stephmodo: Through the Front Door?

Through the Front Door?

• 25 August 2009

Nah...too easy!

We cannot fit large furniture up our stairway so everything going into the second or third floor of the cottage must fit through the 2nd story window. It's been such a pain as many of our choices of furnishings had to be eliminated due to a few centimeters difference. Drat! In the third level we even had a false wall built just so we could squeeze a large bed in the master suite. Typically everything in Europe is smaller than in the US, so these issues should be expected I suppose; but add in "very old home" aspect and you've got yourself one logistical nightmare :)

We drew a small crowd during the 15 minutes it took 4 men to get this 200-year-old armoire into La Maisonnette. It was great fun to watch, especially after it was certain they'd make it! I really love this piece...

Images 1 & 2:

1) Preparing the armoire for take off

2) Let the games commence...slight panic on the 2nd floor

























Images 3 & 4:

3) Two men on the 2nd floor hold down the fort while the Husband heads to the 3rd story and the other to the truck to grab a ladder

4) Help arrives to the 3rd story (see husband hanging out of window) and the armoire is finally past the balcony in a safe position


























Images 5 & 6:

5) In order to slide the armoire over the crest of the railing, Batiste (on the ladder) had to stand on his tippy toes, grab onto the 2nd story railing, from the 1st story mind you, and tip it over the edge. Well executed don't you think?

6) Just barely inside...we made it! and only with a few very minor scratches. pfew.


























So far the following have made it through this balcony in a similar fashion:

* 4 mattresses
* entertainment armoire
* 6 boxsprings
* 1 couch
* 1 headboard
* 1 clawfoot bathtub

8 comments:

  1. hilarious! glad everything made it up okay

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  2. oh my word! I was so worried this would be us with our couch when we moved out of our last German apt into the new one! Congrats on making it through!

    Boxspring tip: you can make 2 cuts in their frames (if they're wooden) at the top and bottom centers to "fold" the boxspring in half and then just tack on a reinforcement strip of wood or simply let it rest as-is in the bed frame. Had to do this back in the US in an old house! So thankful most European furniture can be disassembled to smaller pieces!

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  3. The clawfoot tub must have been a terrifying feat! Those old cast iron ones are unbearably heavy!

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  4. I love that you documented the process!

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  5. wow - I hope you have the same 4 guys do all of this so there is no additional learning curve!

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  6. Everything looks so good! The garden eating area, the inside, the front. All so different from when we were there in April. You have done SO MUCH in such a short time. Soon you will be breathing a sigh of relief...well deserved!

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  7. I can't believe you got a bathtub up there the same way! That's crazy!

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  8. This just made my day. Where there's a will, there's a way!!

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