An urgent last-minute move
Getting a scheduled move is not always in the cards, sometimes our clients need a move right away and more times than not it’s a complicated move. One of our clients needed us to move a house from the TV show “house of cars” into storage because they were considering taking a break from filming after the recent news involving the star Kevin Spacy. Ultimately Mr. Spacy decided he wanted to take a year off, so it’s a good thing they called us.
The location they use to film the show is high end. Every piece of furniture and art is very delicate and need special treatment. The producer of the show can’t afford to have to look for a replacement for single stool not to mention an art piece.
In this particular move we had to send a specialist to make sure the art is properly handled. Some of the paintings where oil based and needed special packing not to allow the oil to suffocate and mold damaging them in the process. Some had frames that where very old and needed special care and an additional layer of cushioning.
And in our storage facility, we needed units that are ventilated and allow air to flow in and out of them. Strange that he most expensive things we buy need more maintenance they your everyday paint by numbers portrait. But there is no way around it, one mistake can cause irreversible damage to a piece of art.
This particular move was to one location, our storage facility. But because it’s a part of the show’s sets we needed to be very careful how we catalog everything. The producer will most likely need some of the props later on and going through the entire inventory will be a nightmare.
This was not a color code move this move had to be laser focused on every piece of inventory we collect. Our onsite supervisors (remember we had a second supervisor for the art) had to photograph and document every item to help our client understand what it is. It’s common in a move that our clients can call an item by a different name then we cataloged it as.
To get through that we attach a photo to our catalog file, in doing so we prevent mistakes. For example, if we catalog a recliner and our client calls it an armchair you can understand how it would be hard for him to find it in our catalog. On the other hand if our digital catalog included photos of the objects it would be easier for him to point out an item he need for another shoot.
We also set up our storage facility in a way that would allow easy access to items by type. For example art, furniture and decoration. By doing so we simply make it easier for our clients to get access to items he needs when he needs them.
The Move Itself
Having the technical aspects of the job taken care of helps us work much more efficiently on site. Biscally, it means that we know what we are going to do with every item as we run into it. Our professional team of packers took care of packing the more common items in the home in specific crates and covered in a way that would not only protect them but also have them ready to use right out of the package.
When we move we don’t always take into account that the packing materials might leave our belongings in a position where we have to clean them again, making the move that much harder. Using high end packing materials saves our clients from having to work twice as hard when they reach their new location.
One example is to cover cutlery in plastic bags before putting them in the box. Doing so will prevent the box from leaving cardboard parts on our utensils. It’s the same with our clothes, though in this case we would recommend washing them again as cloth starts to smell funny after a while. Even when you put your winter clothes aways for the summer they will need to be washed before they are ready to be used.
The Furniture
This particular move had a lot of high end furniture. And most of them are antiques making them very hard to replace in the event of something happening to them. Because of that we needed to make sure they are not just covers in moving cloth as regulation requires. We covers the furniture in plastic wrap then bubble wrapped them and only then we covered them in cloth. It might seem just a bit too much, but if you take into account that we don’t control the roads and one unexpected break might cause thousands of dollars of damage, you would do the same.
The Art
This was a more complicated part. First we had to cover the paintings in bubble wrap leaving a few well placed openings for air to flow through the package. We had to be extra delicate with the oil paintings because if they were suffocated they might start forming molds. Then we placed them in cardboard boxes and in wooden crates.
We use the cardboard boxes because they are much better at absorbing minor bumps. Wood is much stiffer and might hurt the frames.
The Trucks
Being a last moment move we didn’t have free trucks. Companies like ours have to be calculated and take into account every move we have committed to for at least 90 days. So when one of our premium clients need a last minute move we have partnerships with trucking companies that can provide two additional straight trucks at a drop of a dime.
And yes this move took three truck loads. Not just because the items are delicate but the amount of objects that needed to be moves would not have fit on one truck.
The Crew
We are known for our professional movers but in this case we handpicked our finest. We can’t afford to waist our client’s time, so we sent over a dozen of our veteran packers. Men and women that have been in the business for over 15 years.
People that have the experience to be able to think on their feet in case of something that wasn’t planned.
The Supervisors
As we said in this move we used two supervisors. One for the majority of the move and a second supervisor who specializes in art and antique furniture. We are fortunate to have supervisors that have served in the military who understand the importance of every screw, nut or bolt. Or things that our client didn’t even think of.
In Conclusion
At the end our team was beat, all they could think about is going home to their warm beds. But we know that we have another satisfied customer. And we know we are ready to redistribute his belonging at a moments notice to any location he so chooses. So that we can all keep enjoying our favorite TV show.
When choosing movers for your next move, don’t cut corners. Saving a dollar today might cost you more than a thousand after the move. Choose movers USA.