Today I had to help move an armoire from a friend's house to his daughter's new apartment. The thing must have weighed 400 pounds, stood 8 feet tall and could barely fit sideways through the totally nicked up door jam. Forget healthcare reform. Congress should pass a law against this form of cabinetry.
The law should be that one should be able to dismantle it into a series of lightweigh panels with a screwdriver. :-)
Luigi
Tell me about it.
One of my daughters, Lucy, is just about to move from her flat (apartment) into a house. She has this massive green monstrosity which was a nightmare when we moved it from her mother-in-law's house [1] (it was a gift) to her flat but at least it was on the ground floor of the house and she has a ground floor flat.
I told her repeatedly to get "the professionals" in and we would pay but no, we have to move her on Sunday and she is moving into a typical newish UK "starter" home. How the heck we will get this thing up the stairs to the bedroom, without causing damage to it, the house, or both, never mind ourselves, I have no idea because the stairs are narrow and the landing very "tight".
Stuart
[1] Mother-in-law lives in a rather large double-fronted victorian edifice, with at least 12ft ceilings, in which it did not look out of place. Speaking personally I would dismantle the thing with an axe! but my daughter actualy likes it.
Should the law also cover pianos? Or refrigerators? How about cabinet style table saws? There can be many items in a house that are two heavy to move without help and/or proper equipment.
Rooky!
A woman's Armoire, right? You are suppose to empty it first. If a woman's armoire is proportional in weight to a typical woman's purse it probably weighed more than 400#'s.
Pianos are best moved by professionals. The last pro that moved mine also demonstrated what may be a good rule for movers - be as large as the largest object you will move - this was the widest guy I've ever seen. Not fat, not especially tall, but VERY wide. He had a kid along to move boards under the wheels at times, but he did all the heavy lifting. Kerry
Well at least some one that knows what he is soing. My BIL has a baby grand piano and his mover used finess. He and his teenage daughter effotsly move the piano from room to room as my BIL changes his mind on where the piano should be every 5-6 months. Leverage is their weapon.
And the right tools (in this case, a piano dolly).
Like someone already mentioned, their is no substitute for human heft when moving furniture.
My wife runs a business that employs what I call "the 1,000 pounds of beef". That's 4 guys - 3 @ 280# and 1 @ 160#. They helped us move into our house for $$$, beer and pizza.
2 of them moved a computer armoire OUT the front door, down the front lawn, into the garage, thru the basement and up the stairs into the family room. The cabinet traveled 200 feet to end up 20 feet due south of it's original position.I'm 44 and work now work in an office. I'm not up to muscling things around any more. It's a tough step to realize your no longer a tough youngster.
Cheers
Jim
Long ago and far away I got conned into helping a friend move a piano down into a basement rec room. Outside stairs, etc. Had about 6-8 of us. No problem? We dropped it.... made a horrible noise. His wife was not happy.....
I remember four of us moving a line printer out of a third-floor office. It got away from us and made its own way down, through the wall of the second-floor landing and down into the parking lot. It wasn't good for much after that. Neither was the bookkeeper's car.
Yeah but you also have to get the piano vertical and on the dolly.
At least you have what has to be at least a somewhat amusing memory... ; ) (unless you were the bookkeeper).
I'm in the same situation.
I've come to the conclusing that finding some young, dumb and healthy guys and paying them hansomly is way cheaper than paying my medical deductible. And it only took me one shoulder surgery to figure this out.
Aw shit ... tell me more about this "shoulder surgery" thing. I'm suffering, and damn near crippled as we speak.
RE: Subject
Having moved a 60,000 lb boat over land from one boat yard to another, you very quickly learn to appreciate the skills of the moving professionals.
BTW, they also picked up and moved my 12x20x8 tool shed.
I often referred to my shed as being designed and built to be "freeway proof" as it moved down the highway at 55MPH.
Lew
Ain't it the truth, I struggle nightly to find the perfect position to keep the arm in that doesn't hurt the shoulder joint.
Furthur up thread- I have a cadre of young guys in the neighborhood that will work like there is no tomorrow for 8 bucks an hour and I appreciate them more every day.
basilisk
Around here, it's the parking nlot of Home Depot or U-haul where you find the day labor folks in the morning.
You do need at least one person who understands English unless you speak Spanish or it will be an interesting day.
Lew
Around here it is mostly just American kids looking for an extra dollar, there is one kid here that will show up anytime you call and work for fifteen minutes or fifteen hours, whatever is needed, it is nice to have the help, and almost enough to restore my hope for the future. It is these young men's world now.
That depends on if anyone lost their job, got demoted, or was penalized in some other way for that escapade.
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