Threshold delivery cost? UPDATE #2 in first post

[Kassia]

Does anyone know how much threshold delivery typically costs?  We are moving dd into her new apartment soon and she is on the third floor with no elevators.  DH and I both have back issues, but DH is in denial about his and insists he can do everything.  He refuses to hire help to move her stuff upstairs.  I disagree but I think (hope) we can handle what she currently has.  

She wants to order a couch and I want her to select threshold delivery where they will bring the couch upstairs and right in her front door.  I'm sure we can move the couch within her apartment but I don't want us dragging it upstairs when we're 1200 miles from home.  She and DH think it will be fine and they can do it.  She's young and invincible and he thinks he is too.  DH's back has been good but when something happens, he's in agony for days and can't do anything and we really need him to be well for this trip.  

Anyway, I'm wondering what the cost would be (approximately) to upgrade to threshold delivery.  

ETA - and this is in TX where it's a bazillion degrees, which won't bother our backs but it sure will be uncomfortable.

 

UPDATE - she said we could bring it up in parts.  I'm thinking that could work?  

UPDATE #2 - she found one on Amazon with inside entry delivery that she liked better and was told by the customer service rep that it would be brought to her 3rd floor apartment.  I placed the order on my account because it was a Prime deal and then checked with customer service and was told it would only be brought to the 2nd floor and the first customer service rep didn't know what they were talking about.  So, hopefully, at the very worst, it will be delivered to the 2nd floor but I'd be surprised if the delivery person would just leave it there with only one floor to go.  So we'll see.  

 

Edited July 15, 2023 by Kassia

[Harriet Vane]

I would absolutely override their objections and get the threshold delivery. And I'd have a private word with dd about her father's back issues.

[Amethyst]

Moving my dd’s bed up ONE flight of stairs turned out to be impossible. It’s not just the weight of furniture to consider. How wide are the stairwells? Figuring out how to get furniture around landings is a major pain. Let it be someone else’s headache. (I have no idea about price, but I imagine it will be well worth the price!)

[Arcadia]

We always pay the extra cost for getting heavy items up to our condo and we have an elevator but something may not fit into the elevator. My ex-colleague had a slip disc injury from carrying one of those 27” old monitors by himself because he refused to wait for help. It is not worth the risk. My ex-boss won’t even let ladies carry anything heavy because of possibility of uterine prolapse.

[Bambam]

As someone in TX who had to help a child move out of a 2nd floor apartment this May, the heat and humidity will sap your strength and endurance faster than you think possible - unless you are used to it, and even then, it is questionable.  Especially with the extreme heat we've had here for the past month or so. 

We have a bunch of three men & a truck type places where you rent a truck or just the guys to do your lifting. IMHO, totally worth it. We had them for a move once (August, I think, so very miserable and hot and humid), and those guys did not stop working to take a break, they worked hard and fast. Money well spent. 

[Kassia]

4 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

I would absolutely override their objections and get the threshold delivery. And I'd have a private word with dd about her father's back issues.

I did have a talk with her and she looked into the threshold delivery after I posted on her own before I talked to her.  Turns out that it's not even available at the place that sells the couch (Home Depot).  

3 hours ago, Amethyst said:

Moving my dd’s bed up ONE flight of stairs turned out to be impossible. It’s not just the weight of furniture to consider. How wide are the stairwells? Figuring out how to get furniture around landings is a major pain. Let it be someone else’s headache. (I have no idea about price, but I imagine it will be well worth the price!)

That's one thing I mentioned already.  I agree that it's well worth the price.  

[Kassia]

3 hours ago, Bambam said:

, the heat and humidity will sap your strength and endurance faster than you think possible - unless you are used to it, and even then, it is questionable.  
We have a bunch of three men & a truck type places where you rent a truck or just the guys to do your lifting. IMHO, totally worth it. We had them for a move once (August, I think, so very miserable and hot and humid), and those guys did not stop working to take a break, they worked hard and fast. Money well spent. 

