Austin Movers in Tarrytown: Serving Homes Near Lake Austin Blvd

Moving Older Single-Family Homes Near Tarrytown   

Many residences situated on Lake Austin Blvd and its offshoots were constructed approximately during 1965. Consequently, these homes feature slim corridors, vintage wood flooring, and entryways not designed for today's oversized sectional sofas. As we're in Tarrytown houses frequently, these mid-century architectural characteristics keep our team on our toes. As a local moving company, we plan each Tarrytown job around these older layouts.

Approximately 80% of the properties in this zone are detached single-family dwellings. These structures often have substantial yards, large ancient oaks, and extensive paved drives sloping downward from the road. However, the houses have characteristics that could present moving challenges:

• Vintage tile floors in entryways, vulnerable to damage from rolling heavy pieces
• Garages originally built for single vehicles that have since become additional rooms or offices, with doorways that aren't ideal for large furniture
• Multi-level living spaces around Exposition Blvd, necessitating stair navigation on every movement
• Protruding limbs over the front yard, making it difficult to transport tall items

We use moving blankets and shrink wrap in order to protect any piece of furniture before it's placed within a house. That 60-year-old hardwood floor won't take kindly to a dresser being dropped down. Furthermore, a lot of the crown molding in the Tarrytown area is vintage, so we check out the measurements of each room, each door, before we maneuver anything in there.

Those that own homes in this community typically have lived there for a long time. The average age of this population is 47, and many have called the community home for a long time. Therefore, when they do decide to move, it can be a large move. Storage containers in the attic that haven't been cracked open since the kids left the nest. A piano in the living room that came with the house. A large display china cabinet weighing in excess of what's visually apparent. We provide services for moving pianos, heavy item moving, and all the packing required for these kinds of moves. One Tarrytown client living near Pecos had a grand piano that had to be squeezed through a sunroom with a door frame that was just 28-inches wide. We unscrewed the legs, we wrapped up the frame, we gently slid it out without leaving a mark on the frame.

Remodels occur regularly in this area. A lot of the properties around here have been changed over, with an addition being attached to the original size, or with a second floor added. Thus, you may find there's a structural wall in a very odd spot and the flooring might not exactly line up on either side of the floor transition. Each room is evaluated before we start the actual work is done to move items out. Any tight spots are measured and documented, as are any flooring transitions where furniture must be tilted or taken apart prior to moving.

A summer move in Tarrytown has different challenges. Trees provide some shade over the street but by noon on July days it's still a sweltering 100 degree heat. We schedule early morning starts for the Lake Austin Blvd area, usually rolling our trucks up the street around 7 a.m. before the air is too oppressive.

And storage comes up with these moves quite a bit. Clients moving out of a four-bedroom Tarrytown residence into a downtown condominium can't always get everything moved into their new place within a single day. We provide temporary and permanent storage options so you can take your time evaluating your belongings and making decisions rather than making quick choices regarding Grandma's furniture at the curb.

These aren't just cookie cutter subdivision residences. Each house on the block has its own distinct plan and its own distinct moving challenges. That's why we walk the property first, every time.

How Our Movers Reach the Tarrytown Area   

We're located right off MoPac at 901 S MoPac Expy, Suite 300. Which means we're as close to Tarrytown as a moving crew can get while not parking on the streets that border Lake Austin Blvd.

Here's the route our trucks usually take:

1. Head out onto southbound MoPac from our parking lot.
2. Exit to either Windsor Road or Enfield Road, depending on where we're going.
3. Turn east at either Windsor or Enfield, and continue until we hit Exposition Boulevard.
4. Head south down Exposition Blvd onto any streets along the Pecos/Lake corridor.
5. For the houses closest to the water, we head down Lake Austin Blvd to where it intersects with Exposition Blvd, and head west.

About seven minutes if it's morning, when we have the road to ourselves. About twelve, if it's MoPac rush hour. Either way, our trips to the Tarrytown neighborhood are among the shortest of the day.

But we don't brag about how close we can get to your home. We brag about what our crews know when the truck shows up. The neighborhood has trees with wide canopies that overhang driveways, such as on Westover Road, or Bonnie Road. We know where we need to park on the street to reach houses, or where we can drive in the driveway. We know that a twenty-six-foot box truck has a problem getting around the curve at the base of Robinhood Trail when cars are parked in front.

We also know that we'll likely find original hardwood floors on entryways and hallways on the houses we move in and out of in the Tarrytown neighborhood. Most were built in the mid-1960s, when the houses first were constructed. Narrow hallways. Built-in cupboards and bookshelves, and other built-ins that aren't designed to fit around furniture and large appliances. We protect your hardwood floors before we move anything in or out of the home. That's not a suggestion. That's what the homes we move in require of us.

In general, the Tarrytown neighborhood has two types of residential buildings. The older, ranch-style houses. Or newer, larger houses built on the same lots. The latter often have wider doors leading inside the home, or have open floor plans that accommodate the same. The former have narrower doors and hallways, and more rooms divided by doors and hallways. The crew we send into a 1,400-square-foot home on Westover is different from the crew we send into a 4,000-square-foot home on Townes Lane. We've planned for these differences before we pull away from our office.

