Man and Van in Pontcanna

Getting a wardrobe or a sofa bed down from a top-floor flat in a converted villa is a planning job, not a strength job. We look at where the stairs turn, decide what comes apart first and protect the original bannisters and plaster on the way past. Where a piece genuinely will not make the turn, we say so before the day rather than wedging it in a stairwell.

Tell us the floor and whether the flat is a conversion when you get in touch. It sets the number of hands, and hands are what make a Pontcanna move finish on time.

Much of Pontcanna is resident-permit parking with little slack in it during the day. We work out in advance where a van can legitimately stand and for how long, and we will tell you honestly if a suspended bay through the council is worth arranging for a bigger move rather than gambling on a space.

Where the front is hopeless, a rear lane sometimes gives a better run at it, so it is worth mentioning if your house has one.

The area turns over a lot of good secondhand furniture, and collecting a dresser or a dining table from a Pontcanna address and getting it up someone else's stairs is a job we do most weeks. One item, one price, and we bring the blankets rather than hoping your boot is big enough.