Shifting and moving is a hectic task for everyone. It becomes much more stressful when the movement involves any kind of big thing. Moving a piano is a very difficult task as the client and the moving team need to consider many important factors. The correct synchronization of these factors will lead to success otherwise it might damage the process.
Before moving a piano one has to consider different types of piano that exists and requires movement:
- Upright Piano: This comprises upright pianos in the spinet, console, studio, and conventional sizes. They typically weigh between 300 and 600 pounds, are 3 to 5 feet tall, and range in length from 3 to 9 feet.
- Grand piano: This comprises concert, ballroom, baby, parlor, semi-concert, and petite grand pianos. They can weigh between 600 and 1,200 pounds and range in size from 4.5 to 7.5 feet tall by 5 to 10 feet long.
Now as one has known about the type of piano one can fix the rates but only after considering the process of moving the piano. These factors are as follows:
- Equipment: A person needs to possess the necessary equipment that is essential for transportation. The equipment the team has been using should be a good condition and provide a quality function when it is utilized properly. This equipment may include packing tape, thick removable blankets, ratchet straps, shoulder harness moving straps, a Piano trolley, and other necessary things.
- Having the route plan: Before beginning to move a person has to be well versed with the raveling route and then only he or she should feel sure to move the piano.
- Measuring the spaces: It is essential to consider the spaces that are required to move the piano. The path in which the pianos should be moved should be analyzed carefully and measurements should be made according to the dimensions of the piano. After these factors are considered then only one can begin the process.
- Truck: The truck size does matters. Depending on the type and size of the piano, one should consider the size of the truck.
- Labor power: To move a piano is certainly not one man’s job. For this, one might need a number of people to move it without difficulty. So depending on the size of the piano one may need 2-4 people as a whole.
- Clearing the path: If there is any kind of unnecessary thing blocking the movement path of the piano, it should be cleared off immediately. So measuring the paces also incurs clearing certain things that come within the path of the piano movement.
- Disassembling the piano: Sometimes moving the whole piano is very difficult due to its size and delicacy. So the owner should consider disassembling it so that it could be moved easily with less amount of labor and will consequently incur a low cost.
The aforementioned factors will count on the procedure of moving a piano but the cost of moving a piano is dependent on many important factors. These factors are summarized as under:
- Travelling distance: The traveling distance between the starting place and the drop-off point determines the cost of moving the piano. Based on the type and size of the piano the cost range typically varies. Besides these, the traveling distance is divided into two parts, namely, local move and long-distance in which the cost range varies up to a large extent.
- Type and size of the piano: As discussed earlier the cost of moving a piano is also dependent on the type and size of the piano. This means that the mover will charge different rates in case of transporting an upright piano or grand piano.
- Range of fees: The range of fees is determined on the basis of hourly and flat rates. Hourly rates are put forward by the local laborers and movers while the flat rate is set forward by piano moving companies.
- Special circumstances: Some special cases also is responsible for the hike in prices of moving a piano. These cases are :
- Stairs and steps: If anyone is willing to move their piano from the 1st or 2nd floor, then bringing it down is a hectic task. This is because of the presence of stairs and steps. The cost varies highly and companies usually charge high rates in these cases.
- Obstacles: Sharp curves, small passageways, doors, and walking on grass or masonry all pose unique difficulties. These issues naturally reflect the hike in price rise.
- Hoisting: Alike putting the piano down from an upper story is difficult, the same way it is difficult to move it to that point. If the piano is heavy enough so that it cannot be carried out by manual labor, a company or the mover might require the help of cranes to move it to the upper story of the building.
- Hurry: Sometimes owners are in a hurry due to many personalized reasons that might cause them to move the piano quickly. As a consequence, this incurs some extra cost for moving.
- Temporary storage: A piano might be unable to move to a new home because of dfferent problems. In the meantime, he needs to store the piano in a good-controlled setting so that his piano might not get degraded. The cost for this temporary storage also bears the burden of high price.
Eventually, after the piano is successfully moved to its new home, the owner needs to sort out the help of a tuning expert. Because the hectic movement of the piano might cause degradation to the tune, so one must spend some extra dollars for setting up this issue.
