Thresholds and floors
Flagstones, encaustic tiles, parquet and worn boards are protected and carried over rather than rolled across. Trolleys stay on protection or stay on the van.
Period & village homes
Moving a house older than the road
In the village centre and the lanes around it the fabric is frequently the most valuable thing in the building. A move there is as much about protecting the house as it is about carrying what is inside it.
Five things that change
Frames and glass
Leaded lights and original glazing are the reason reveals and frames are padded before anything passes them. Where a piece cannot pass safely, we say so.
No fixings, no leaning
Nothing is screwed, pinned or propped against the fabric of a listed or period building. Ladders and boards go on protection, never against render or brick.
Staircases with turns
Common in the village houses. Some pieces come apart, some go out through a window where the building and street allow it, and occasionally one stays. All three are survey findings.
Antiques and clocks
Antique furniture travels crated or blanket-wrapped by piece. Long-case clocks want the movement removed and packed separately, and we will say plainly when something wants a specialist.
Getting a vehicle near the house
The High Street and the lanes off it were laid out long before anything with a tail lift existed. Frontages are narrow and standing is limited, so the usual arrangement is a smaller vehicle working to a larger one parked where a larger one may legally sit.
That is a plan rather than a compromise, and it is priced at survey with the reason written down.
Contents that outlast owners
A village house often holds furniture that arrived with a previous generation — assembled in the room, wider than the landing, and heavier than it looks. Those pieces need more crew, more time and sometimes a different route out of the building.
None of that is a problem when it is known in advance. All of it is a problem at nine on a Friday morning.
Listed buildings
Where a property is listed, the constraint is the fabric rather than the furniture. We work with no fixings, nothing leaned or propped, protection over thresholds and original floors, and a slower carry throughout. Tell us at the first call so the right materials are on the vehicle.
For newer stock, the house removals page covers the ordinary case, and packing and storage deals with what happens when the dates do not meet.
Worth knowing
Period homes, the questions that matter
Is a listed building a problem?
Not for us, though it does change how we work: no fixings of any kind, nothing leaned or propped against the fabric, protection on flagstones, thresholds and original floors, and a slower carry. What it needs is notice, so the right materials are on the vehicle.
What about leaded lights and stained glass?
They are the reason we protect frames and reveals before carrying anything past them. Where a piece genuinely cannot pass a window safely, we will say so rather than attempt it.
Will you move antiques and long-case clocks?
Antique furniture, yes, crated or blanket-wrapped depending on the piece. Long-case clocks want the movement removed and packed separately — we will say what needs specialist attention rather than improvising.
Our staircase has a tight turn.
Very common in the older village houses. Some pieces come apart, some go out through a window where the building and the street allow it, and occasionally a piece stays. All three are survey findings, not morning surprises.
Do you use trolleys on old floors?
Only on protection, and not at all on some surfaces. Parquet, encaustic tiles and worn boards are carried over rather than rolled across.
Tell us the age of the house and the staircase.
Those two decide the materials, the crew and the route out. Photographs of the hall and the stairs answer most of it.