Moving with Heavy Furniture: What Must Be Measured Beforehand
You are planning a move and wondering whether your large pieces of furniture will fit through doors, hallways and staircases? Especially with heavy wardrobes, chests of drawers or sofas, a lack of measurements on moving day can lead to unpleasant surprises. Anyone who takes the right measurements in advance avoids damage, loss of time and additional costs. This guide shows you which points you absolutely must measure and which reference values will help.
Recording Door Widths and Clear Heights
Measure all door openings along the transport route: apartment door, front door, cellar door and the doors in the stairwell. What matters is the clear width, meaning the free passage between the frames, not the door leaf itself. Most apartment doors have a clear width of 86 to 91 centimetres, older front doors may be narrower. Also note the clear height, especially if you are transporting tall wardrobes. Bear in mind that furniture often has to be guided through an opening at an angle or upright, in which case the diagonal measurement counts.
Checking Staircases and Landings
Staircases are often the narrowest point during a move. Measure the staircase width between the walls or railings, the height to the ceiling and the depth of the landings. A landing should be at least as deep as your longest piece of furniture so that you can turn it there. Watch out for projections, radiators or lamps that reduce the usable space. With spiral staircases, the radius of the curve is crucial: here, long sofas or wardrobes quickly reach their limits.
Clarifying Lift Dimensions and Load Capacity
If a lift is available, measure the cabin size and door width. Standard lifts have a floor area of approximately 100 by 140 centimetres, older models may be considerably smaller. Check the permissible load capacity, which is usually indicated on the interior wall. A heavy baroque wardrobe or a solid chest of drawers can quickly weigh 400 kilograms or more together with helpers. If the lift cannot be used, plan for enough helpers or professional carriers in good time.
Taking Furniture Measurements in Three Dimensions
Measure each large piece of furniture in width, depth and height. With Display Cabinets and wardrobes, the depth including plinths or decorative mouldings also counts, which is often overlooked. Note whether feet, door handles or cornices can be removed, as this can create several centimetres of clearance. Also check whether the furniture can be dismantled: back panels, shelves or doors can often be transported separately. A checklist with all measurements helps to make decisions quickly on moving day.
Rule of Thumb for Minimum Clearance
As a rule of thumb: the free passage should be at least five centimetres wider than the widest piece of furniture if you are pushing it through straight. For tilting or turning, it is better to allow ten centimetres of clearance. With Sideboards and other flat but wide pieces, it is worth calculating the diagonal: add width and height squared, then take the square root. This way you can see whether the furniture will fit upright through a narrow door.
External Routes and Windows as an Alternative
If stairs or doors are too narrow, the only option is often via the balcony or window. Measure the window openings and check whether the casements can be completely removed from their hinges. For external transport, you usually need a furniture lift or a haulage company with a lifting platform. Clarify in advance whether a vehicle may stop in front of the building and whether there is sufficient space for assembly and swivel range. Here too, the rule applies: better to measure once more than having to improvise on moving day.
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Related categories: Resin and Fiberglass Sculptures, baroque mirrors, Side Tables. The full range: Baroque Furniture.
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