9 Tips for Moving to a Building with no Elevator

By Najah Ayoub

Walk-up apartments are a fact of life in New York City. Thousands of buildings across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx have no elevator, and moving into one requires specific preparation. Hauling furniture up four or five flights of narrow stairs is a fundamentally different challenge than rolling a dolly into a freight elevator. Here are nine tips from the professionals.

1. Tell Your Movers About the Stairs

This might seem obvious, but you would be surprised how many people forget to mention the lack of an elevator when getting a quote. Stairs significantly affect the time, labor, and cost of a move. Most moving companies charge a per-flight fee for walk-ups, so being upfront about the situation ensures your quote is accurate and your crew comes prepared.

2. Measure the Stairwell

NYC stairwells are notoriously narrow with tight turns at each landing. Before moving day, measure the width of the stairwell, the height of each landing, and the turning radius at each floor. This determines whether large items like sofas, mattresses, and dressers can make it up the stairs at all. Some pieces may need to be tilted, flipped, or partially disassembled to navigate tight corners.

3. Disassemble Everything Possible

• •Bed frames: Take apart the frame and headboard completely, carrying individual pieces is far easier than wrestling an assembled frame up stairs
• •Desks and tables: Remove legs and keep hardware in labeled bags taped to each piece
• •Bookshelves: Remove shelves from the frame and carry them separately
• •Dressers: Take out all drawers to reduce weight and carry them individually
• •Couch considerations: Some sectionals can be split, but one-piece sofas may need creative angling or even window hoisting

4. Reduce Your Load Before the Move

Every item you eliminate is one less thing that needs to be carried up those stairs. A walk-up move is the single best motivator for decluttering aggressively. That heavy wooden bookcase you barely use and the exercise equipment collecting dust are not worth carrying up five flights. Sell, donate, or discard anything that does not earn its spot in your new home.

5. Use the Right Equipment

Professional movers bring stair-specific equipment that makes the job safer and faster. Stair-climbing dollies, heavy-duty straps, and furniture sliders designed for stairs are standard tools for walk-up moves. If you are doing the move yourself, renting a stair-climbing dolly from a hardware store is a worthwhile investment.

6. Protect the Stairwell

• •Floor runners: Lay protective runners on stairs and landings to prevent scratches and provide traction
• •Corner guards: Pad sharp corners on landings where furniture will pivot during the carry
• •Banister protection: Wrap banisters with moving blankets to prevent scratches from heavy items
• •Door stops: Prop open all doors along the route to keep the path clear

7. Pace Yourself and Take Breaks

Walk-up moves are physically exhausting. Even professional movers need to pace themselves when carrying heavy furniture up multiple flights. If you are doing any of the lifting yourself, take breaks between trips and stay hydrated. Fatigue leads to dropped items, strained muscles, and poor grip, all of which can cause injury or damage.

8. Consider the Window Hoist

For extremely large or heavy items that cannot fit through the stairwell, a window hoist may be the only option. Professional movers can rig a pulley system to lift furniture up the outside of the building and through a window. This is common in older NYC brownstones and pre-war buildings where stairwells were not designed for modern furniture sizes.

9. Hire Experienced Walk-Up Movers

Not all movers are created equal when it comes to walk-ups. You want a crew that handles stair moves regularly, knows the techniques for navigating tight spaces, and has the physical stamina for the job. Piece of Cake Moving handles walk-up apartments across NYC every single day. Our crews are trained, equipped, and experienced with every type of stairwell in the city. Get your free walk-up moving quote or call (212) 651-7273.