Negotiating pickup and delivery of sofa(s) through hallway doors

[baileyuph]

Moving a sofa or love seat through a hallway door in a home can be a challenge.  Just did one and ended up getting it through, there wasn't many options (on its end it would pass in one orientation).

After getting it through, thought that might be a job for a small platform on swivel casters?

Anyone solved the porblem this way?

Doyle

[gene]

One problem with a small platform on swivel casters is that the sofa might be too tall for the doorway. I'm thinking you are thinking about standing it on end.

I have this idea in my head and a few notes down at my studio about making big bags with zippers and handles on them to 'wrap up' the furniture piece and then carry it out. Having handles in several locations of the bag would allow for easy turning and tilting of furniture.

Here's the link that got my thinking on this idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-hAskBZzfI

And here. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20110011762.pdf

gene

[SteveA]

Yes you sometimes need every bit of height to stand + hook the sofa around a doorway to pull one end in - usually the bottom.  Mover supply houses have been making sofa covers since the early 1970's.  It's nothing new.  I highly recommend using a sofa cover - it also prevents accidents to the woodwork and moldings.  The reason most movers don't use them is because they are expensive and the guys loose them -  I remember when I was moving furniture they were a made out of a green canvas - extremely durable with sewed on handles.  Now most delivery companies use shrink wrap.
SA

[sofadoc]

I'd rather just "nut up" on the occasional tight hallway.

Twist & turn.......stand on end.......twist & turn some more. I can't imagine any type of swivel casters that would work in every tight hallway situation.

Those zippered furniture bags are expensive, and I've heard that they don't last that long.

I am currently doing 31 extremely heavy sofas for a local hospital. My helper uses this homemade rig for rolling them unassisted down the long corridors, down the elevator, and onto the loading dock where my truck is backed up.



While he is bringing one to the loading dock, I'm driving one back to the shop, unloading it, and driving back to the loading dock just in time for him to arrive with the next one. This system has proven to be much more cost-efficient than renting a big U-Haul truck, since there is a lot of wasted time waiting for a nurse to escort my helper into the next patient's room. 

[kodydog]

Occasionally my wife helps me pick up and deliver a sofa. To help I built a square dolly out of 2x4's with 4  heavy duty casters on the bottom. I'll lay the sofa on it's back and place the dolly under one end (the steering end.) I pick up the other end and Rose just basically steers her end.

My helper and I picked up a hide-a-bed out of a room with 3 doors. We dropped the bed and tried to fit it through the first two doors with no luck. We asked the owner how it was delivered but she couldn't remember. The third door was our last choice and we had to move a lot of furniture out of the way, squeeze it through, carry it through the kitchen, through the game room, squeeze it through a sliding glass door and carry it around the house to the van.

My wife thinks we should tell customers to have the piece sitting out front when we come to pick it up. Not a bad idea but how many jobs would we lose if we did this?

[MinUph]

My wife thinks we should tell customers to have the piece sitting out front when we come to pick it up. Not a bad idea but how many jobs would we lose if we did this?

Probably all but one or two a year LOL. Customers don't want to move furniture. Some wouldn't have a clue and you would have to fix the broken legs. Maybe an extra charge there LOL.
 

[sofadoc]

On distant pick-up and deliveries, I often ask the customer (usually a woman) if they can have someone to assist me at their home in loading/unloading.

They usually "volunteer" the services of their husband for this task. I've encountered quite a few husbands over the years that were absolute A-holes about having to carry one end of a heavy sofa.

One guy angrily stuck his pointed finger in his wife's face, and screamed "NEVER AGAIN!!!".
I swear, his wife flinched as if she were expecting him to hit her.

My wife USED to help me back in the day. But in more recent years, she has informed me that she is NO LONGER my personal oxen.

[byhammerandhand]

You could say that otherwise, you have a moving/delivery company that you use, but they would charge $200 (or whatever) to do the pick up and delivery.   Most people would opt for helping.

I assume we all know about "hooking" through a doorway.  

Harbor Freight has a variety of 4-wheel dollies that are cheap and have served me well.   In addition, I have some of those slippery furniture pads that are only about 1/2" tall and slide easily.

I also have a bunch of mover's blankets for padding and I got some extra large rubber bands made for strapping them on.   Saves having to use stretch wrap and packing tape.


Often, too you can take the feet off and get a few more inches.   Most modern feet are screwed in with screws or hanger bolts.

On distant pick-up and deliveries, I often ask the customer (usually a woman) if they can have someone to assist me at their home in loading/unloading.

[baileyuph]

This type of requirement can be a challenge.  

