Specialized Apartment Challenges in Boston
Garden-Level and Basement Apartments
Garden-level and basement units are common in Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, and older sections of Brighton. These are below-grade or partially below-grade apartments accessed by exterior stairs leading down from street level or through a shared side entrance.
The challenge here is not vertical distance but ceiling height and entry width. Basement apartments often have ceilings between 6.5 and 7.5 feet, which limits how tall furniture can be tilted during entry. Doorways may be shorter than standard (sometimes 6 feet 4 inches instead of 6 feet 8 inches), requiring items like bookshelves, armoires, and tall dressers to be disassembled before they will clear the frame.
Exterior access can be tight as well, particularly in Cambridge. If the entry is a set of concrete steps down from a narrow side yard, large items need to be lowered at an angle. We bring moving straps and ramp sections for controlled descent. Moisture is also a consideration. Basement apartments can have damp conditions in spring and early summer, so we take extra care wrapping upholstered items and use plastic sheeting when conditions call for it.
Victorian Conversions
Victorian-era homes converted into multi-unit apartments are found across Jamaica Plain, West Medford, Melrose, Roslindale, and parts of Newton. Unlike triple-deckers, which were built as multi-family structures, Victorian conversions started as single-family homes and were divided later. The layouts are often irregular, with split-level staircases, non-standard doorway widths, and hallways that were not designed for moving furniture.
Shared entries are common. The front door opens into a vestibule with separate unit doors, and the stairway to upper units was often the original home’s main staircase. These staircases can be wider than triple-decker stairs but come with curves, landings at odd angles, and sometimes low-clearance archways between floors.
Victorian conversions are unpredictable. Two buildings on the same street can have completely different interior layouts. For this reason, we recommend a virtual or in-person walkthrough before quoting Victorian conversion moves. Our estimator will assess doorway widths, stair geometry, and any points where disassembly or alternative routing may be needed.
Moving on September 1 in Boston
Roughly 165,000 apartment leases in Greater Boston share a September 1 start date. This concentration is unique to the Boston market. It creates the busiest moving window in any American city, running from approximately August 28 through September 2.
If your lease starts September 1, here is what you need to know about timing and availability. Book six to eight weeks ahead. Moving companies, including ours, fill September dates faster than any other month. By mid-July, weekends before September 1 are usually fully booked. Mid-week dates stay available longer, and if your landlord allows early access on August 28 or 29, a Wednesday move is significantly easier to schedule.
Expect peak pricing. Demand drives rates up during the September window. This is industry-wide, not specific to any one company. Booking earlier in the week and earlier in the day helps. Morning start times fill first.
Pack before the crew arrives. On September 1, our crews are often running two moves in a single day. If boxes are not packed and ready when the team arrives, the clock runs while you finish, and the next customer’s start time gets pushed. Having everything boxed, sealed, and stacked near the door saves time and money.
Confirm building logistics early. Elevator reservations and parking permits during the September window fill up at both origin and destination buildings. File permits two weeks ahead. Confirm elevator time slots as soon as your move date is set.
Building Paperwork Checklist
Different buildings require different documentation. Continental Moving handles most of this on your behalf once you provide building contact information. Here is what we commonly encounter across the Boston market.
Certificate of Insurance (COI): Required by most managed buildings, condo associations, and some landlords. We provide this at no charge.
Elevator reservation: Buildings with freight elevators require scheduled time blocks. We coordinate directly with management.
Move-in/move-out form: Some buildings require a signed form listing the date, moving company, and crew size.
Security deposit: Refundable deposits ranging from $250 to $1,000 are collected by some managed buildings to cover potential damage to common areas.
Parking permit: We handle all municipal parking permits for both pickup and delivery locations.
Typical Timeframes by Apartment Size
These are average labor-time ranges based on our experience across thousands of Boston apartment moves. Actual times depend on floor level, stair access, building type, and total inventory volume.
Studio or 1-bedroom: 2 to 3 hours with a 2-person crew. One truck, usually a 16-foot box truck. Ground-floor units with parking access run closer to the low end.
2-bedroom: 3 to 5 hours with a 3-person crew. Standard 20-foot truck. Third-floor triple-deckers are at the higher end of this range.
3-bedroom: 4 to 7 hours with a 3 to 4-person crew. 24 to 26-foot truck. Homes with garages or basements storing additional items push toward the upper range.
4-bedroom or larger: 6 to 10 hours with a 4-person crew. May require two trucks depending on volume. Brownstone upper floors at this size are full-day jobs. Continental Moving provides binding estimates after a virtual or in-person walkthrough. The numbers above are guidelines for planning purposes. Your actual quote reflects your specific building, inventory, and access conditions.
