Walk-Up & No-Elevator Moving: How to Plan It

The short version

Measure the stairs, send your mover photos, box everything, and get the truck as close to the door as you can.

Step 1: Measure the stairs and your biggest pieces

Ten minutes with a tape measure tells you whether the sofa is coming with you. Write down the numbers below and send them with your quote request.

• The width of the stairs between the wall and the railing
• The size of each landing where the stairs turn
• The ceiling height above each landing
• The width of the front door and the apartment door
• The length, depth, and height of your sofa, mattress, box spring, and largest dresser

The photos to send

Photos let us price the job correctly and plan the crew. Send these along with the room photos.

• The stairs from the bottom, looking up
• Each landing and turn
• The front door and the walk from the street
• Your largest pieces of furniture

What usually will not make the turn

Most furniture goes up a narrow stairwell once it is taken apart. These are the pieces that cause trouble, and what can be done about each.

• Queen and king box springs. They do not bend. A split box spring or a low platform frame solves it.
• Long sofas. Removing the legs often gives the inch or two that is needed. Sectionals come apart.
• Wardrobes and armoires. These usually have to be taken apart.
• Large desks and dining tables. Take off the legs or the top.
• We hoist or disassemble anything that will not turn a tight landing, and we tell you from the photos before move day if a piece is unlikely to fit.

Step 2: Get the truck close to the door

On a stair move the crew is already climbing with every load. A long walk from the truck on top of that slows everything. In DC, a DDOT permit reserves the curb in front of your building, and the signs have to be posted 72 hours ahead on a residential block. In Arlington, the county's moving van permit does the same and needs five business days. Our city guides list the steps.

Step 3: Prepare for stairs

Stairs reward small, solid loads. This list is where most of the time is saved.

• Box everything. Loose items go up one armful at a time.
• Keep boxes light enough to carry up several flights, about 40 pounds or less. Use small boxes for books.
• Take apart beds, desks, and tables before the crew arrives, and bag the hardware.
• Empty dresser drawers of anything heavy or breakable.
• Clear the stairwell and landings of bikes, shoes, and plants.
• Tell your neighbors the day and time, since the stairs will be busy.
• Ask the landlord whether the front door can be propped open.

How stairs affect the price and the time

We price stairs into your flat rate before move day, at about $28 a flight, and size the crew for the climb. Nothing is added for stairs afterward.

Stairs are the slowest part of any move. Expect a third or fourth floor walk-up to add an hour or more to a one-bedroom compared with an elevator building. That is the reason stair-heavy jobs often get a third mover.

What goes wrong, and how to avoid it

Stair moves fail in a small number of ways.

• A piece does not fit. Measure, and send photos before you book.
• The truck is half a block away. Reserve the curb.
• Half the apartment is not boxed. Finish packing two days before.
• The stairwell is blocked. Clear it the night before.
• The crew is too small. Tell us the floor and the number of flights at both addresses.