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.