things ive learned about pgh in my few days here (movers, costs)

[fleetiebelle]

I had to have a futon as a couch in my first apartment here. It had to come up and down in pieces, as well. There was really no way a piece of upholstered furniture could've gotten around the bend in the stairs and through the door.

[SorryIMovedBack]

Hey, Barq, sometimes it'll fit through the window. I will never forget moving furniture out of my great aunt & uncle's house, lol. Some of the 2nd floor stuff that had been in there since the late '40s would not go down the narrow stairway, and it had to go out onto the back porch roof and get lowered to the ground. We took stop moldings off a window and pulled the sashes out. House was on the uphill side of the street, so getting stuff off of the roof to the backyard without breaking it or killing someone wasn't as difficult as it sounds.

Look up This Old House video on how to open a painted-shut window. Shows how to take one apart. Modern vinyl windows are much, much easier. Regular piece of cake.

Originally Posted by dtrtrggr13

But if you have a full one and a saw, why spend the 200$ for that when all you need is some 1x2''s and wood screws?

There's a YouTube tutorial about how to cut the frame of a box spring and fold it in half to get it in/out.

Most modern mattresses are single sided and made to not need a box spring. Will work fine on a platform bed or a foundation that has no springs. Or those slat rolls from Ikea. But I recommend a split box spring or foundation for anyone who has a conventional bed/mattress setup and rents, or anyone who has an old house with a tight stairway or narrow doorways.

[Q-tip motha]

Originally Posted by BarqCider

my couch doesnt fit through the door .

doors here are dang small, i miss my awesome couch! im angry about it being too wide to fit these dang narrow as hell doors. now im without a couch and folks moving should measure their doors width to see if their couch fits. ugh so mad about this. now i need to find a smaller couch, which means $$$$$$.

folks aren't used to seeing a latino, especially a big one (im talking about non whites). dont know if im like some sort of animal on display, but it doesnt bother me and frankly i dont care. ive met some awesome folks at social, a bar/restaurant(with good food btw) in bakery square.

i dont even know wth the street signs mean i see what i assume is the neighborhood, itll say like 3 different neighborhoods on top of the street, ie morningside, but i look left for the oncoming traffic itll say shadyside.

anyways it has been an interesting few days/nights learning my area. this is by far more confusing than using d.c's streets, which uses numbering for N/S and states names for parallel/circles streets.

Had the same problem in our last place in Polish Hill. Had to take the door apart to get the couch to fit. You'll remember it the next time you buy furniture.


You'll pick up the lay of the land pretty quickly. Quicker if you take an hour or two and explore some of the neighborhoods on foot.

[LIRefugee]

In Amsterdam, almost all houses in the center of the city have an i-beam sticking out at the top of the building. This is because the houses tend to have such narrow passageways, tight stairwells, and narrow doors that it's a given that all furniture are brought in or out by hoisting it up on the outside from the i-beam. It seems Pittsburgh (and probably other cities with similarly old buildings) could use the same setup in many cases. I once had a desk that needed to be disassembled whenever I needed to move it from one room to another, both inside and outside the apartment, but thankfully I have never had to saw anything in half. Some college roommates took care of a large entertainment center by tossing it out the window, however. The resulting crunch wasn't as satisfying as it should have been.

[NHdweller]

i had to buy couch/chair that came apart....i shoulda watched how they puttem together...dont know how the hell ill get em back out when i go to move again. lol

[tclifton]

Originally Posted by greg42

This is classic. You should read this book, which has such a scenario in it: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: Douglas Adams: 9780671746728: Amazon.com: Books

Fantastic books...I liked this series better than the Hitchhiker's Guide.....too bad there's only 2....

[gg]

You can't get that couch in the door? Come on man, I could get that thing in there. Did you try it at all angles? How long is it? Can you stand it on end and get it through with the leg in and then arm? If it is too tall going in on its end, what about sawing off a leg or two. Yep, I had to do that with one couch. Got it in and then glued the leg back on with an old book under it to compensate for the cut. I find it hard to believe you couldn't get that thing in there. I had a couch 110" long and got it in a 36" with a stairway right in front of the door. It was crazy hard, but I got it in. What about a window? Sometimes there is a window big enough.

[BarqCider]

My sofa is 38 inches wide vs 32 inches door.

[Pitt Chick]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

I had a couch 110" long and got it in a 36" with a stairway right in front of the door.

I would guess length is NOT the problem.....

[gg]

Originally Posted by Pitt Chick

I would guess length is NOT the problem.....

I can tell you don't understand moving furniture. Length is part of the puzzle. Some standard couches can fit in a door if it is standing on its end. Meaning it is in the tall position and you put the arm through and then the legs. Width is only part of that puzzle. You do understand you can turn the couch on its back or even upside down to manipulate the actual width correct? If it was a normal couch, I would have gotten it in. I will do it for $50 if you are close by. PM me if you still have it. I need beer money. Ditch and I can come down there. I'll bet he knows what I am talking about. Just a gut feeling.