In May we moved a client from a two-story house on 26th Street, North of Montana, to an apartment on Palisades Avenue near Ocean Avenue. 26th Street is a busy through street, and North of Montana is mostly single-family houses on large lots. The drive from the house to the building's motor court was short.

The client reached out a month before the move. She needed to move a load of items enough for an apartment, including about 20 boxes, furniture that needed wrapping, a tall mirror, etc. We asked her to book an elevator and ask the management if they need insurance from us. She told us the truck could load from the alley behind the house. I took Ilya and Oleg with me this time.

The job at a glance

Pickup: 26th Street, North of Montana
Destination: Palisades Avenue, Santa Monica
Property type: House to apartment
Crew: Three movers, because of the load and packing
Inventory: Wardrobe cartons, about 20 small and medium boxes, a mattress, several blanket-wrapped furniture pieces, and a tall flat mirror

26th Street Pickup

The client specifically asked for us to arrive in the morning and requested packing service. I decided that this case needs three movers and our standard 26-foot truck. With three, we could wrap and load at the same time. On a gray May morning we arrived with packing materials such as boxes, stretch wrap, packing paper, tape, and bubble wrap. These materials are billed separately from the hourly rate. But our wardrobe cartons and moving blankets come with the crew for any of our moves. 26th Street was busy and the curb in front of the house was painted red, so we loaded from the alley behind the house instead.

The first thing that we did was to put runners down to protect the floors. After that Oleg moved clothes straight from the closet into wardrobe cartons, while Ilya was packing everything else into our standard moving boxes. At the same time I had to make sure the long mirror wouldn't get damaged, so I protected it with bubble wrap, tape and a moving blanket.

Then together with Oleg I wrapped furniture, such as a coffee table, chairs, and a nightstand, in moving blankets and stretch wrap to protect it. We ended up with a few wardrobe boxes and about 20 regular ones with a mattress on top. Ilya and I loaded boxes onto hand trucks, wheeled them outside and strapped them inside. We also securely strapped the mirror upright in the truck.

Palisades Avenue Drop-off

Our destination was just a block from Ocean Avenue, on Palisades Avenue, in a modern apartment complex. It had a spacious lobby and a convenient motor court, where we pulled the truck. The client had reserved the elevator for our arrival time, so we proceeded to move the items into the apartment.

The motor court was a safe unloading zone away from the busy street traffic, and we unloaded without interruptions. While Oleg and I were unloading the truck, Ilya managed the elevator and rolled everything inside. We didn't want any risk of damage, so had to wheel the wardrobe cartons upright, one per hand truck. That way none of them tipped at the entrance. Inside the unit, we unloaded each box and piece of furniture directly into the rooms where the client requested. She guided us to put boxes in the master bedroom and the wrapped coffee table in the main living space. Finally, the mirror was unwrapped and stood where the client wanted it.