Save your back by hiring movers to help move bulky, heavy items in your house
You’ve sketched out the perfect blueprint for your home renovation, but now you need help moving heavy furniture in your house. Since some items are too bulky to handle on your own—and you might be worried about damaging them—you can hire professional movers to lend you a hand (or several hands).
It's important to move heavy furniture safely to avoid personal injury or property damage. The safest option is to hire professional movers with the right tools, equipment, and experience to move heavy furniture efficiently.
Many moving companies provide in-home furniture moving and heavy lifting services. Professional movers can help you move furniture within the same house, including from one floor to another, or into a separate home entirely. You might decide to hire movers for pianos, appliances, couches, desks, beds, pool tables, or other bulky items.
Here are some benefits of hiring professional movers:
Experienced movers offer the strength required to lift heavy items
They have the supplies and know-how to avoid damaging your valuables or property
They get the job done much quicker
A furniture moving service near you can leave you with the time and peace of mind to focus on staying calm amid the stress of a big move.
Many local handyperson services could help move furniture, but their minimum hourly fee will likely cost more than what you’d pay a moving company with rates designed for this type of job. There’s also no guarantee that the handyperson would have experience transporting heavy items, meaning a greater risk of damage to your belongings.
Some freelance labor-finding services also advertise heavy listing assistance—and, of course, you could always ask friends or family members for help. However, these approaches carry their own additional risks, not only to the condition of your belongings but also the legal liability you would hold if someone got injured on the job. It’s usually best to hire a furniture moving service near you instead.
If you need help moving furniture, and you hire professional movers to do it, the steps are relatively simple. Here’s what you can expect:
Professional movers will disassemble the furniture, if necessary.
They’ll pack and prepare your furniture for the move with blankets, stretch wrap, or other tools. Movers might also take steps to protect your walls, floor, or other areas of the home (by using dollies and padding, for example).
The next step is strategically moving the item to the new location, whether it’s another floor or a different house. If using a truck, movers will ensure the furniture stays secure in transit.
Professional movers will unload and reassemble the furniture in the new location.
When budgeting for hiring movers to transport furniture, expect to pay somewhere between $70 to $400 on average. You might spend $600 or more if the job involves a large number of bulky, especially heavy, or irregularly shaped items.
Also, keep in mind that moving companies might have minimum charges. If you only need help moving one piece of furniture in-home, it might be worth waiting until you have more. That’s because moving two or three items may cost the same as moving a single one at the minimum rate.
Here are some cost estimates for moving certain furniture items:
Piano: $259–$590
Couch: $200–$400
Bed: $100–$400
Pool table: $375–$1,500
Standard safe: $175–$500
Aquarium (small): $50–$100
Of course, you could always do the lifting yourself. But if you could easily handle the items in question, you probably wouldn’t be here. It’s not usually possible to move large furniture items like couches or beds without any help (unless you want to risk injury or property damage).
Here’s why you should consider hiring movers for the job, even if you or other household members are physically strong enough to lift the items on your own:
Lifting too much weight or doing so without the proper technique can lead to injury
Movers can get the job done quickly
Professionals come with the right tools, like dollies and padding, to protect your floors and other furniture
While movers handle furniture, you can concentrate on other aspects of your move