Philadelphia
Piano Removal in
Philadelphia
The old upright that's been in the parlor since before you bought the house, the grand that won't fit the new layout, the childhood piano nobody plays anymore — we maneuver it through the narrow doorway, down the stoop or up from the basement, and haul it for a flat $390 for an upright and $438 for a grand. Careful, planned work, playable pianos donated, and no PA sales tax on the service.
How piano removal works in Philly
1 · Send a photo
Snap the piano and, just as important, the way out — the parlor doorway, the stoop, the basement or trinity stairs. That lets us quote an exact flat price and plan the route.
2 · We plan the move
We bring the piano dolly, straps and padding, protect the doorframe and floors, and — for a grand — remove the legs and lyre to move it on its side. Enough crew to keep it controlled.
3 · Out & on to donation or recycling
We ease it through the door and down to the truck. If it still plays, it's routed to donation; if not, it's broken down and the metal harp recycled. You do nothing.
How much does piano removal cost in Philadelphia?
The price is flat and photo-quoted before anyone drives out — the careful maneuvering, the floor and doorframe protection, and disposal are all in the number. Piano removal is one of the jobs traditional haulers price highest and most unpredictably, because a piano is heavy, valuable to damage, and often stuck behind a tight door. We keep it to two clean numbers, whether the piano rolls straight out the front or has to come up from a basement.
| Item | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Upright / spinet / console piano | $364 |
| Baby grand / grand piano | $438 |
Parlor doorways, stoops, basement stairs, trinity winders and tight one-way streets are all included — no access surcharge, no driveway needed. Have an organ or a piano plus the bench, stool and stacks of sheet music to clear? Send one photo and we'll price it together. No PA sales tax on the service.
Your options for getting rid of a piano in Philadelphia
| Option | Cost | Speed | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| City curbside / 311 bulk program | — | — | The city won't take it — a piano fits neither the two-item curbside limit nor the 311 appliance appointment list, and you couldn't get it to the curb anyway |
| Sell or give it away | Free | Weeks to never | The market for old uprights is thin, and "free, you move it" buyers can't get it out of a rowhouse parlor either |
| Piano-moving company | $186–600+ | Scheduled | Priced for a delivery, not a disposal; still needs a destination, and many won't take a scrap piano off your hands |
| JunkRabbit | $390 upright / $438 grand | Often same day | None — we maneuver it out, donate it if playable or recycle it, you do nothing |
Will the City of Philadelphia take a piano?
No — and unlike a couch or a mattress, a piano doesn't even fit the city's programs on paper. The two-item curbside bulk limit on your trash day assumes you can carry the item to the sidewalk; a 400- to 700-pound piano behind a narrow parlor door is a non-starter. And the 311 appointment program (dial 3-1-1 or 215-686-8686) is explicitly for large metal appliances, window ACs, water heaters, flat-screen TVs and rim-off tires — a piano is on none of those lists. There is no municipal route.
So piano removal is a hauler's job, and in Philadelphia the maneuvering is the job. This is a city of rowhouse parlors and trinity houses — narrow front doors, a stoop down to the sidewalk, tight interior turns, and no driveway to stage from. A piano that came in decades ago, sometimes before a doorway was reframed, has to be angled back out the same tight opening, eased down the stoop, and loaded from a one-way street. That takes a piano dolly, straps, padding, and a crew that knows how to keep a half-ton instrument controlled on a stair. We do that part — carefully, with your floors and frames protected — and quote it as one flat price.
What we take
- Upright pianos — full uprights, studio, console and spinet; the parlor and living-room standard.
- Grand & baby grand pianos — legs and lyre removed, moved on the side on a padded board.
- Player pianos & antique uprights — the heavy, cast-iron-harp old ones.
- Organs & digital pianos — electric organs, keyboards and their stands.
- The whole music corner — bench, stool, sheet-music cabinet and all, priced together.
What happens to your piano after pickup
If a piano still plays and holds a tune, we'd much rather it keep making music — so a usable instrument is routed to donation, whether that's a school, a church, a community center, or a household that wants one. The honest reality is that many old uprights are past saving: the soundboard has cracked, the pin block won't hold, and no tuner or buyer wants them. Those we break down responsibly — the cast-iron harp and the strings are heavy metal recycling, the wood and felt are separated — so only the true remainder is disposed. Disposal is already inside your flat price, and there's no PA sales tax on top.
Parlor doors, stoops, basements and trinity winders
Philadelphia is a piano town with a housing stock built before easy furniture access was a design goal. The upright sits in a Fairmount or South Philly parlor behind a narrow doorway with a stoop out front; the grand is in an Old City loft or a Chestnut Hill or Germantown home with grand stairs and historic-district care to respect; sometimes the piano is down in a rowhouse basement or three floors up a Fishtown trinity winder where a straight carry simply doesn't exist. None of that fits a city curbside program, a delivery mover priced for a fresh floor, or a curbside hauler. Our crew brings the dolly, straps and padding, protects the frames and floors, removes a grand's legs and lyre, eases the instrument through the opening and down the stoop, works the freight elevator and COI in a Center City tower, and handles the tight-street parking — and the flat price holds no matter how hard the room fights back.
When people call us for piano removal
- Inherited or left behind — a piano that came with the house, or a relative's that no one plays.
- Downsizing & estates — a Chestnut Hill or Germantown home clearing a beloved but unmovable instrument.
- Reclaiming the room — the parlor or den needs the space back and the piano has to go.
- It's beyond repair — cracked soundboard, seized action, and a tuner has said it's done.
- Selling or renovating — the piano has to be out before listing photos or the contractor starts.
Why Philly chooses JunkRabbit for piano removal
- Flat price from a photo — $390 upright, $590 grand; no access surcharge, no PA sales tax.
- Careful, planned work — dolly, straps, padding, floors and doorframes protected.
- Built for Philly access — narrow parlor doors, stoops, basement stairs, trinity winders and tower elevators.
- Playable pianos donated, the rest broken down and the metal harp recycled.
What Philadelphia customers say
"My grandmother's upright had been in our South Philly parlor for fifty years and the doorway looked impossible. They padded everything, angled it out, eased it down the stoop — not a scratch on the frame. Flat $390, done that afternoon."
"Baby grand in our Chestnut Hill home, and we needed it gone discreetly before a sale. They took the legs off, moved it on its side, protected the hardwood the whole way. Professional and calm. Flat price, no sales tax."
"Old upright stuck up in a Fishtown trinity — three floors and those winder stairs. I truly didn't think it could come down. They planned it out and walked it down safely. Still played, so they found it a home. Amazing."
Piano removal questions, answered
How much does piano removal cost in Philadelphia?
Flat and photo-quoted: an upright, spinet or console is $364, and a baby grand or grand is $438. The careful maneuvering, floor and frame protection, and disposal are all included, and there's no PA sales tax on the service.
How do you get it out through a narrow door with no driveway?
With a piano dolly, straps and padding — we protect the doorframe and floors, angle it through, and ease it down the stoop by hand. A grand has its legs and lyre removed and moves on its side.
Can you take it up from a basement or down a trinity staircase?
Yes — that's the Philadelphia specialty. Slow, planned, controlled work with enough crew, and no surcharge for the stairs.
Will the city take a piano?
No — it fits neither the two-item curbside limit nor the 311 appliance program. Removing a piano is strictly a hauler's job.
What if it still plays?
We route a playable piano to donation — a school, church, or household that wants it. Ones past saving are broken down and the cast-iron harp recycled.
Piano removal across Philadelphia
Ready to Get It Gone?
Send a photo and get one flat price back in seconds — carry-out, hauling and disposal are all in it.
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