Yes to the first part!  I don't think DH or dd realize this.  I am very concerned about DH overexerting himself.  I'll talk to both of them more about it.  

The problem is that we basically have at least three moving times.  One when we first get there and empty the van with what we're bringing from home, then we're going to the storage unit the following day and moving all of that over, then we have the delivery of the couch and whatever other furniture she needs.  The couch would be the worst of the three and I don't see how to even hire someone for that if it's just delivered on the ground floor without a time for delivery.  

Edited July 15, 2023 by Kassia

[Kassia]

4 hours ago, Amethyst said:

Moving my dd’s bed up ONE flight of stairs turned out to be impossible. It’s not just the weight of furniture to consider. How wide are the stairwells? Figuring out how to get furniture around landings is a major pain. Let it be someone else’s headache. (I have no idea about price, but I imagine it will be well worth the price!)

We have dd's bed to move, but it's a mattress in a box, so I'm hoping it will be doable (Queen size) but it certainly won't be easy.  

[Arcadia]

36 minutes ago, Kassia said:

The couch would be the worst of the three and I don't see how to even hire someone for that if it's just delivered on the ground floor without a time for delivery.  

Would it be okay for her apartment if someone stays with the coach on the ground floor while the rest of you get whatever other furniture she needs? Then you could maybe set a time in the early evening for hourly labor to help? 

[Kassia]

2 hours ago, Arcadia said:

Would it be okay for her apartment if someone stays with the coach on the ground floor while the rest of you get whatever other furniture she needs? Then you could maybe set a time in the early evening for hourly labor to help? 

I assume it would be outside, but I don't know.  I don't think they will bring it in.  And it could be delivered in the morning, which would mean someone would have to sit with it all day.  Maybe she'll just have to choose a place that offers service with delivery and not just from a carrier.  

[MEmama]

Have you already purchased the couch? If not, we bought one from Wayfair and they brought inside and set it up for me. I don't recall there being an extra cost.

If you have already purchased it, college boys are strong and enjoy opportunities to be helpful 😉 . Might there be a couple of strapping young lads in her complex, or that she knows from school? 
 

Otherwise, I'd probably call an independent local moving company (like three men and a truck mentioned above) and ask if they can help. It's quick money for them, something they can do between jobs, and probably won't charge much. That's the type of job a professional mover might do off the books.

I hope you find a solution; I have a stubborn DH too and it's tricky to navigate when safety is a concern. 

[Kassia]

51 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Have you already purchased the couch? If not, we bought one from Wayfair and they brought inside and set it up for me. I don't recall there being an extra cost.

If you have already purchased it, college boys are strong and enjoy opportunities to be helpful 😉 . Might there be a couple of strapping young lads in her complex, or that she knows from school? 
 

Otherwise, I'd probably call an independent local moving company (like three men and a truck mentioned above) and ask if they can help. It's quick money for them, something they can do between jobs, and probably won't charge much. That's the type of job a professional mover might do off the books.

I hope you find a solution; I have a stubborn DH too and it's tricky to navigate when safety is a concern. 

She hasn't purchased yet.  Ds1 bought from Wayfair and they did the same for him as they did for you.  

She's wary of college boys coming over or any strange men, actually, since she's a young single female and doesn't want anyone knowing where she lives alone.  We'd have to pretend it was for me and DH?  I don't know how that would work.  We've hired movers when she was in college to move her out but never in and then she was in the dorm, where it was safer anyway since you couldn't get in the building without a card.  I'm going to talk to DH more about this and see what we can figure out.  

Edited July 15, 2023 by Kassia

[MEmama]

1 hour ago, Kassia said:

She's wary of college boys coming over or any strange men, actually, since she's a young single female and doesn't want anyone knowing where she lives alone.

Oof, that makes sense! Smart girl. 👍

Since you haven't bought the couch yet, have you considered buying one from IKEA, if there's one nearby? Just thinking...their stuff is usually flat packed and easier to move around. 

