A sofa delivery is one of the more involved home deliveries there is: large, heavy, and going to the room of your choice rather than the front door. Planning is the key to a smooth delivery! Here’s how to make sure yours goes without a hitch.
Measure every space the sofa has to pass through
This is the step that catches people out, and it’s worth doing carefully. The relevant dimensions aren’t just the sofa itself, they’re every doorway, hallway, and staircase the crew needs to carry it through to reach its final position.
Measure your front door opening, any internal hallways, and the doorway of the room it’s going into. A standard UK door opening is around 74cm wide, which is usually sufficient, but older properties, narrow hallways, and tight corners can all create problems. If the sofa is going upstairs, measure the stairwell width and the height of the stairwell ceiling at its lowest point, since a sofa being tilted to navigate a turn takes up more vertical space than you’d expect.
Check whether your sofa has removable legs. Many sofas do, and taking them off can make the difference between a straightforward delivery and a very difficult one. If yours do detach, leave the legs off or easily accessible so the crew can remove them quickly if needed.
For corner sofas and large sectionals, trace the full route from your front door to the room and think about every turn the crew will need to make. These aren’t impossible to navigate, but knowing the tightest point in advance helps.
Walk through the delivery route
Once you’ve measured, take a walk through the delivery path with fresh eyes. Are there coat racks, freestanding shelving or shoe storage near the front door? Clear them out of the way before the delivery team arrives.
If there are pictures or mirrors hanging in a narrow hallway or on the stairwell wall, take them down – not because the crew can’t work around them, but because they’re much easier to move before a sofa is in the space than after. The same goes for any floor-standing lamps or side tables along the route.
If a door along the route doesn’t open fully because of furniture or a tight fit, address it now. An internal door that only opens 60 degrees instead of 90 can be the thing that turns a straightforward delivery into a very slow one.
Plan for the old sofa
If you’re replacing an existing sofa, don’t leave this as an afterthought. The old one needs to be clear of the space before the new one can go in, and if you haven’t arranged for it to be taken away, you’ll need somewhere to put it.
If your retailer has arranged collection of your old sofa as part of your delivery (AIT offers this as a service at the point of delivery), the crew will take the existing sofa away for responsible disposal. Check in advance that this has been booked and confirm the details so there are no surprises on the day. If disposal isn’t included, make sure the old sofa is already moved out of the room, or at least positioned so that the crew has clear access to where the new one is going.
Prepare the room
Clear the area where the sofa will be placed before the crew arrives. This means more than just moving the coffee table: think about the full footprint of the sofa, including enough space for two people to safely carry and position it. Rolled-up rugs can bunch underfoot and create a trip hazard, so either secure them or move them out of the way temporarily.
It’s also worth deciding exactly where you want the sofa positioned before delivery day, not on it. The crew will place it where you direct them, but repositioning a three-seater once it’s in the room is a heavy and awkward job that most people prefer to do only once.
What to expect on delivery day
If your retailer uses AIT Home Delivery, you’ll receive a confirmed 2-hour delivery window on the morning of your delivery, along with a live GPS tracking link so you can see the crew’s progress and know when to expect them. The driver will also call 30–60 minutes before arrival to confirm you’re home.
A two-person delivery team will carry the sofa to your room of choice and position it where you want it. All packaging is removed from the property and taken away for recycling, so you won’t be left with a stack of cardboard and plastic wrap to deal with.
Check everything over before the delivery team leaves
Once the sofa is in position, take a few minutes to look it over properly. Check the fabric or leather for any marks, scuffs, or signs of transit damage, and make sure all sections and components are present if it’s a modular piece. It’s far easier to flag something on the spot, while the crew is still there and everything is documented, than to discover a problem the next day.
If anything isn’t right, the crew can note it at the point of delivery. Don’t sign off on anything until you’re happy.
Find out more about our two-person sofa and furniture delivery service.
