JunkBossPro Blog — Estimates & Quotes

Quoting Piano Removal: Uprights, Grands, Stairs and Crew Size

Old pianos are a classic junk removal call. Nobody plays it, it has not been tuned in decades, and the family wants the space back. A piano takes up only a small part of the truck, but it is heavy, top-heavy and easy to damage a house with on the way out. That makes it a specialty item, and it should be priced like one.

A Small Space, a Big Job

Hot tubs were covered in Quoting Hot Tub Removal: Access, Cutting, Weight and the Haul. Pianos share the same problem: the item is not big on the truck, but the labor to get it there is.

A piano removal price has to cover enough people, the right equipment, care for the customer's floors and doorways, and the time it takes on stairs. Putting piano removal on your service list as its own service keeps that consistent. It also stops anyone on your team from quoting it like a dresser.

Uprights vs. Grands

The type of piano changes the job:

• Spinet and console. The smaller uprights. Still heavy for their size, but usually manageable on flat ground.
• Full upright. Tall, heavy and top-heavy. Stairs make it a much bigger job.
• Baby grand and grand. Often need the legs and lid taken off and the body moved on its side. More hands, more equipment, more time.

Many companies keep separate lines on their service list for upright and grand removal. Ask the customer which one it is, and ask for a photo. People often call any piano a “grand.”

Questions to Ask

• Upright or grand? Roughly how tall or long?
• Which floor is it on? How many steps inside and outside?
• Any tight turns, narrow doors or landings?
• How far from the door to where the truck can park?
• Is the bench going too? Anything else going while you are there?

Ask the customer to text or email photos of the piano and the path out, especially stairs. If the path looks tricky, book an on-site estimate visit. In JunkBossPro, that visit is a job on the schedule like any other.

Stairs and Extra Labor

Stairs are where piano jobs get expensive. Build that into your list instead of guessing each time:

• A base piano removal service for ground-level or one or two steps
• An extra labor line for a flight of stairs, priced per flight if you like
• A difficult-access line for tight turns, long carries or spiral stairs

Put each one on the estimate separately, so the customer can see why a piano in a basement costs more than one in a living room.

Crew Size and the Schedule

A piano is not a one-person pickup. Make sure the crew on the job is the right size, and that the truck has the equipment it needs. In JunkBossPro, the dispatch board shows jobs by day and truck, and employees have truck assignments, so the office can put the piano on the day and truck with enough people.

The crew's phone shows the job card: the item, what is going (“Full upright piano and bench, front room”), the access notes (“5 steps at the front door, park in the driveway”) and where it is hauled to.

Where It Goes

Most old pianos end up at the dump or transfer station. Some companies take parts to a metal recycler. Occasionally a piano in decent shape might find a home through a donation center, if they accept it; that is their decision, so check before promising the customer anything. JunkBossPro records the haul-to spot on the job, with a Go button for navigation.

Pianos are dense, so if your price includes a set weight, mention it and your per-ton rate past it. Dump fee overage is added from the ticket automatically.

Protecting the House

The fastest way to lose money on a piano job is to damage a floor, a door frame or a wall on the way out. Plan for protection in the price: floor runners, door jamb protection and moving blankets take a few minutes to set up and save you from a repair bill. Note it on the estimate so the customer knows you take care of their home.

If the house has fresh hardwood floors or a narrow, finished staircase, mention it in the job notes. The crew can plan the route through the house before they lift anything.

Writing the Estimate

A clear piano estimate might read:

• Piano Removal — full upright, front room
• Stairs — one exterior flight
• Bench included
• Floors and doorways protected during removal

Send it for online approval. When the customer approves, it becomes the scheduled job with every line carried over. If you quote pianos often, save the common version as a template; templates are covered in Junk Removal Estimate Templates for the Jobs You Quote Every Week.

For how specialty item quotes connect to approval, scheduling and invoicing, visit the JunkBossPro junk removal estimate software page.