The thing itself · HVY
One thing, and it is heavy
A single object that two people can move and one person absolutely should not. The lifting is ten minutes. The thinking about how is the rest of it, and it is what separates a job that goes smoothly from one that ends with a scraped wall and a bad back.
Weight is rarely what stops a piece of furniture. Shape and a turn in a staircase usually are.
What a single-item job involves
The three numbers
The clear diagonal at the stair turn — measured from the inside corner to the furthest opposite point, allowing for the handrail. The narrowest clear door head on the route. And the longest rigid dimension of the item itself.
Those three answer almost every "will it fit" question before anybody touches anything, and almost nobody has them. They take a tape measure and four minutes.
Appliances are their own category
A fridge-freezer is awkward, top-heavy and offers nothing good to hold, which is why it needs a sack truck and straps rather than enthusiasm. A tall American-style one is genuinely at the limit for two people on a staircase.
A washing machine is easier to carry and harder to carry safely, because the drum swings unless the transit bolts are back in. If you have lost them — and everybody has — tell us and we strap it instead.
And after it arrives
A fridge or freezer that has travelled upright can usually be switched on after a short settling period; one that has been laid down needs considerably longer. We will tell you which applies rather than leave you guessing at a plug socket.
What we will not take
A piano, an organ, a safe of any size without seeing it first, or anything genuinely irreplaceable. Those are specialist jobs with specialist equipment and specialist cover, and we would rather name somebody than attempt it.
It is one thing, and it is heavy
Questions about it is one thing, and it is heavy
- Is one person ever enough?
- No. Two crew on every job, including a single item. It is our insurance position and it is also just correct.
- How do I know if it will fit?
- Send three numbers: the clear diagonal at the stair turn, the narrowest door head, and the longest rigid dimension of the item. We will tell you before you book.
- Can you take a fridge-freezer up stairs?
- With a sack truck and straps, yes. Tall American-style models are at the limit for two people, so tell us which you have.
- Do I need to secure the washing machine drum?
- Ideally with the original transit bolts. If they are long gone, say so and we will strap it — a swinging drum damages the machine and the carry.
- Will you dismantle if it will not fit?
- Where the item comes apart sensibly, yes. Where it does not, we will have told you at the enquiry rather than found out on a landing.
- Can you move a piano?
- No, and we will say so plainly. That is a piano specialist — a technique and insurance question rather than a weight one.
What is the awkward bit?
Both addresses, what the item is, and the one thing about the job that is difficult. A photograph beats any description.