Piano Removal in Orange County

Upright vs. grand: different jobs

Upright pianos (300-500 lbs) are the straightforward case: wrapped, dollied, and carried by a 2-3 person crew. Most uprights go through standard doorways without disassembly. Typical local removal: $200 to $400 depending on stairs and distance.

Grand and baby grand pianos (500-1,200 lbs) are a different operation: legs and pedal lyre come off, the body goes on a skid board, and a 4-6 person crew moves it. Typical local removal: $400 to $1,000+, with stairs, tight turns, or crane work pushing higher. If a quote doesn't distinguish upright from grand pricing, the estimator hasn't thought about your piano.

Specialty equipment (why this isn't a two-friends-and-a-truck job)

• Piano dollies: heavy-duty four-wheel dollies rated for the weight -- furniture dollies flex and fail.
• Skid boards: grands travel on padded skid boards, strapped down -- this is the standard the industry uses.
• Straps and padding: moving blankets plus ratchet straps; keys and legs get separate protection.
• Stair equipment: powered stair-climbers or shoulder-dolly systems for staircases -- the injury zone for amateurs.

Ask what equipment the crew brings. 'We'll figure it out on site' is the wrong answer for a 900-pound grand on a staircase.

Crew-size math and stairs

Uprights: 2-3 crew on flat ground, 3-4 with stairs. Grands: 4 minimum, 5-6 with stairs or tight turns. Stairs add $50 to $150 per flight depending on the company -- and spiral staircases or landings that need the piano tilted vertically are specialty work that should be quoted, not discovered.

Measure before you call: doorway widths, stairwell clearances, and any turns. A grand that fit through the door when the house was built (before the addition) doesn't always fit out the same way. Photos of the piano, the stairs, and the path out get you an accurate quote instead of a revised one.

The quote-before-move rule

Piano moves get quoted before anything is touched -- weight, stairs, distance, and disassembly are all known upfront, so there's no reason for a vague price. Reputable movers give a firm number after seeing photos or doing a walkthrough, and they honor it. Red flags: hourly pricing with no cap (the incentive runs the wrong way), no mention of insurance, or a crew that shows up without a skid board for a grand.

After the move: pianos need re-tuning once they've settled in the new spot (2-4 weeks). Budget $150-$250 for the tuning -- it's part of the move's true cost, not an afterthought. And if the piano is being removed for disposal rather than relocation: working pianos often find takers through donation or free listings, but non-working uprights are genuinely hard to place -- hauling is frequently the honest answer.

Frequently asked questions