[Kassia]

34 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Oof, that makes sense! Smart girl. 👍

Since you haven't bought the couch yet, have you considered buying one from IKEA, if there's one nearby? Just thinking...their stuff is usually flat packed and easier to move around. 

Yes, she's looked.  We're still working on it all.  It's just so frustrating to always be the minority, who is also the voice of reason in the house.  

[stephanier.1765]

Once I moved to a third floor apartment while dh was at sea. My dad and I couldn't even make the pivot in the stairwell to make it to the third floor. In the end, we had to haul it up over the balcony banister. It's also the way we got it out when it was time to move. So I'm total agreement that movers need to be hired. This will not be easy on either one of them.

[Kassia]

9 minutes ago, stephanier.1765 said:

Once I moved to a third floor apartment while dh was at sea. My dad and I couldn't even make the pivot in the stairwell to make it to the third floor. In the end, we had to haul it up over the balcony banister. It's also the way we got it out when it was time to move. So I'm total agreement that movers need to be hired. This will not be easy on either one of them.

Thank you.  Ugh - this is making me so incredibly stressed.  Now her idea is to have it delivered to the store instead of the apartment so we can see the stairwell first and if it looks too difficult she'll just cancel the order (we are OOS so she's never seen the apartment before).  She doesn't get that there is NO EASY way to get a couch up to the third floor no matter how good the stairwell is.  DH already has a sensitive back.  I told her we're fine with hiring someone (I don't think DH would agree with me) and she refuses to get a couch if we pay for someone to move it and she doesn't want to pay either.  

I'm just venting here at this point.  She doesn't see that any cost of moving is waaaay better than risking DH's back.  Especially when we're 1200 miles away and we need him for the rest of the trip (I can't drive us back and I'm terrible with directions and it's easy for him, so he's doing all the driving down there).  DH will be mad at me if I push her to the point where she refuses to get a couch because he thinks it will all be fine.  

I wish someone would just listen to me for once.  😞  

ETA - I like the idea of ordering it for pick up though.  Then we just have to get it in the van and can arrange a time for someone to come and bring it up.

 

Edited July 15, 2023 by Kassia

[Kassia]

UPDATE: - she said we could bring it up in parts.  Now that might work...?  

[MEmama]

9 minutes ago, stephanier.1765 said:

Once I moved to a third floor apartment while dh was at sea. My dad and I couldn't even make the pivot in the stairwell to make it to the third floor. In the end, we had to haul it up over the balcony banister. It's also the way we got it out when it was time to move. So I'm total agreement that movers need to be hired. This will not be easy on either one of them.

When we moved into our current house we had to cut our box spring in half to get it up the stairs, lol. I couldn't believe DH was willing to do it, but there were a LOT of failed attempts before he gave in.

[Pawz4me]

1 minute ago, Kassia said:

UPDATE: - she said we could bring it up in parts.  Now that might work...?  

Is this a couch in a box? If so bringing it up in parts might be do-able, but it will likely require many, many trips.

Another idea might be to rent (or borrow or buy) a hand truck meant for use on stairs. It may be easier to pull one of those up step by step than to carry a heavy box. But you need room for it in your vehicle.

[Kassia]

Just now, Pawz4me said:

Is this a couch in a box? If so bringing it up in parts might be do-able, but it will likely require many, many trips.

Another idea might be to rent (or borrow or buy) a hand truck meant for use on stairs. It may be easier to pull one of those up step by step than to carry a heavy box. But you need room for it in your vehicle.

It must be in a box if she mentioned the parts, but I have no idea how many parts.  I'll look it up.

I'll look into the hand truck, too.  We just bought one for this trip before I knew there wasn't an elevator (dumb on my part) but I had no idea they make them for stairs.  I'm sure DH will be thrilled - I'm surprised I even got him to buy the first hand truck. 

[Halftime Hope]

Can you have it delivered to the HD, then have the movers pick it up there and move it into the apartment on their own schedule? 

