Moving furniture or other bulky items can be enough of a headache for most of us without the added worry of having to move such items when they’re particularly valuable or irreplaceable. Damage to such items as works of art or antique furniture is something we’d rather not contemplate! However, contemplate it we must in order to take steps to prevent it.
The most important such step is to be very particular when selecting a removals company to handle the job. If you go to an internet search engine and look up
removals London for instance you’ll find pages of removals companies. If you tap in
movers London you’ll get more or less the same result. If you enter “Fine Art
Removals London,” you’ll still get a long list but you’ll see that only certain firms will specifically mention fine art. That narrows the field a bit because you can ignore the rest, excellent as they may be for straightforward removals work.
Far better than trying to choose a suitable contractor from the internet to move your valuables is to go by word of mouth recommendation. If you have an interest in fine art, antiques or very high quality furniture etc, the chances are that you’ll have friends and acquaintances who share your interest. Talk to them and see if anyone you know and whose opinion you respect has had experience of having high value goods moved for them.
If they have and if they’ve been sufficiently pleased with the work carried out for them they may feel confident to recommend the company. If so, you’ll still have to make up your own mind about them but at least you’ll be starting from a much better position.
As you’re probably well aware already, the storage and shipping of fine art is specialised work and the right conditions need to be maintained. Whether you need to move or store a large sculpture weighing several tons, a single valuable painting or some very expensive furniture, antique or otherwise handling and transporting can present it’s own problems which is where specialist knowledge and expertise comes in.
Some of the larger musical instruments call for specialist movers too. Not every removal firm is capable of carrying out
piano removal safely for example. So once you’ve made a short list of possible contractors for the job you have to start asking some searching questions. Of course if you have one or more companies recommended by friends you’ll try them first. Still ask the same questions though. If you get the impression that you’re being regarded as unnecessarily fussy don’t worry. Just move on to the next company on your list. The kind of people you need will welcome your questions and be happy to answer them honestly.
The kind of things you want to know will be. What experience do the team who’ll be handling your goods have in this kind of work? What training have they had? You also need to know how experienced the company itself is in this field. How long have they been involved in the moving of works of art and other high value items?
When moving large, bulky items,
Piano removal for example, ask about removal of sash windows. If the removal is from a flat, external elevator equipment might be called for too. Do they carry out such work or do they have someone of the right calibre to call in who can be relied upon to turn up on time.
Check everything you can, not just the price. Cheapest is rarely best anyway. Take nothing on trust. Companies of the calibre you need will be happy to produce evidence to back up what they tell you. You should insist on references. They’ll probably be offered anyway, and do follow them up. Most referees will be only too pleased to tell you what you need to know. Whichever company you finally select, the items they’ll be moving for you are probably irreplaceable at any price so taking a bit of trouble over choosing them is essential if only for your peace of mind.
Don’t even consider doing the packing yourself for fine art shipping even if you happen to be an expert in the field yourself. If you do the contractor won’t accept liability for any damage that does occur. If you are such an expert, you’ll be aware of that anyway.
The upshot of you taking all this care should be that your removal job will go smoothly and everything will arrive safe and sound. It may have been expensive but compared with the value of your precious items, and indeed your peace of mind, it’ll have been worth every penny.
Author Bio
Cadogan Tate –
removal company provides well-managed removals for your home and office. Experts in packing, storage, specialist cleaning, installation and transport, of even your most valued possessions such as antiques, fragile china,
fine art or glass. Cadogan Tate will plan and organize every detail of your move.
If you are looking to move your home or office in the UK or overseas, then visit
http://www.cadogantate.com. Our well-trained crew will be more than happy to help.
Contact Details
Contact name: Richard Tomkinson
Fine Art Logistics Limited
Cadogan House,
6 - 12 Ponton Road,
Nine Elms,
London
SW8 5BA
Tel +44(0) 800 988 6013
Fax +44 (0) 207 819 6601
