Many people find it challenging to fit their sofas in the elevator. Many commercial and residential buildings have cargo elevators that can move your furniture from the ground floor to your destined floor.
Can You Fit a Sofa in an Elevator? You can fit your sofa in an elevator by measuring the size of your couch and comparing it with the size of the elevator. It is better to take measurements from all sides of the furniture along with its depth and height. If you have an oversized sofa, you can disassemble it and then transfer it. It is easy to move your items by using service elevators.
You can move your furniture by following different methods to make your job easy.
Why would you fit a sofa in an elevator?
People use elevators to carry their furniture including sofas to their apartments.
Second floor
Living in a high-rise building is exciting as it offers you an excellent panoramic view of the city from your window.
However, it is also challenging, like getting oversized furniture, especially if you live on the uppermost floor.
You can face different issues while carrying the couch to your floor. You can consider many tips that make your work easy while moving the couch to your destined floor.
An ideal solution is to use an escalator, put your furniture in it, and take it to your room.
No stairs in the building
Some buildings do not have stairs, making it difficult to carry your heavy stuff from the ground floor to your upstairs apartment.
So, there is no other option to carry your furniture if you have no stairs in your building. However, you can use it to move your belongings to the destined apartment.
Transfer sofa from the warehouse
It is exciting to buy new furniture for your home, but when it comes to moving them, you can face difficulties.
Moving your couch to the ground floor can be challenging when the warehouse is located on the uppermost floor.
So, you have to use it to move your stuff, making your work less risky.
How do you fit a sofa in an elevator?
You can put a sofa in an elevator using different methods. However, it is better to be careful as it can cause damage to the wooden items.
Use of hand dolly
You can consider many options while moving your couch in it.
You can use a two-wheeled wooden trolley for this purpose as it can handle huge items easily.
Place your oversized couch in it and move it to the escalator by pushing it from one side. It is better to tilt it towards the ground from the pulley side for a smooth move.
Moreover, keep your furniture safe by using a hand dolly from any scratches while fitting it.
Use of shoulder dolly
It is a two-person support system consisting of supporting bands and a container in the middle of it to carry the stuff.
Both the persons have to tie these supporting bands with their upper body and put the items into the middle part of this lifting system.
There are also lower body bands and upper body bands that effectively lift the desired stuff.
Moreover, you can carry heavy items using this support system, avoiding damaging your furniture.
Disassemble a sofa
It is better to select furniture that comes in parts if you are living in an upper-stairs apartment so, that it can be easy for you to carry it using the escalator.
You can disassemble your oversized couch if it is difficult to fit in it.
Professional help
You can take help to help you to move your furniture.
Many companies have a dedicated team of professionals to do this job.
It can be costly, but it can make your work easier if 5 to 7 people accompany you while transferring your furniture.
How to know if the sofa will fit in an elevator?
You can not guess if your furniture will fill a building or an elevator.
Here is a list of factors that can affect this process.
Weight and size of sofa
Access your furniture and take proper measurements. It is better to note down its weight and then decide if you want to move it or not.
You can take the dimensions of a couch by measuring its depth and width using tape.
The size of the standard couch is almost 30 to 40 inches deep and 25 to 35″ high. You can transfer this furniture if the height of the furniture is less than the height of the elevator’s door.
Size and load capacity of the elevator
You have to measure the height and width of an elevator if you are using this to take your furniture to the second or third floor.
You can decide by measuring your couch’s height, width, and depth. You also have to ensure that its door is open when you are taking the measurements.
Moreover, you have to take its interior measurements to determine whether your couch fits in or not.
Some residential buildings also have this facility through which bulky items like stretchers, baby prams, and wheelchairs can easily move.
The standard width of a residential elevator is 5 to 8 feet, and the depth is almost 3 to 6 feet, while the width of a service elevator is 4 to 6 feet and depth is 7 to 9 feet.
Moreover, the weight holding capacity of a service elevator is 3000 to 5000 pounds, while in residential buildings, it is 2000 to 4000 pounds.
Comparing the depth of the elevator and sofa
It is better to measure the depth of the sofa to determine whether its fits in or not. You have to compare both of the values after taking all the measurements.
What will you do when a sofa does not get fit in an elevator?
You can also try different methods if your furniture is not getting into the elevator and you do not have a service elevator in your residential building.
Use Rope-and-pulley system
It is difficult for you to take your bulky items to the upper floor if you only stairs in your building.
It can also cause trouble when the elevator is available, but you cannot put your oversized stuff into it.
So, the rope-and-pulley system is a useful way to take your furniture to the destined apartment.
You have to fix this system outside your apartment’s window and can pull your stuff with the help of an attached rope.
This system is quite costly as it consists of a pulley, a loading container, and a rope and requires professional assistance.
Replace the couch
There is another option you can consider if you struggle to take the couch to your upstairs apartment.
You can replace your couch with another one according to your building’s elevator size.
You can contact the manufacturer and tell him about your struggle with moving the items to your upstairs apartment.
Furthermore, you can ask him to give you another couch according to your hallway dimensions.
Get sectional couch
Many furniture items like couches, tables, chairs, and beds come in pieces these days. You can quickly assemble them at your home without any professional help.
You can assemble the sectional furniture by placing them in your living room or bedroom in a specific shape.
Moreover, it gives your rooms an elegant and attractive look by putting such latest and fancy furniture into them.
Use stairs
You can use stairs to move your furniture from the ground floor to the upper floor as it can be the last option for you if another option is working.
It can be struggling to move your couch using stairs as it requires more people to lift the item and chances of damage to your furniture.
How to keep yourself safe when adding a sofa to an elevator?
You need to keep yourself safe while moving your furniture upstairs.
You have to ensure that you stand with a stable base while keeping your back straight, and your knees must be bent down.
You also have to ensure you lift the load with your lower body support.
Moreover, you have to make it possible that you are doing collaborative work with another person by using the low and high techniques.
You have to lift it from the bottom part of the item if the other person is holding it from the upper part.
You can find ease in doing this work as it decreases the chances of damaging your furniture while keeping yourself safe.
How do you measure an elevator for a sofa?
It is easy to measure an elevator as you can do it yourself by using any measuring tape. However, you must measure from the right to the left side of the escalator to take its width.
You also have to measure its height from the floor to the ceiling and note it down on paper.
Moreover, you have to measure the handrails as they cannot be removed to measure them. So take their measurement from the floor to the handrails.
You have to note down all these dimensions so that you can compare them with the dimensions of the furniture.
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