The Amazing Benefits of Hiring a Professional, Moving Company

From House To High-Rise: 3 Tips For Moving Up And Out

9 August 2016

Russell King

Many homeowners spend some time living in an apartment first, then move into a home. Since apartments are typically smaller than houses, it's usually a pretty simple matter to move your furniture and other household goods in without worrying about space. But when you decide to go the opposite way, by selling your house and moving into a high-rise condo or apartment, you may find yourself facing some unexpected space constraints – and the difficulty of getting your stuff up to your new apartment. There are plenty of reasons to move from a house to a high-rise. Maybe you've taken a job in a big city and it was the most cost-efficient space available, or maybe you're downsizing after the kids have gone away to college. No matter what your reasons, take a look at some tips that will help you make the move out of your home and into your new high-rise.

Create a Floor Plan

When you're moving into a place that has fewer square feet than your current place, or a place that simply has a more compressed floor plan, you can't be too careful about ensuring that everything you're bringing into your new place is going to fit. That means taking careful measurements of everything that's going into your apartment as well as measurements of the apartment itself.

When making a floor plan, don't forget to measure the doorways. It doesn't matter if you have enough room to fit your queen-sized bed into your new bedroom if you can't get it through the front door or the bedroom door. Take the time to actually draw out the floor plan and note where you want the furniture, as well as where you want small items like paintings that will go on the wall. Not only will this help you visualize where everything is going to go and figure out what you do and don't have room for, the floor plan will be helpful to the movers as they're bringing things into your house.

Make Storage a Priority

Chances are good that you won't be able to fit everything from your house into your new high-rise apartment. If you can't sell or donate everything, or if you're keeping some items for adult children, relatives, or other friends, you will need some storage space. Many apartment and condo buildings offer storage spaces for residents, but check it out beforehand and take measurements – you want to make certain that the on-site storage space has enough space. If it doesn't, you'll need to look into renting long-term storage.

For long-term storage, it's a good idea to avoid cardboard boxes. Cockroaches will not only eat cardboard, they will burrow into it, creating nests and laying eggs in the boxes. Then, when you bring those boxes into your home, the bugs will come with them. Opt for sturdy plastic totes instead of cardboard – they're less interesting to pests, and they're also less likely to get crushed or dented and allow the items inside to get damaged. Save the cardboard boxes for the move itself – they're fine as temporary containers.

Make Reservations For Moving Day

It's very important for you to contact your new building manager to make arrangements for the day of the move. You'll want to make sure that you reserve a space near the building for the moving truck. Not only do some movers charge an extra fee for carrying items a long way from the truck to the building, but your items are also at more risk of damage the longer the distance they have to be carried.

Speaking of reservations, you should also ask if you can reserve an elevator or use the maintenance elevator while you're moving things in. Big buildings can have long waits for the elevator during peak rush hours, such as in the morning when people are on their way to work. Waiting for an elevator is inconvenient enough when you're in a rush to get to work, let alone when you're in the middle of a move.

One more thing to keep in mind when making reservations is to check the fees with your moving company. Some movers charge an extra fee for carrying things up on an elevator or up a flight of stairs. Make sure your moving company knows that your movers will need to do this, and ask if there are additional fees for those services so that you aren't surprised with extra charges when it's time to pay.

Like most moves, the key to a successful house to high-rise move is good advance planning. If you take the time to address the most likely obstacles you'll face ahead of time, moving day will go much more smoothly.

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