Most household items fit on a dolly. A few items do not. A piano, a gun safe, a hot tub, or a full set of kitchen appliances can change how you plan a move, how long it takes, and whether you need extra help. This guide covers what each one involves, what you need to do before move day, and what to tell your movers when you ask for an estimate.

Tell us about every heavy or unusual item before the estimate, not on move day. Specialty items are one of the main factors that change the final cost, and most trouble comes from surprises at the door.

Moving a Piano

Pianos are heavy, top-heavy, and easy to damage. An upright piano commonly weighs several hundred pounds, and most of that weight sits high in the cabinet, so it has to stay upright and balanced the whole way out the door. The legs, pedals, and keyboard lid are the parts most often hurt by a rough move.

At Goal Line Moving, our movers handle upright and spinet pianos when the access allows. Before we confirm a piano, we check the stairs, turns, doorways, and where it will sit in the new home. If you own a grand piano, say so when you request a quote so we can talk through your options.

How to Get a Piano Ready

  • Close and lock the keyboard lid, or tell us if it does not lock.
  • Clear the path from the piano to the door, including rugs and low furniture.
  • Measure doorways and stair turns at the new home if you can.
  • Plan to have it tuned a couple of weeks after the move. Pianos often drift out of tune after a change in location and humidity.

Moving a Gun Safe

A gun safe is often the single heaviest item in a house, and it is usually in the hardest spot to reach: a basement, a closet, or a corner of the garage. The weight, the stairs, and the new home’s floor all matter. A safe that rolled into a basement on a new floor years ago may not come out the same way.

We move safes within our weight and access guidelines. During the estimate, we’ll ask for the safe’s size, its weight (if you know it), the floor it is on, and the route from the safe to the truck. Those answers tell us whether we can move it safely with our equipment.

How to Get a Gun Safe Ready

  • Empty the safe completely. Take firearms, ammunition, and valuables with you, not in the safe.
  • If the safe is bolted to the floor, have the bolts removed before move day.
  • Find the make and model, or a photo of the label. It usually lists the weight.
  • Keep the combination or key with you, and leave the door closed and locked for the move.

Moving a Hot Tub

A hot tub is less like furniture and more like a small construction job. Even empty, a typical spa weighs far more than a piano, and it is wide enough that a gate, a deck rail, or a side yard can decide whether it moves at all. Some hot tubs leave a backyard only by crane.

Hot tubs are not part of a standard household move, so bring yours up early in the estimate. We will tell you whether it fits what we can take on or whether a hot tub specialist is the better call for that piece.

How to Get a Hot Tub Ready

  • Drain it fully a few days ahead so the shell and plumbing can dry.
  • Have a licensed electrician disconnect the power. Hot tubs are usually hardwired.
  • Remove the cover and steps, and move them separately.
  • Measure every gate, path, and turn between the tub and the street.

Moving Appliances

Washers, dryers, refrigerators, and freezers move all the time, but they have to be ready before the truck arrives. Our movers do not disconnect appliances, so plan that step ahead of moving day.

Refrigerators and Freezers

Empty them and let them thaw completely before the move. Leave the doors open for a day to defrost and dry, and wipe out any water. If the refrigerator has an ice maker or water dispenser, shut off and disconnect the water line first.

Washers and Dryers

Disconnect the water hoses and drain them. In a Minnesota winter, water left in a washer’s hoses or pump can freeze in a cold truck, so drain them well. A qualified professional should disconnect a gas dryer and cap the gas line. An electric dryer only needs to be unplugged once it has cooled.

Other Heavy Equipment

We move most treadmills once they are separated into the base and the upright section before move day. Our movers do not take apart fitness equipment, so plan that step yourself. We do not move Peloton treadmills or slat-belt treadmills.

What to Tell Your Movers About Specialty Items

The more we know before the estimate, the better the plan on moving day. When you request a quote, include:

  • Every piano, safe, hot tub, and large appliance, with photos if you have them.
  • Which floor each item is on, and how many stairs separate it from the door.
  • Weights or model numbers for safes and hot tubs.
  • Anything at the new home that could limit access, such as a narrow stair or a tight gate.

A LiveSwitch virtual walkthrough is a quick way to show us all of it. You walk through your home with your phone, and we can see the stairs, doorways, and items ourselves, without an in-home appointment.

How Specialty Items Affect Your Moving Cost

Local moves are billed on the actual time worked, in 15-minute increments. Heavy items take longer to prepare, carry, and load, so a piano or a safe adds time to a move. Stairs, long walks to the truck, and tight access add more. Packing everything else and getting it ready before the movers arrive is the best way to keep the total down.

Whether you are moving across town with our local movers or out of state with our long-distance movers, we review specialty items during the free estimate, so the plan and price account for them before move day.