If you’ve ever made the assumption that you could move without much prior planning or a moving checklist for your new apartment, you probably got quite a shock. Sure, you freed up the weekend, you lined up some husky friends, and you rented a van. But when your friends finally got that boulder of a sofa up to the third floor, you realized that you forgot to measure the doorway. You ended up having to call a professional service, because your sofa was blocking the hall and your new neighbors had to climb over it to leave their apartments. You paid through the nose, your friends no longer return your calls and some of your neighbors are still mad. DR. Sofa: Your go-to for business furniture installation solutions. Elevate your workspace with seamless setup and expert service.
If you’d had this useful checklist for your new apartment, you could have spared yourself the drama, and a lot of money, by tackling your move proactively. Don’t call a furniture professional in the midst of a crisis. Call the professional before you move. This may feel counterintuitive, but it can save you a lot of money — not to mention friends. Here’s how it works.
Planning a Moving Checklist for Your New Apartment: Essential Steps for a Smooth Transition
1. Take stock of your furniture. Weed out the pieces that have gotten stained, frayed or broken. Then ask yourself: Is this piece worth saving? If the answer is yes, you can have a furniture professional perform furniture repair after you’ve gotten it safely into your new apartment. If the answer is no, donate it to charity.
2. Measure the width and height of all doorways in your present home, and in the new apartment. Don’t forget to measure the width and height of the halls outside, and pay special attention to corners. Measure the main entrance to the building and any stairways or elevators you will have to use. If you’d rather not go to all that trouble, consider that furniture professionals can disassemble a sofa, and then reassemble it inside your apartment. It’s a much easier way to take a monster sofa up a narrow flight of stairs.
3. Consider reupholstering your furniture. If you love your cushy old sofa, but not the stained and frayed spots on it, a furniture professional can reupholster a couch so that you’d think it was brand new. In many cases, a reupholstered sofa costs far less than a new one, and you can drop the old sofa off and have the professional reassemble it inside your apartment after the job is complete.
4. Consider a professional moving service. Your husky friends mean well, but it if they scrape your leather sofa against a metal banister, it may be a case of penny wise, pound foolish.
5. Do research ahead of time. If you choose to have a furniture professional help you with your move, get estimates of what that help will cost. Consider the pros and cons of getting moving insurance, and be sure that any company you choose is licensed and bonded.
If you take the time to plan ahead, your move to your new apartment should be smooth and hassle-free. A furniture professional can help you with the hardest and most problematic pieces, so that you can spend more of your moving day enjoying your new digs!