The roads leading to the homes are often busy, especially on Lake Austin Boulevard on weekends. Near the Hula Hut boat ramp, and especially near Red Bud Isle. That means you don't want your mover caught on that end of the road at 11 a.m. on Saturday, stuck behind dozens of boats that have trailers being unloaded on that same stretch. We've planned for that.

The last thing I'll note. The neighborhood sits near the Casis Elementary School. Which creates a small, but real issue with traffic around 7:30 or 7:45 on week days. We avoid the traffic, and move our crews in at 7:30 in the morning, or wait until 8:15 or 8:30. Either way, the time we spend dealing with traffic doesn't eat into our time on your home.

The bottom line is that since we're that close to the Tarrytown neighborhood, there's no travel charge for moving there. It also means if an emergency arises in the middle of a move, our office is just minutes away.

Things Longtime Homeowners Should Know Before a Move   

The majority of houses on Lake Austin Blvd and the adjacent streets in Tarrytown were constructed around the mid-1960s. That's nearly sixty years of habitation. Six decades of built-in bookcases, hefty antiques that have been dragged into the furthest corners of the home, and a garage that over the years has quietly become storage for items no one wants to discuss.

We regularly witness this in Tarrytown. A family has lived in the same house on Pecos Street or Westover Road for over two decades. When they contact us for an estimate, they remark, "We really don't have that much stuff." However, once our crew begins the walkthrough, we invariably discover three attic fulls, a piano sitting in the living room, and heavy outdoor patio furniture that outweighs many sedans.

That isn't a criticism. It's just the reality of owning a home for this long in a neighborhood of this stability. With a high percentage (approximately 88%) of owner-occupied homes in the area, people are established, and they have accumulated things. Those things necessitate a deliberate, well-planned strategy on moving day.

This is what often catches long-term Tarrytown homeowners by surprise:

• The majority of these older single-family homes have narrow passages, cramped staircases, and original doorways that won't accept a contemporary king mattress without taking it apart
• The large oaks along the streets frequently obstruct truck access, which is why we always recommend scouting a location for the parking and setup of the truck before your move
• The presence of built-in shelving and cabinetry may occasionally conceal wall damage behind them, which is why you want to exercise caution while relocating everything to ensure there are no unpleasant surprises on moving day for the buyer/seller
• It's not uncommon for these homes to house large objects for moving, such as a gun safe, a table with a stone top, or an antique upright piano

There's also the issue of the garage. Tarrytown garages can be a bit legendary, as you might guess. Decades of Christmas decorations, a sports collection, and tools from a previous project or two over time. When moving, our full-service packing can assist in these scenarios. We organize, protect, and pack for you, so that on your final weekend, you aren't stuck deep in bubble wrap.

A frequently overlooked aspect is how moving heavy items of furniture differs if they are vintage antiques. A mid-century credenza from 1965 is not flexible like modern furniture from a retailer. It's heavy, it's not built for flex, and it will get marred. That's the same care and regard that should be given when you move the furniture in this neighborhood.

Yet, the most common mistake we see? Waiting to start. Most homeowners who have lived here for a long time are reluctant to do it because they perceive it as being far away. Then, all of a sudden, it's August, the heat index is 104, and it is impossible to find an available moving truck on Lake Austin Blvd. The heat off Lake Austin Blvd alone will slow down a crew that isn't prepared for it.

Regardless of whether you are relocating to a different property in the neighborhood near Perry Lane or moving down to a condo elsewhere, we offer storage options for short term storage and long term storage. It is not unusual for Tarrytown homeowners to require storage for some furniture while they move into their new residence, and we frequently see this.

You have lived here for years. The departure should be as thoughtfully handled as the years of your stay.

Frequently Asked Questions

How fast can your movers get to a home near Lake Austin Blvd?

We're usually there in about seven minutes during off-peak hours, or around twelve minutes if it's MoPac rush hour. Our shop sits just off MoPac, so trips into Tarrytown are some of the shortest on our schedule. We take Windsor or Enfield Road over to Exposition Blvd, then head into the Lake Austin corridor.

Will my 1960s Tarrytown home's narrow hallways be a problem for movers?

Not for our crew, but they do change how we work. Most homes near Lake Austin Blvd were built around 1965, so you'll often find narrow hallways, original hardwood floors, and built-in cabinets that weren't designed with modern furniture in mind. We measure doorways and tight spots before we start, and wrap floors and furniture to prevent scuffs or dents.

Do I need to worry about tree branches or driveway access for a move in Tarrytown?

Yes, it's worth planning for. Streets like Westover Road and Robinhood Trail have wide tree canopies and tight curves that can make it hard for a large box truck to maneuver, especially with cars parked along the curb. We scout parking and driveway access ahead of time so your moving day stays on schedule.