We moved one big couch and one love seat into our second story game room, when we moved into this house. The moving guys did it, and they had to stand the couch literally on its end and try not to overbalance and drop the thing.  When we move it again, we will disassemble the thing and bring it down in chopped up pieces. I prayed that none of the movers would be injured, and they were big, strong guys, and they really struggled.

There is absolutely nothing that could make me risk injuring a middle-aged dh or father's back for the sake of a couch. 

 

 

 

Edited July 15, 2023 by Halftime Hope

[Kassia]

7 minutes ago, Halftime Hope said:

Can you have it delivered to the HD, then have the movers pick it up there and move it into the apartment on their own schedule? 

We moved one big couch and one love seat into our second story game room, when we moved into this house. The moving guys did it, and they had to stand the couch literally on its end and try not to overbalance and drop the thing.  When we move it again, we will disassemble the thing and bring it down in chopped up pieces. I prayed that none of the movers would be injured, and they were big, strong guys, and they really struggled.

There is absolutely nothing that could make me risk injuring a middle-aged dh or father's back for the sake of a couch. 

 

 

 

that's a good idea about the movers picking it up at the store.  I hadn't thought of that.  We could even time that with us emptying out the storage space so they could bring up everything from the van as well.  The problem is getting DH/dd to agree since they both think everything will be just fine.  😞 

And I agree about the risk - I am pretty angry with dd and think she's being unreasonable and selfish.  Especially when I'm telling her we'll pay for it.

Edited July 15, 2023 by Kassia

[Arcadia]

49 minutes ago, Kassia said:

It must be in a box if she mentioned the parts, but I have no idea how many parts.  I'll look it up.

I agree that it would be better for movers to pick up from the store and help you move the stuff from your van.

Might be something similar to this? https://www.homedepot.com/p/Costway-97-in-W-Square-Arm-Suede-Modular-3-Seat-Sofa-Couch-in-Blue-with-Socket-USB-Ports-and-Side-Storage-Pocket-HV10310TU-A-HV10310TU-B-HV10310US-TU-C/323790248

[almondbutterandjelly]

I bought a couch when we lived in a third floor apartment, two years ago (in south Texas).  Buy it from a furniture store.  Absolutely pay for delivery, threshold or more elaborate.  It's generally $50-65 for threshold.  It's around $100 for them to bring it in and set it up.  They do not charge extra for the third floor.

Is dh's back worth that?  Absolutely!

[Pawz4me]

1 hour ago, Kassia said:

I'm sure DH will be thrilled - I'm surprised I even got him to buy the first hand truck. 

I understand! After helping our boys move in/out of dorms and apartments about a dozen times I finally managed to convince DH to get one, and it was a wonderful purchase. It's so much easier to move bulky or heavy things. Ours isn't for stairs, mostly because we told both of our offspring that wasn't happening again. 😉 Ours is just a fairly lightweight one. But it's so handy to have. 

[Kassia]

30 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

I agree that it would be better for movers to pick up from the store and help you move the stuff from your van.

Might be something similar to this? https://www.homedepot.com/p/Costway-97-in-W-Square-Arm-Suede-Modular-3-Seat-Sofa-Couch-in-Blue-with-Socket-USB-Ports-and-Side-Storage-Pocket-HV10310TU-A-HV10310TU-B-HV10310US-TU-C/323790248

oh, that would make it much easier if it's similar to what you posted here.

[Kassia]

UPDATE #2 - she found one on Amazon with inside entry delivery that she liked better and was told by the customer service rep that it would be brought to her 3rd floor apartment.  I placed the order on my account because it was a Prime deal and then checked with customer service and was told it would only be brought to the 2nd floor and the first customer service rep didn't know what they were talking about.  So, hopefully, at the very worst, it will be delivered to the 2nd floor but I'd be surprised if the delivery person would just leave it there with only one floor to go.  So we'll see. 

