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Tips for Prepping a Piano for a Long Distance Move

by texasmar 0 Comments
Tips for Prepping a Piano for a Long Distance Move

Pianos are a wonderful addition to any home. They provide beautiful music and a safe hobby to be enjoyed at home. Pianos are challenging pieces of furniture to move, however. If you find yourself moving a long distance with a piano in your possession, you could benefit from these tips on how to move your piano safely and effectively. You might want to reach out to professional piano movers to make sure your prized possession is safe, but if you’d rather take your chances, be sure to follow these piano moving tips.

Prepare Your Home For A Piano Move

Before you even begin to consider preparing your piano for a long distance move, it’s important for you to take a moment to closely examine your piano and determine the type of piano which you own. The weight, style, and shape of your piano will play a key role in how it is best moved out of your apartment and moved the long distance to your new home.

Spinet pianos are the smallest type of pianos that can be sat at and played normally. These pianos weigh between 300-600 pounds and tend to be compact, short, and long. Spinet pianos are the easiest pianos to move out of a home without requiring any disassembly. The help of four or five healthy people should be able to move the piano out of your home and into the moving truck with relative ease.

An upright piano is a step above a spinet piano. It is much taller than a spinet piano and tends to be wider as well. These pianos may require special removal from your home by use of a piano trolley. Lastly, the largest type of piano is the grand piano. Sporting a harp-shaped soundboard and a long keyboard, these pianos can easily weigh upwards of 1,000 pounds and will require special care and steps to be removed from your home such as disassembly.

Protecting The Finish of the Piano While Moving

Your piano has a delicate and expensive case with an equally delicate finish that has the potential to become damaged, scratched, or dulled during a long distance move. To protect the finish of your most cherished instrument, invest in large non-slip protective blankets. These blankets can be placed over your piano and tucked under the legs and edges to remain securely fastened to your piano. For further security, use latching cords to hold the edges of the covers together beneath the piano to prevent them from coming loose during the move. If you can afford it, hire a professional piano mover to professionally wrap your piano for the ultimate security and peace of mind.

Obtain Proper Piano Moving Equipment

Although you may be given the help of other people when moving your piano, it would be best for the physical health of all parties involved if you opted to move your piano with the assistance of durable moving equipment. Moving a piano will require a heavy-duty piano trolley that can support the immense weight of the instrument. Additionally, durable straps to hold the piano onto the dolly will also be highly beneficial.

Once you get the piano into the moving truck place it at the very back of the truck against the wall of the cab. This is the most secure place for you piano because it will be kept in place by the other boxes and items.

How to Prepare Your Children for an Out of Town Relocation

by texasmar 0 Comments
How to Prepare Your Children for an Out of Town Relocation

If you’re planning to move out of town, there are things you should do in preparation for your relocation. Among the most important tasks on your to-do list is to make your children aware of your plans. That way, they’re physically and emotionally prepared for the changes that await them in a new city. Here are some tips from Cheap Movers Seattle, leader in moving services Seattle, WA, to help prepare kids for the move:

Announce the decision as early as possible.

Parents magazine recommends alerting toddlers and preschoolers to your plans at least a month in advance. That way, they have plenty of time to wrap their minds around what is going to take place in the upcoming weeks. School-age children may be forced to leave during the middle of their classes. Helping them say a proper goodbye to teachers, classmates, and friends are important because it gives them a sense of closure.

Explore the new town together as a family.

Make it a point to visit the new location at least once before moving. This gives kids a chance to scope things out and to get excited about what the new city has to offer them. If a school is still in session during the move, meet with administrators and teachers before enrollment so that your son or daughter get to know who they’ll be spending time with in the future.

Throw a going away party.

By hosting a farewell party, your family, friends, neighbors, and the children’s teachers can attend and say a formal goodbye. Make sure to exchange addresses and phone numbers and make promises for the kids to stay in touch via video messaging. Skype and Facetime are two options that allow children to see and speak to the people they miss most.

Make the move something the kids participate in.

Have them pack their boxes, pick out the things they want to take with them for their overnight bags, and select the paint color of their new room. Small details make a big difference to kids because it makes them feel like they’re in control of the situation.

