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One item

One thing. Two addresses.

This is exactly what a van is for, and a removals survey for it would be a waste of an afternoon.

A sofa to a relative. A wardrobe to a new flat. A dining table across town. A fridge-freezer that came with the old place and is coming to the new one. One object, two doors, and no interest whatever in an inventory.

Two peopleDismantling if neededPlaced in the roomRebuilt if it came apart

What comes with a single-item move

Two people Anything worth booking a van for on its own needs two.
Blankets and straps Wrapped before it moves, strapped before it travels.
A trolley Which is what makes a long carry possible at all.
Dismantling Where it will not pass a doorway whole, and rebuilt at the far end.
Placement by room Into the room you name, not the nearest floor.
A straight answer on fit Before the day, from your measurements, not on the landing.

The measurement that decides it

The narrowest point on the route, and the item's longest rigid dimension.

Almost every single-item job comes down to two numbers: how big the thing is at its most awkward, and how small the tightest gap on the route is. A staircase turn, a door frame, a lift door, a gate post.

Send us both and we will tell you whether it goes, whether it goes in pieces, or whether it does not go at all. That last answer is worth having in advance and we give it plainly.

Appliances

Disconnect and drain them before we arrive. That part is yours.

Washing machines and dishwashers need disconnecting and draining, and a machine that has not been transit-bolted moves inside its own case while it is being carried. Both are normal and both need doing first.

A fridge or freezer should stand for a while at the far end before it is switched on. We will say so when we put it down, and it is worth remembering when you are impatient for a cold drink.

  • Washing machines: disconnected, drained, and transit-bolted where the bolts still exist.
  • Fridges and freezers: emptied, defrosted, and stood upright at the far end before switching on.
  • American-style fridge-freezers: two people minimum, and never up or down stairs with two.
  • Cookers: gas disconnection is a qualified job and not one we do.
  • Dishwashers: same as washing machines, and the hoses come with them.

Sofas

Feet off, on end, and the turn decides everything.

A three-seat sofa is the most commonly moved single item in London and the one that most often will not go round a Victorian half-landing. The feet come off, it travels on end, and if the clear diagonal at the turn is against it, it goes over the bannister or it does not go.

We would rather have that conversation from a photograph than on a staircase with the sofa wedged in it.

What one item does not include

Everything else. If there is a room's worth as well, say so.

Single-item bookings are priced as single items, and a vehicle turning up for a sofa and finding fifteen boxes alongside it is a different job. Nobody minds a couple of bags; a room's worth needs to be in the booking.

Just tell us what else there is. It is usually not a problem and it is always a problem if it is a surprise.

One large item and nothing else

Questions about one large item and nothing else

Can one person do it?
Almost never. If it is worth booking a van for on its own, it needs two people — the exceptions are boxes, flat-pack and anything one person can carry comfortably.
Will you take it upstairs?
Yes, where it fits. Tell us the floor and the staircase and we will tell you whether it fits before the day.
Do you assemble at the other end?
Where it came apart to travel, yes, we put it back together. Flat-pack assembly from scratch is a different job and not one we take on.
What if it does not fit?
We will have told you. If it truly is a surprise, it comes apart if it can, and if it cannot it goes back in the van and we talk about where else it can go.

Tell us what it is and where it is

If it is not a van job we will say so, and say what to book instead.

Both addresses, what the item is, what floor each end is on, and a photograph of the biggest thing. That is enough for a straight answer and a written price.

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