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I live in a multi family home, which I own. It was once a single family home. My apartment is made up of the second floor of the building, for which I have included a not-to-scale floor plan below. The hallway marked with (1) is unusually narrow, and has plumbing and electrical pipes on the right side of it further narrowing the useful space. This poses a challenge for moving bulky items in and out of the living room (marked with (2)).

Right now, I have a couch located in the bedroom (marked with (0)) and I want it in the living room (marked with (2)). I tried to move it through the only hallway (marked with (1)) to the living room, but it would not fit. If I were to do extensive plumbing and roof work (one of the pipes is a vent), it might just barely fit. I have also considered adding a door between the two bedrooms, since the route from the top bedroom to the living room and kitchen does not require any unusually narrow passages (the floor plan is not to scale), but I have reason to believe that this wall is structural so that is going to be an expensive option since due to my personal skill profile I'd need a professional to be involved. I could handle it in a non-structural wall, I think.

Are there any other ways to do this? I have considered using windows to move bulky items in and out, but as this is on the second floor, that seems hard: I'd need a stable and decently large platform to maneuver bulky items through the windows, and I don't know of any affordable way to obtain that.

Diagram showing floor plan of apartment

isherwood
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volcanosandwich
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2 Answers2

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Would it be possible to add an entrance anywhere to the second floor? Then a small balcony could be added, and maybe even a little hoist to assist with bringing the items up the stairs. It would be costly, but if a load bearing will just be modified anyways it could be a possibility.

As for a cheaper alternative, I've lived in a fifth wheel trailer for several years and when we move furniture in and out sometimes we have to dismantle it. Most recliners and couches I've run across you can remove the staples from the back of the upholstery and then unscrew the back and it will fold over and fit in a narrow area. Then it can be screwed back in and the staples replaced once the move is complete. It may not be an option but it could be worth checking into as it worked for me when I replaced my couch.

isherwood
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Tawny Lee Halterman
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You sound like you've currently got a wall between the stairwell and the hall. If this isn't structural, perhaps it could be replaced with a banister or dwarf wall and you could then carry big things above the rail.

Of course if the doorway (it's not clear from your sketch whether there's even a door in it) from the stairwell to you hall is the entrance to your apartment, that's not really an option, but such conversions often have the front door at the bottom of the stairs.

Chris H
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