Moving requires a lot of logistical challenges. There’s the game of Tetris you play to get your belongings into the moving truck and the eventual shifting of furniture to get the perfect layout. Failing to get these things right isn’t the biggest of deals. You can always make an extra trip or sell some furniture to fit your things more comfortably. But what happens if you can’t get your furniture through the door? It’s a problem many people don’t consider until they’re faced with it.
Here’s how you can prevent this from happening ahead of time.
The best way to avoid this situation is to measure your doorway and your furniture ahead of time. It’s a simple task that won’t take long but is well worth the small amount of effort.
Before you move into your new house or apartment, make sure you take a walkthrough of the rooms and routes your furniture will travel on moving day. For a house, this can be relatively straightforward. You’ll want to ensure your furniture can fit through the front or back door. If it doesn’t a secondary entrance like a deck or sliding door is one way you can get your furniture into your new home.
Apartments can be more tricky. To start with, parking access to an apartment isn’t always guaranteed. If you can, try moving your biggest pieces of furniture into your new apartment early in the morning or later at night. This way, you can hopefully avoid traffic on the street and nab that singular loading bay early.
Before you get to this step, ensure you’ve walked through your complex and mapped out a route for getting the furniture from the truck and into your apartment. It’s likely you’ll have elevators, stairways, lobbies or courtyards to cross, and it’s important that your stuff fits through each of these.
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Making your furniture as small as possible might seem more annoying than helpful, but it’s an extra step that will definitely help. Not only are dismantled pieces of furniture lighter to move. They’re smaller too.
If your couch has detachable legs, take them off. If your desk can be separated into several pieces, do this before moving day. Any items that were put together with an Allan key or came flat packed can be dismantled.
Note that you don’t have to take every screw or join apart. Even removing the legs or supporting bars can help. If your couch can be dismantled into sections, store each one separately in your moving truck.
If you are moving to a hilly city or suburb, access to your home or apartment is more complicated. Wellington has many windy streets and narrow staircases that provide access to homes in hillier suburbs. If you can, it’s a good idea to buy furniture that you can transport up and down narrow staircases.
Consider buying a slat bed rather than a mattress with a large base. You can also save yourself some trouble and get things delivered directly to your home, skipping the move-in process altogether. Of course, this is a step that’s easiest to take if you are moving for the very first time and don’t own a lot of belongings.
So, you’ve taken measurements and are sure your furniture will fit but still have a stuck couch or desk. Sometimes it’s all about the angle. If you have a tight stairwell or several doorways to get through, try flipping your piece of furniture on its narrowest angle. This could mean standing your desk upright or maneuvering your mattress on its shortest side to get it through the door.
If you really can’t fit your furniture through the door, you can try taking the door off its hinges. This will provide you with another five centre metres of space, and sometimes that is all you need. This is only recommended if you have someone who can help you put the door back on.
If all else fails, try hoisting your furniture into your space. If you have a deck or a large window, there’s always the possibility you can hoist items through an upstairs space. It’s best to leave this type of move to a professional, as they can use proper equipment that will protect your furniture and your house. If you are hiring a mover, make sure you disclose that fitting the furniture into your home could be an issue. They’ll need to know what type of equipment to bring on moving day.
One of the best ways to make moving day a breeze is to hire a professional. At Wise Move, we make it easy to hire a mover no matter where you are in the country. Book your next move now.
Wise Move is New Zealand’s leading moving service, helping thousands of customers with home moves, furniture removals, car and motorcycle transport, and more. Since 2017, we’ve been delivering reliable, affordable, and well-reviewed moving services in just a few simple steps. Our focus has always been on making moving as simple and effortless as possible for our customers.
