimes it’s larger sofa’s that may need arms removing. Not what you want to deal with as you are trying to get the property emptied by completion time. Or for an inspection by the landlord.
Small Houses
Older Victorian style properties are particularly tricky when it comes to wardrobes. The staircases are usually very narrow and steep, with little room to turn at the top or bottom of the stairs. Quite often a customer will say to us “ I measured it, so it must fit!”. But they fail to take into account things like height clearance and turning angles. It is always best to try and tell your movers of things like this in advance. That way when we arrive we can make sure we come prepared, leaving additional time for the extra work as well.
Did you build it?
We always ask, once we arrive at the property and check the access points, was the wardrobe built inside the room? Or did it go in as one whole piece when you moved it in? More often than not, these days we are talking about IKEA or other flat pack furniture. Items that the customer has built themselves, but doesn’t want to take apart. There is often no way to remove the item from the property other than to dismantle them completely.
Larger Houses
Other times, it's a modern 3 storey townhouse. Here, the layout of the home is very different from other houses. Quite often with this type of house, the bedrooms are on the 3rd floor. With height restrictions due to the sloping eaves of the roof. Or the 2nd staircase being directly above the 1st. Sometimes they have the kitchen and living room on the 1st floor. This means your rather nice larger items won't fit into your nice new home as they did in the old house. American fridge freezers or large sofas will need measuring beforehand if possible. Other methods include dismantling them as much as possible. However, this can be very time-consuming.
Plan ahead
We can’t stress highly enough how much some forethought will save big headaches on moving day. Having wardrobes and larger furniture items ready before will save time on a day. You will already have a hundred other things on your plate to worry about. Leaving them to the last minute can add another two or three hours work to the day. Or worse, trying to explain to your buyers why they have been left with your old wardrobe in their new bedroom. If your movers have completed a survey of your before moving day, then they should make you aware of this at the time.
These are our handy tips for moving wardrobes and larger items on moving day.
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