Moving Into a Denver High-Rise: What You Need to Know

What to Expect When Moving Into a Denver High-Rise

Moving into a Denver high-rise comes with some incredible perks. Great views, walkable neighborhoods, and easy access to everything the city has to offer can make high-rise living hard to beat.

Getting your belongings up there, however, takes a little more planning. Unlike moving into a house, you usually can't pull a moving truck into the driveway and start unloading.

Depending on the building, you may need to reserve a freight elevator, coordinate access to a loading dock, determine where the moving truck can park, and check in with building management or security. Some buildings may also have specific moving hours, insurance requirements, or HOA rules that need to be followed.

The good news is that most of these challenges are easy to manage when they're addressed ahead of time. A little preparation before moving day can help your movers work more efficiently, avoid unnecessary delays, and keep your high-rise move running smoothly.

Why High-Rise Moves Require Extra Planning

The biggest difference between moving into a house and a high-rise is usually access.

With a house, the moving truck can often park relatively close to the front door. In a high-rise, there may be quite a journey between the truck and your new living room.

Movers might need to unload through a loading dock, travel down long hallways, wait for an elevator, and repeat that process dozens of times. The farther the crew has to travel, and the more steps involved in getting your belongings from one point to the other, the more time the move can take.

That is why it's important to tell your moving company exactly what they're working with. Where can the truck park? What floor are you moving to? Is there a loading dock? How far is the elevator from your unit? These details can make a significant difference when estimating how long your move will take.

For larger or more complicated high-rise moves, Movemasters may recommend an on-site estimate. Two moves with a similar amount of furniture can take very different amounts of time depending on the building and its access.

Seeing the building beforehand helps the estimator understand the path your belongings will actually take from your home to the truck. That can lead to a more accurate estimate and a better plan for moving day.

Reserving Elevators and Loading Docks

If your building has a freight elevator, find out how reservations work as early as possible.

Before scheduling your move, check with building management or your HOA about any restrictions on moving days, hours, or elevator use. Some Denver buildings don't allow moves or freight elevator reservations on weekends, while others may have limited time slots available. Once you know the building's requirements and your moving date, reserve the elevator as soon as possible.

Not sure how much time to reserve? Ask your Movemasters estimator. The size of your move, floor level, distance between the elevator and the truck, and overall building access can all help determine how much time you may need. When possible, leave yourself some extra time so the crew isn't working against a reservation that ends before the move is finished.

Having a freight elevator reserved exclusively for your move can also save a significant amount of time. Instead of making individual trips or waiting for residents to use the elevator, the crew can stage furniture and boxes, fill the elevator, and move a larger group of items between floors at once. This means fewer trips back and forth, less waiting, and fewer belongings sitting in hallways or common areas.

That efficiency can also save you money. Because moving time is billed hourly, reducing unnecessary elevator delays can help keep the move moving and limit time spent waiting.

The loading dock deserves the same attention. Confirm where the moving truck is allowed to park and whether the building has any height, length, or access restrictions. Sharing those details with your moving company ahead of time helps ensure the crew arrives with a truck that can properly access the building.

Understanding HOA Requirements and Certificates of Insurance (COIs)

This is where high-rise moves can start to feel like they come with a little homework.

Every building is different. Some have fairly simple moving policies, while others have specific requirements that must be completed before a moving crew is allowed inside.

Depending on the building, you may need to follow designated moving hours, pay a move-in or move-out deposit, use a specific loading area, check in with security, or arrange access using specific keys or fobs. Some buildings may also require protection for elevators, floors, or other common areas.

If your building requires a COI, ask your property manager or HOA for their exact insurance requirements or a sample COI and send that information to Movemasters. We provide COIs at no additional charge and will send the requirements to our insurance broker to have the certificate prepared. If necessary, we can also communicate with building management regarding the COI requirements.

This isn't something you want to leave until the night before your move. Movemasters recommends contacting your property manager or HOA at least two to three weeks before moving day when possible. This gives you time to understand the building's requirements, complete any necessary paperwork, and make sure everything is ready before the crew arrives.

Preparing for Moving Day

Once the reservations and paperwork are handled, the goal becomes pretty simple: keep the crew moving.

