What we move
Uprights, consoles, small grands and gun safes are the regular calls, along with the occasional pool table or large aquarium stand. Each of these carries its weight differently, and the crew that shows up brings the dolly, straps or skid board that piece actually needs rather than a general moving cart.
Digital pianos and organs are lighter but still awkward through a doorway, and they get the same measuring step as an acoustic instrument before anyone lifts a corner.
Measuring before moving
Before the day, we ask for the dimensions of the piece and photos of the route it needs to travel: doorways, hallway turns, and any stairs between the unit and the elevator or the street. On tricky routes we come and look in person rather than guess from a photo.
This step exists because the moment a piano is halfway through a doorway and clearly not going to make the turn is not a moment worth having. Better to know on paper first.
Stairs and elevators
A stair carry uses a ramp or a stair-climbing dolly and at least three movers, with the piece strapped down the entire way. Freight elevators in Metrotown and Brentwood towers need booking in advance, and we confirm the weight limit with the building before the day rather than finding out at the door.
Setting it down at the other end
We place the piece where you want it, level it if it needs levelling, and walk you through anything you should know before calling a technician. For a piano, giving the instrument a few weeks to settle into the new room's humidity before tuning saves paying for a second tuning soon after.
Why this is not a general moving job
A furniture dolly and a couple of ratchet straps from a hardware store are not built for a thousand pounds balanced on a cast-iron plate. Trying to move a piano with the wrong gear is where most damage and most injuries happen, which is exactly why a smaller, specifically trained group inside the crew handles every one of these calls.