Come back to visit family and friends when possible.

Depending on the distance you’ve put between your old residence and the new one you’re dwelling in, visiting relatives and friends may not be easy. If possible, make it a point to travel to your old town. Let your kids see their old friends and even drive past the home they once lived in for sentimental reasons. They’ll have adjusted to their new surroundings and lifestyle enough by then that it won’t be a problem to visit.

Moving out of town takes work and preparing your children in advance for the changes taking places makes it experience easier for the entire family. If you’re not sure how your kids are going to accept the news, give them plenty of time to process it. Also, try reading these books on moving with your kids. That way, they can come to their conclusions about how the move will affect them positively or negatively.

9 Things to Know When Moving to Austin, TX

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9 Things to Know When Moving to Austin, TX

Austin is one of the many great cities filling the state of Texas. Home to about 790,000 people, Austin is the fourth-largest city in the state. It’s a city known for old-fashioned values and charm, friendly neighbors and friends, great music in all genres, and amazing food but what many people fail to realize is that Austin is also modern and sophisticated, boasting an amazing arts scene, bright lights and big buildings, and all of the things that make life great in today’s sophisticated world. If you’re Austin-bound, remember these nine things, and you’ll blend right in with the locals.

1. It’s Left-Leaning

Austin is unlike much of the state since it leans more toward liberal views. Artist, hippies, musicians, and college students help make the city laid-back in comparison to other areas.

2. Music is Life in this City

In fact, Austin has been dubbed as ‘Live Music Capital of the World.’ On any day of the week, artists are performing live at one venue or another. All genres of musicians reside in and perform in Austin, giving the opportunity for every musical style to get their flavor.

3. Food is King

Foodies find the city one of great pleasure and regular Joes love the great versatility of flavors as much. BBQ is always the go-to food in Texas, but plenty of additional meals and flavors will win over your heart.

4. There’s Great Weather Year-Round

More than 200 days of sunshine and a great year-round climate help Austinites enjoy year-round weather comfort. Even the winters are mild, and with daytime summer high’s averaging 89 degrees F, comfort is always yours to enjoy.

5. Public Transport is Lacking

To put it mildly, public transportation in Austin isn’t so great . The MetroRail operates infrequently and only on one line, leaving people stranded or searching for other means of transportation.

6. Driving in Austin is Easy

This is certainly worth mentioning since people in Houston know all-too-well the hell of rush hour traffic, as do people in Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, NYC, Denver, Las Vegas, Chicago -practically any major U.S. city!

7. Avoid I-35

I-35, oh how you’re hated. Ask any resident and they’ll tell you they go to great lengths to avoid I-35. Yes, the interstate is THAT bad, even when driving elsewhere in the city is fairly simple. Take heed of the I-35 hatred and follow suit!

8. SoCo is the Place to Be

SoCo is the trendiest spot in Austin. You’ll find all of the cool coffee shops in the South Congress district, along with vintage shops, dive bars, and lots of the coolest hippest in the world.

9. Living Here is Expensive

Housing prices in Austin are nothing to brag about. They’re pretty expensive, comparable to rental prices and sales prices in cities like NYC or Los Angeles. The costs of homes in the downtown Austin area is even more excruciating. Prepare to pay the costs to live the simple life that Austin offers.

Once you are in Austin and acquaint yourself with the locals and the lifestyle, you’ll fit right in, especially with these tips in mind. Life is good in Austin, Texas. What are you waiting for? As you plan your move to this lovely city in the heart of Central Texas, here are a few things to make sure you check off your checklist:

  • Hire movers: Especially if you’re moving a long distance, it’s smart to hire a moving company to transport your belongings. Movers in Austin charge hourly rates for local moves and flat-rates based on shipment weight for interstate moves.
  • Start utilities: Make sure to transfer or schedule the start date for utilities before your move date. You’ll need the lights and water on to make moving day efficient.
  • Change your address: Don’t forget to update your address with the US Postal Service to ensure your mail makes its way to your new home.
  • Pack early: Packing isn’t fun, which is why so many people wait so long to get started. Instead of procrastinating, try tackling one room at a time in the weeks leading up to your move date.