Going back in (sometime this week), the furniture will have to be on its end and will only go through the door in one orientation (yes, only on the end); therefore, I may take a clean piece of marine plastic to place on floor under the furniture and instead of inching the furniture through, try pulling the plastic tarp material to get it through.

Yes, it is a bear.  Even with a fairly strong one to assist me.  This is not something I would want to do on a regular basis.

The small board with casters might work as long as the height isn't obstructive.

As an additional comment, some of the newer furniture (fat arms and such with two recliners) would be a bear.  That is probably where I would have to draw the line.  The commercial movers (furniture delivery guys) even comment the impossible situations they face with the newer sofa/love seat equipped this way.  

Why do we live this way?

Doyle

[byhammerandhand]

Many "duo-recliners" have the mechanisms bolted onto an angle iron base rail.   4-6 bolts and they're off.

Also most recliners the back comes off fairly easily -- either with slip-on connectors or a 2 bolts on each side. 

The worst recliners I had were ones that you had to reach up underneath and remove/add bolts.   I learned to un-staple the base of the outside back as a faster way to get it done.  Of course, if you're doing a re-upholstery, it's not wasted work.

As an additional comment, some of the newer furniture (fat arms and such with two recliners) would be a bear.  That is probably where I would have to draw the line.  The commercial movers (furniture delivery guys) even comment the impossible situations they face with the newer sofa/love seat equipped this way.  

Why do we live this way?

Doyle

[wizzard]

I agree with what has been said above.
Personally I try to stay away from any upholstery of recliners. Many times the recliner is already in such a bad shape, that when I start to remove the mechanism it falls apart. Sleeper beds are easier in this case, the metal mechanism is mostly in good condition and stays in the customer house, the rest gets to the shop to be upholstered.
Many times I encounter the situation that the customer has a bad back and can't help and not even remove a picture from the wall when encountering tight spaces, probably too much work for the king.
Started to charge a pick up and delivery charge in this situations or just add it into the price.

[baileyuph]

The sofa that stirred this question will probably go back in today or tomorrow, it has been finished and sitting waiting for the right time. 

This time, due to short alert, a piece of plastic will be layed on the floor for any help it will help on getting the piece at some angle through the hallway door.  It will go in, it came out, so I hope to learn a bit more should it come up again (hope not - wink).

Let you guys know if there is anything to add.

Doyle

[kodydog]

I delivered a chase lounge to a customer. I arrived around noon and her adult son was volunteered to help. He was large, out of shape and still in his pajamas. He was not happy about the situation and  I made the mistake of placing him on the backup end. As we were were carrying it up the sidewalk he slipped and fell on his a$$. He blurted out a profanity not normally spoken around company.

As the customer was writing the check she looked at her son and said, I don't appreciate you dropping the "F" bomb. He just gave a sheepish grin and left the room.

[sofadoc]

I delivered a chase lounge to a customer. I arrived around noon and her adult son was volunteered to help. He was large, out of shape and still in his pajamas. He was not happy about the situation and  I made the mistake of placing him on the backup end. As we were were carrying it up the sidewalk he slipped and fell on his a$$. He blurted out a profanity not normally spoken around company.

As the customer was writing the check she looked at her son and said, I don't appreciate you dropping the "F" bomb. He just gave a sheepish grin and left the room.

I've often had the 40-something female customer carry one end of a heavy sofa while the husband or teenage son sat on their ass and watched TV.

It seems like the husband has the attitude of "Hey, this whole re-upholstery thing wasn't my idea, so I'm NOT helping!". And the teenage son is thinking "This doesn't pertain to ME, ME, ME, so I'm not helping either.

[baileyuph]

Cultural changes for sure; well, my delivery experience went fine, couldn't have been better in spite of the heavy rain and hail that started the day.

After the weather broke for a short spell, took the furniture to the customer and the procedure planed to get the piece back in was rehearsed a few times.  That helped and there wasn't anything broken or scratched. The plan was to keep a cool head and concentrate on no damaging anything and with that temperment, the job was completed in a very acceptable manor.  I even got two more jobs from the customer.  She told me she was very pleased with everything. 

So, that was they way it worked out today, we did this in a small window of no rain window.

Given the weather, since this was a half million dollar home, I brought protection covers for the customer's carpet and even went back through our path to make sure the floor and everything in the home was in proper order.  That went over well with the customer.

One thing I noted about this job was, customer had the skirt deleted on a piece of furniure my culture thinks was a mistake.  But, customer is right, there aren't as many skirts put on furniture today.  I like the skirts added but the job was for the customer.

Had I run into the noise you guys related, that would have been a bummer, I agree.

Doyle