Unless Movemasters is providing packing services, have your boxes packed, taped, and ready before the crew arrives. Labeling boxes by room can also make unloading more efficient by helping the crew know where everything belongs at your new home.

Make sure keys, fobs, access codes, and building contacts are ready before the crew arrives. If the building staff needs to unlock the loading area or freight elevator, confirm they'll be available during your reservation.

Parking is another important consideration, especially in areas like Downtown Denver, LoDo, RiNo, Cherry Creek, and Capitol Hill, where street parking and loading areas can be limited. Find out ahead of time where the moving truck is permitted to park. If your building and local parking rules allow it, having an appropriate loading or parking area available when the crew arrives can prevent a long walk to the truck and save considerable time.

And don't forget about the things that aren't so easy to squeeze into an elevator.

Large sectionals, oversized mattresses, exercise equipment, appliances, and other bulky furniture may require additional planning or disassembly. Let your estimator know about these items ahead of time and provide photos or measurements when necessary. This can help determine whether an item will fit through doorways, hallways, and elevators or whether another plan is needed.

Let your estimator know about these items ahead of time. Photos and measurements can help determine whether something needs to be disassembled or if another plan is needed.

Sometimes, even the best planning meets a stubborn couch.

On one downtown Denver high-rise move, Movemasters arrived to discover that the customer's oversized sectional wouldn't fit in the elevator. After evaluating the options, the crew determined that the sectional could safely be carried up through the stairwell.

The only catch? Twenty-two flights of stairs.

Two crew members carried the sectional all the way up until it finally reached the customer's living room. When they finished, the customer's reaction was simple: “You actually did it!”

Yes, they did.

It's an extreme example, but it's also a pretty good reminder of why communicating about oversized furniture before moving day can save everyone a surprise.

When Storage Can Simplify a High-Rise Move

Sometimes the problem isn't getting into the building. It's making sure the timing lines up.

Closing dates can change, renovations can run behind schedule, or your current home may need to be empty before your new one is ready. With a high-rise, you can also run into a situation where the building's next available elevator or move-in window doesn't line up with your move-out date.

That's where storage can help bridge the gap.

Movemasters can move belongings into its storage facility and schedule delivery once the new residence is ready. This can be especially helpful when your move-in schedule is limited by building availability or there's a gap between your move-out and move-in dates.

Movemasters offers clean, climate-controlled, racked storage with 24-hour security monitoring, and storage can be prorated for partial months.

Why Experience Matters When Moving Into a Denver High-Rise

No two Denver high-rises are exactly alike.

Two buildings just a few blocks apart can have completely different layouts and moving requirements. One might have an easily accessible loading dock and dedicated freight elevator, while another may involve a parking garage, height restrictions, limited moving hours, or a long distance between the truck and your unit.

That's why experience isn't just about knowing how to move furniture. It's also knowing what questions to ask and how to prepare before moving day.

During the estimating process, Movemasters takes the time to understand the building, the access, and any challenges that could affect your move. Identifying those details ahead of time helps us provide a more accurate estimate and build a better plan for moving day.

When the crew arrives, they'll do a walkthrough with you and develop a game plan for the move. Depending on the building and the job, our crews come prepared with dollies, four-wheels, Speed Packs, carts, tools, and other moving equipment to efficiently move belongings through long hallways, loading areas, and elevators.

Protecting your belongings is just as important. Furniture is padded and shrink-wrapped as needed for protection, and our crews bring tools for furniture that may need to be disassembled and reassembled to safely move through the building.

With a high-rise move, the right preparation and equipment can make a big difference. The more we understand about the building and your belongings ahead of time, the better prepared our crew can be when moving day arrives.

Ready for Your Denver High-Rise Move?

A little preparation can make a big difference when you're moving several floors up.

Talk to your building management early. Understanding your building's requirements, communicating those details with your moving company, and having a plan in place before moving day can help everything run more smoothly.

Movemasters has been helping people move throughout Denver since 1981. From navigating downtown high-rises and coordinating challenging building access to figuring out what to do when a couch simply refuses to cooperate with an elevator, we've handled just about every kind of moving-day challenge.

Whether you're moving into your first Denver condo, relocating between high-rises, or simply heading a few floors higher, we're here to help you plan the move and get your belongings where they need to go.

Every move starts somewhere. Request a free moving quote and tell us about yours, and we'll take it from there.