 

As always, a big huge THANK YOU to everyone for their help/advice/support.  🙂 

[Harriet Vane]

17 hours ago, Kassia said:

Does anyone know how much threshold delivery typically costs?  We are moving dd into her new apartment soon and she is on the third floor with no elevators.  DH and I both have back issues, but DH is in denial about his and insists he can do everything.  He refuses to hire help to move her stuff upstairs.  I disagree but I think (hope) we can handle what she currently has.  

She wants to order a couch and I want her to select threshold delivery where they will bring the couch upstairs and right in her front door.  I'm sure we can move the couch within her apartment but I don't want us dragging it upstairs when we're 1200 miles from home.  She and DH think it will be fine and they can do it.  She's young and invincible and he thinks he is too.  DH's back has been good but when something happens, he's in agony for days and can't do anything and we really need him to be well for this trip.  

Anyway, I'm wondering what the cost would be (approximately) to upgrade to threshold delivery.  

ETA - and this is in TX where it's a bazillion degrees, which won't bother our backs but it sure will be uncomfortable.

 

UPDATE - she said we could bring it up in parts.  I'm thinking that could work?  

UPDATE #2 - she found one on Amazon with inside entry delivery that she liked better and was told by the customer service rep that it would be brought to her 3rd floor apartment.  I placed the order on my account because it was a Prime deal and then checked with customer service and was told it would only be brought to the 2nd floor and the first customer service rep didn't know what they were talking about.  So, hopefully, at the very worst, it will be delivered to the 2nd floor but I'd be surprised if the delivery person would just leave it there with only one floor to go.  So we'll see.  

 

There's always the option to offer cash on the spot to the delivery person to bring it up. Don't say, "We were told you cannot take this all the way up..." (In other words, don't remind them of what they cannot or should not do.) Instead, just offer the cash and say, "We'd appreciate it so much if you could help us get this up to the apartment."

[Kassia]

2 minutes ago, Harriet Vane said:

There's always the option to offer cash on the spot to the delivery person to bring it up. Don't say, "We were told you cannot take this all the way up..." (In other words, don't remind them of what they cannot or should not do.) Instead, just offer the cash and say, "We'd appreciate it so much if you could help us get this up to the apartment."

That's absolutely my plan.  And I'm not going to say anything to dd about it because she will insist that she'll just bring it up the rest of the way.  I'm just going to be ready and do it.  She is being so foolish and stubborn about it all not wanting to spend a dime on help.  I told her it's like how insurance covers preventative medicine.  It's cheaper to pay for that than pay for something going wrong if patients don't use it due to the expense.  

[Arcadia]

17 hours ago, Kassia said:

So, hopefully, at the very worst, it will be delivered to the 2nd floor but I'd be surprised if the delivery person would just leave it there with only one floor to go

Most would do for 2nd to 3rd floor for a cash tip if they are already covered by worker insurance for going up a flight of stairs. 

[MEmama]

10 minutes ago, Kassia said:

That's absolutely my plan.  And I'm not going to say anything to dd about it because she will insist that she'll just bring it up the rest of the way.  I'm just going to be ready and do it.  She is being so foolish and stubborn about it all not wanting to spend a dime on help.  I told her it's like how insurance covers preventative medicine.  It's cheaper to pay for that than pay for something going wrong if patients don't use it due to the expense.  

Good for you! 👍
 

This is the absolutely the way. 

[Harriet Vane]

38 minutes ago, Kassia said:

That's absolutely my plan.  And I'm not going to say anything to dd about it because she will insist that she'll just bring it up the rest of the way.  I'm just going to be ready and do it.  She is being so foolish and stubborn about it all not wanting to spend a dime on help.  I told her it's like how insurance covers preventative medicine.  It's cheaper to pay for that than pay for something going wrong if patients don't use it due to the expense.  

Good for you. This is definitely the way to do it.

And your dd is young and feels great. She doesn't understand about bad backs and creaky joints and injuries that "heal" but linger on. Sometimes we just have to draw a line--she'll understand better over time.