Moving single and heavy items in Hemel Hempstead, Watford and West Herts

What kind of items does this cover?

Sometimes the move is one thing, not a household. A piano going to a daughter's new flat, an American-style fridge freezer bought second-hand across town, a sofa from a seller in Tring who cannot deliver, a wardrobe for a student in Watford, a treadmill to the garage of a house in Hemel Hempstead. Removals firms that do house moves will often take on a single item, and some specialise in exactly this kind of job.

Why not do it with a friend and a hired van?

Because the heavy item is only half the problem; the stairs, the doorway and the turn at the bottom are the rest. A piano is far heavier than it looks and its weight is unevenly spread, a fridge freezer can be damaged by tipping it the wrong way, and a solid wardrobe will not go round a landing that a flat-pack one would. People hurt backs, scrape walls and drop things every weekend doing this. A crew that moves awkward items daily has the straps, the sack trucks, the blankets and the experience to get the item out and in without damage to it, the house or themselves.

How do movers deal with a piano?

An upright piano usually stays in one piece. It is wrapped, strapped to a piano trolley or a wheeled skid, and moved on its own castors only where the floor allows it. Stairs are where the work and the risk lie, and a firm will want to know how many steps there are, whether they turn, and whether there is a handrail in the way. A grand piano is normally moved on its side on a padded board, with the legs and the pedal lyre removed and the lid secured, then put back together in the room. Once a piano has been moved it is usually left to settle in its new room before it is tuned, because the change in temperature and humidity affects the tuning; your tuner can advise on how long to wait.

Tell the firm whether it is an upright or a grand, roughly how old it is, and where it is going: a ground-floor room with a straight run from the door is a very different job from a first-floor flat.

What about washing machines, fridges and cookers?

• Washing machines should have their transit bolts refitted before moving, or the drum can be damaged. If you no longer have them, say so.
• Fridges and freezers travel upright where possible. Empty, defrost and dry them before the day, and follow the maker's instructions about leaving the appliance to stand before switching it on at the new home.
• A gas cooker or hob on a fixed pipe needs disconnecting and reconnecting by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The law does not count unplugging a bayonet-fitting hose as gas work, but if you are unsure, use an engineer. Removals crews move the appliance; they do not do the gas work, and you will need to arrange the engineer separately at both ends.
• Hard-wired electric cookers and hobs need an electrician to disconnect and reconnect them. Plug-in appliances are simple.
• American-style fridge freezers are wide and heavy, and some do not fit through a standard internal door without their doors being taken off. Measure the route first.

Sofas, wardrobes and beds that will not fit

A sofa that came in through a window, a wardrobe that was assembled where it stands, or a bed with a solid headboard may need taking apart to come out, and may need the same at the other end. Some firms will remove and refit a window or a door to get a sofa through, and some will not, so ask. Measure the sofa's height, its depth and the diagonal from one back corner to the opposite front corner; that diagonal is what has to pass through the doorway. Flat-pack wardrobes rarely survive a second assembly without some damage, so the question may be whether it is worth moving at all.

Can a single item go a long way?

Yes. A single item from Hertfordshire to a university town, or to a relative in another county, is a common request, and some firms combine such jobs with other trips in the same direction. Give the destination postcode in full so the firm can think about it, and let them say how they would fit the trip in rather than assuming it can be done on a particular day.

What about things that are valuable rather than heavy?

A grandfather clock, an antique chest, a large painting or a sculpture may weigh little but need the same care as a piano. Clocks usually travel with the pendulum and weights removed and packed separately. Say what the item is and roughly what it is worth, so the firm can tell you how their cover applies and whether they would rather you arranged your own.

What helps with the enquiry?

• what the item is, with measurements and a photo if you can
• the floor it is on now and the floor it is going to
• stairs, lifts, narrow doors and where a van can park at each end
• both postcodes
• whether the item has been moved before, and how

If you agree, the enquiry goes to one local removals firm that covers your postcode, if there is one. The firm will say whether it is a job they take on, and on what terms.