Planning For Your Walk-Up Move

After months of searching, you’ve finally found the perfect apartment which truly has everything, from high ceilings to spacious closets to the ever-coveted included washer and dryer. Best of all, the price fits your budget, and there’s even enough money left over to allow you to do some decorating. There is, however, one minor problem: The building you’re moving to doesn’t have an elevator, and your new apartment isn’t exactly on the ground floor. On the contrary, it can only be accessed via four strenuous flights of stairs.

Living in a walk-up apartment might not be that bad. After all, you’ll get some exercise without even trying. And if all goes well, you’ll soon be able to cancel that expensive membership plan at the local gym. Bobby Hughes is the marketing coordinator at Hughes Relocation Services, Inc., a full service moving and storage company that has been serving the Philadelphia area since 1973, and according to him, the real challenge with a walk-up is actually working around it to successfully move your stuff.

Hire Professionals
Hughes suggests that anyone moving into a walk-up consider hiring movers to tackle the physical task of transporting his belongings. Although the idea of lugging your own stuff up four flights of stairs might seem rather daunting, for a professional mover who lifts and transports heavy items for a living, the presence of four continuous flights of stairs is not going to make much of a difference. After all, plenty of household moves involve climbing up and down stairs. So what’s a couple more flights to a bunch of movers who are clearly bursting with muscles?

Budget for Your Move
If you decide to hire a team of professionals for your walk-up move, then you should account for the costs accordingly. First of all, you will need to realize that most local moves are charged by the hour. If the process involves climbing up and down multiple flights of stairs, then the act of transporting your belongings is obviously going to take longer than a one-story move. Therefore, when mapping out your moving budget, you should plan for the added expense. This way, you won’t be caught off-guard when the bill is presented to you at the end of the day.

Along these lines, you should also plan on saving a little bit extra to cover the cost of a generous tip. Sure, movers get paid to do what they do, but you’ve got to feel for the people who get stuck working the four-flight bonanza. If you’re the type of person who believes in karma, then set some extra cash aside to do the right thing.

Measure the Stairwell
Elevators tend to be more spacious than stairwells; therefore, you should investigate the situation prior to your moving date. Bring a tape measure to measure the width of your soon-to-be stairwells. Then compare it to the size of your furniture. If the numbers don’t add up, then you might consider making plans to sell your larger items.

Although the idea of moving into a walk-up might seem overwhelming, with proper planning and preparation, you can do your part to make the process go as smoothly as possible.