Advice needed - furniture stuck in flat

[JW]

I've just had a failed delivery of a sofa because it won't fit up my stairs (despite ordering one in two pieces and being assured that it would be fine). They also can't get my two old sofas out, which were sold to me by the previous owners because they were so difficult to get in. I now also have some fetching marks on my walls. It hasn't been a great morning!

The only option for getting the old sofas out is to cut them up (the arms don't come off etc.). Which feels wasteful, but the delivery men tried lots of different options to no avail.

Does anybody have any experience of this? Is there a service for breaking up and taking away old furniture? I don't want any more of my flat damaged in the process.

Any tips / advice / recommendations gratefully recieved.

(I'm off to have a little cry)

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Do you have sash windows? These can be removed and furniture lowered down/pulled up via the window.

PS: don't cry: turn that energy into destroying the sofas - it could be fun!

[Jules-and-Boo]

If it came in it must be able to go out.

Having said that, if it's old and hasn't got the fire resistant tags on, you won't be able to give it away.

Chop it up and chuck it out.

As for the new one - if they said it would come in two parts and it didn't, then it's fundamentally different than the item you were led to believe you had purchased. And they would need to refund you.

Sounds like a modular sofa is ideal for you.

[Penguin68]

Many items of large furniture have been brought into rooms through windows - you can remove sash windows entirely - although you will need a good handyman and a crane or hoist to do this - in Amsterdam the very narrow houses actually have hoists on the roofs so that furniture can be brought in that way. Also good furniture removers are amazing at moving stuff - I can recall a (small) upright piano which we were touring with being taken up (and down) a metal spiral staircase - I watched it happen and still couldn't believe it.

[JW]

No sash windows I'm afraid. They really tried to get it out. I need to get the banister and door frames removed to get it out (which is what I think the previous owners had to do too). So I'm opting to get them broken-up instead, which I feel is the lesser of two evils.

I've been given a full refund.

Any recommendations of people offering this very niche service?!

[natty01295]

ND TRY

https://www.sofaassist.com

[Jules-and-Boo]

you just need someone with energy and a saw (and some idea of safety, obviously)

my daughter and my bf took great delight in demolishing mine.

I'm sure if you put an ad on the forum you would get a reply

[JW]

That first link doesn't work (so intrigued now!)

Thanks for the second link!

[lisamirjana]

If you are able to get into the underside of the sofa (cut away the cheap black fabric) you will probably be able to unbolt the components of the sofa. Not as satisfying a using a saw, but potential less messy.

Could you post a picture of the obstinate sofas?

[JW]

You guys are all ace, thanks for helping!

Here's the larger of the two.

[lavender27]

You could try these guys, they are local people. You'll get someone straightaway. Good luck.

taskrabbit.co.uk/

[peckham_ryu]

I bought a large sofa from Habitat, and they offered a special delivery service which included construction the sofa on-site. It was the only way to get it up the narrow stairs (other than putting it together myself - which I later realised wouldn?t have been as hard as I had thought it was).

It was a 3rd party delivery company, that Habitat use regularly. You could ask them for details perhaps, even if you don?t get your furniture there.

[JW]

I always forget Habitat after that closed so many stores - thanks for recommending.

And for the other suggestions too. ED peeps are the best.

[lisamirjana]

Yep, you should be able to take the arms off, although you will have to cut through the leather. It will probably be some sort of bolt arrangement so you'll need two spanners and the vocabulary of an angry sailor.

However, I would strongly suggest that you sort out a new sofa that can be successfully delivered first or you are going to have a very uncomfortable few weeks/months ahead.

[tomskip]

I love this thread - but I'm sorry for your dilemma JW! We once moved a 3 seat sofa bed into a tiny Devon cottage. It had to go over a 5ft high wall into the rear courtyard and in through the back door. One of the movers who achieved this feat was little more than 5ft himself. I'm sorry, I know that's not helpful.

[ruffers]

I had this once, a sofa went in down a narrowing corridor, lobster pot style it wouldn't come out.

Once I'd bitten the bullet and accepted it wasn't coming out I took great pleasure in cutting and smashing it up. Not often you get the chance to let go and smash stuff...

[Northern Star]

We actually cut a hole in the plaster ceiling of the communal staircase once in order to flip our newly bought sofa vertically into our flat as it couldn?t get around a bend in the corridor to our front door any other way! We then made good the plaster ceiling so you couldn?t see it had been touched. (The delivery people left the sofa downstairs as they couldn?t get it in). When we moved we hoisted it down From the balcony....

Sorry, doesn?t help your situation though.

[JW]

What?s reassuring about all this is that I?m not alone in this nonsense!

What I also like are the tales of triumph over adversity. We win, not the sofas.

Mine will get cut up at some point, They?ve had a good innings.

[diable rouge]

JW Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I always forget Habitat after that closed so many

> stores - thanks for recommending.

>

> And for the other suggestions too. ED peeps are

> the best.

In case you haven't yet checked, Habitat has 25% off this weekend, the Tottenham Court Road store is still open... https://www.habitat.co.uk/sofas-armchairs

[Sue]

I can join the sofa resolutions brigade :)

I helped my brother shoehorn a sofa through a ground floor window into his living room.

My own sofa came in two halves (thirty years ago and still going strong. Ish)

Good luck with it all!

[fishbiscuits]

If you're still looking to cut up your old sofa(s), an electric hand saw (e.g. Black and Decker Scorpion) is a good way of doing it. Strangely enjoyable, but rather messy.

[brezzo]

That's a really nice sofa

[teddyboy23]

Leave sofa get another flat

[JohnL]

I cut my old sofa up over a week - cushions/straps removed/ used a sharp knife, started sawing into the body and got it down to a pile of wood :) Oh and I used a hand saw - as I wanted to keep my limbs.

Worst bit was loads of little plastic balls (tiny) that I had to hoover a few times to get off the floor.

Brought a new one from Snug Sofa who make special sofas for flats like mine (in a box)

[Lynne]

Get it re-covered if you're tired of it?