Pivot!

Last time, we spoke about measuring up your space and furniture before purchasing anything to make sure it will fit through the door and in your room.

 

But what happens if you forgot to measure – it happens to the best of us – or  if your measurements were wrong? Or what if, like me, you inherit a huge gold mirror from your in-laws but didn’t get a chance to measure it before they showed up with it in the back of their car, having driven 5 hours down to London?

Who you gonna call? Probably some professional movers. But before you do, you may want to try some of our tips.

When it comes to finding solutions to fit cabinets up narrow staircases, there are a few tricks we have learned from our very ingenious removal team: Foxtons & Sons. 

 

YOUR BEST ANGLE

If your sofa is stuck up the staircase the first thing you must try is different angles. In the famous words of Friend’s Ross Geller “Pivot!”. Particularly with upholstery pieces, which are soft and can sometime be squeezed through door frames and staircases.

The first angle our Foxton boys always try is tipping the piece vertically, so it’s standing on its end. This gives it a slimmer figure, which they then try slowly manoeuvring it into the room or past that pesky corner. 

When attempting this, make sure you place pads or cardboard under the piece to avoid damaging it and/or scratching your floors. 

If the piece has long legs, like a table or an armchair, you may want to feed one pair of legs at the time through the threshold and into the room. Like a vertical high jumper  Olympian, arching backwards over the pole.

 

LIKE JACK THE RIPPER

If that doesn’t work, try partially disassembling the item into pieces. Sofas sometimes have detachable arms or legs. Ditto with tables and sideboards – you can sometimes simply unscrew their legs, instantly streamlining their profile. Without those protruding limbs, furniture is more likely to fit through narrow entrances. 

Another nifty trick our boys have done in the past is removing the doors of large sideboards to make them slimmer (and oh so much lighter). This also applies sometimes to chest of drawers. If the handles are protruding, remove the drawers.

If pulling apart the piece of furniture is not enough, you may want to try fiddling with the door. You can try removing the door and hinges to widen the access.

 

GETTING CREATIVE

Now let’s say you’ve tried all of the above and your grandfather’s gorgeous Chesterfield leather sofa is still decorating your front lawn. Then it’s time to get creative. 

Perhaps there’s a window on the ground floor that you can use to fit the sofa through. If so, you may want to ring a friend or two to help you lift it and pass it through.

Or maybe passing it over your neighbour’s fence and into your back garden is the way forward. 

But whatever you do, make sure you stay safe – the last thing you want is an injured back or a broken window.

And if all else fails, it’s time to call in the big guns: professional movers. Our guys are have seen it all and done it all. They have managed to lift large, heavy pieces of furniture through windows on top floors, over roof terraces, down sky lights and up past balconies.

In extreme cases, when we have furnished properties in top floors, we have had to hire a joist or a crane. This is an expensive solution which usually requires planning and time (and parking suspension) so make sure you (a) really want that piece of furniture in the property and (b) you measure every  possible angle  and floor space to ensure it will fit through the window and in the room once it’s been hauled up. Otherwise you will find yourself in an extremely frustrating and expensive situation.

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