Vacation!

photo courtesy of http://www.pbase.com/danpolley/costaricaall

Its time for a vacation. No more blog posts for at least two weeks as I head to the above location. If I decide to come back I'll be back to blogging about moving tips, parking permits and the like.

Moving Tip #3: Taping and packing boxes

Oh, packing. Few people like to do it. While there's few ways to avoid it (you can always hire us to pack or throw everything out and start fresh in the new place!), there are some ways to make it a little easier.

First, of course, you have to actually assemble your boxes. It may seem silly but there is a better way to tape box bottoms when you put them together. Start by putting a piece of tape over the seam and make sure it hangs down a good bit onto the walls of the box. Then, make an "X" with two pieces of tape so they cross over the one running lengthwise on the seam. The "X" doesn't have to be from corner to corner. It can be narrower than that and still hold the box together very well. Laying down your tape like this will create an asterik on the bottom of the box that will make for a very sturdy floor for your goods.

Next is actually packing the box. One of the most imporant things to remember about packing is that a box should be packed all the way to the top. With less room to move the contents have less chance to be damaged. A full box is also stronger and more resistant to crushing than a partially full one. Box weight is also something to consider. The more consistent the box weight, the smoother and faster the move will be. You don't want the movers to be suprised because they pick up a large linen box they expect to be filled with towels and bedding but is instead packed completely with books. So, pack heavy things in small boxes and lighter things in smaller boxes.

Its also good to remember that for insurance claims is that if the box itself is not damaged but something inside of it is then the box was not packed properly. Hopefully a situation like that will never arise, but its a good rule of thumb to think about.

If you want a really comprehensive guide to packing check out the DVD produced by our friends at Benezra Boxes. Every customer we know who has used it has been incredibly well prepared for their moves. We'll post more in depth packing guides on thing likes dishes, artwork and books separately so if you don't get the DVD you'll still be well prepared to pack yourselves.

Moving and disposing of pianos

picture courtesy of www.uprightpiano.org

One of the things we speacialize in is moving and disposing of pianos. Its an interesting time in regards to pianos. Right now a lot of people are trying to get rid of pianos because they are no longer a source of entertainment in the home like they used to be (flat screens and Xboxes now share that honor). So, pianos can often be found for free or cheap or people are just looking to dispose of them so they can free up some space in their homes. We get an equal amount of calls to just haul away a piano and get rid of it as we do from people who have bought a cheap piano or received one for free.

We have a questionnaire for pianos just like we do for residential or office moves. We like to know what kind of piano you have (meaning both upright or grand and the brand if you know it) in particular. The information we get from you about the move helps us give you an estimate. Most of the time we flat rate piano jobs, though there are some occassions where we use our typical hourly rate, particularly if the piano is included as part of a larger move.

Once we get to where the piano is we use dollies and special equipment called skid boards, depending on the situation. Skid boards look like toboggans and they're often made of wood. In fact, our new custom made wooden skid boards are being picked up tomorrow. In either case, the piano ends up on its side and rolled/slid to where its supposed to be. The reason dollies and skid boards are used is because the casters on most pianos are not up to the job of actually rolling the piano to a new spot. The casters also easily damage floors, especially hardwood floors. Using the dollies and skid boards also makes moving the pianos easier and requires fewer workers, which saves you money.

If you'd like us to dispose of the piano there is also a disposal fee on top of the flat or hourly rate. A few times we've had customers suggest they'd do the demolition of the piano themselves, which we strongly suggest you leave to us. There are a lot of parts to a piano and the strings in particular must be dealt with very carefully so as not to cause injury.

In some cases a piano will not fit through a doorway or down stairs. This happens often in older homes that have been renovated. If the piano won't fit there are a couple of options. The piano can be hoisted (which is contingent upon many things, including the piano, the weather and the building, among other things) or it can be craned. Both options are expensive. Hoisting a piano is time consuming, dangerous and requires a lot of man power. Craning is the safer option, but it does require we hire a crane operator and it is expensive. Even with these two options it might not work because the windows might not be removable or the opening won't be large enough even if the windows can be removed from their casings. If this situation comes up its best to go over all the options with our piano experts to come up with the best solution.

If you have any questions about moving or disposing of pianos just give us a call or send us an e-mail. You can also check out our website for more information.

Parking Permits- Cambridge

Well, we've covered how to go about obtaining parking permits for Boston, now we'll tackle Cambridge.

If you'd like us to get the Cambridge parking permit for you we can do that for $45, including the cost of the permit. As with Boston, telling us if you live on a street with meters and what those meter numbers are is very helpful. Unlike Boston, we don't put these signs up for you. The City of Cambridge puts up the signs. So, if there is an issue it is best to call them up about it even if we are the ones who requested the signs for you.

Cambridge is the easiest city to get parking permits in if you're looking to save some money and want to do it yourself. All requests can be made online or in person. Either way you will need to provide your name, your telephone number and you e-mail address. You will also need to provide the name of your moving company (hopefully us!) and our telephone number. You do not need to list a contact person, fax number or e-mail address for us if you are requesting the permit yourself. Beyond contact info, the City of Cambridge wants to know the date(s) you need the permit for, the address you want the permit for, how big the truck will be (we'll provide you with that information) and what the parking is like at that location (resident permit, metered, etc). Once you fill out the form you'll pay the fee. This can be done with credit card in Cambridge. The base fee is $25. The price increases based on things like length of time the permit is requested for and whether there are meters being covered. Also, each address you are requesting a permit for requires a new application. For instance, if you are moving within Cambridge and you need a moving van permit for each location you need to fill out the form twice, once for each address.

The most important thing to remember when trying to get a Cambridge moving van permit is that they require 4 business days to process the request. If you try on a Friday (when they close at noon) to request a parking permit for Tuesday, you'll be denied because that's only three business days. This fact is important both when you're asking us to get a permit for you or when you are requesting one yourself. Either way, the latest you can submit a request is four business days in advance of the move. Unfortunately, just because we're a moving company doesn't mean we get any special privileges when it comes to that deadline.

Moving Tip #2: Bureaus and dressers

One of the most frequent questions we get is about leaving things in bureau and dresser draws. You can definitely leave the soft stuff (clothing, blankets, towels, etc) in the drawers. However, we do ask that you take out any hard and/or breakable goods (perfume bottles, jewelry boxes, etc). If you're questioning whether something should stay in or come out of the dresser just take it out. Better safe than sorry. The bureau will be tipped during moving and taking out hard goods will prevent damage to the goods and the bureau itself.

Keeping the soft goods in the drawers will save you time packing but will also save us time. The fewer things the guys have to carry the less time the jobs takes (and its that much cheaper for you). In case you're wondering how we keep everything in your dresser drawers when we move the piece, we use stretch wrap to keep all the drawers secure during moving (as seen in the picture above).