Ground Floor or Upstairs: What It Costs You

When people choose an apartment they weigh the rent, the view and the noise. The floor it is on also has a direct effect on what every move into and out of it costs, and that is rarely part of the decision.

Just-In-Time Moving works throughout St. George and Washington County.

Why stairs cost what they do

Moving is charged by time, and stairs consume it in a way distance does not.

Every item makes the trip individually, at walking pace, under control. A dolly, which does most of the work on flat ground, is far less useful on stairs, so a route with a staircase converts wheeled trips into carried ones.

A crew also cannot simply work faster on stairs. It is the one part of a move where pushing the pace is genuinely unsafe, and it is where nearly all injuries happen.

The practical effect is that a third-floor walk-up can take substantially longer than the same apartment at ground level.

A lift is not the same as a ground floor

Better, certainly, and not equivalent.

A lift means waiting, and waiting is billed. It usually means one crew member operating it while others load. Many buildings require booking it, and some limit the hours. If it is shared with residents on a busy day, everything slows.

Check the lift's internal dimensions and its door opening, which is often smaller than the car. A sofa that will not go in the lift goes up the stairs, and then you have both costs.

What to check before signing

The floor, obviously, and whether there is a lift. How far the apartment is from the lift or stairwell, since a long interior corridor is its own carry.

How far a truck can park from the entrance, which is frequently the bigger factor. A ground-floor apartment at the far end of a complex with no vehicle access can cost more than a second-floor one beside the door.

Any height restriction on the approach. Carports and parking structures rule out larger trucks routinely.

Reducing the cost either way

Carry the boxes down yourself over the preceding week and book a crew for the furniture only. On an upper floor this is where the saving genuinely is.

Have everything staged at the door before the crew starts, and in summer, start early. Stairs in afternoon heat are the slowest work there is.

Tell us the floor, the lift and the parking when you book, and the estimate will be accurate. It is free and in writing.

Call (435) 862-3080 or email office@movingjustintime.com.