Lab and R&D moves
Lab Movers in Palo Alto and the Bay Area
We move lab furniture and equipment for startups and research teams, in our own box trucks with our own crews. That includes benches, 3D printers, robot arms and the office furniture that goes with them.
- 1,500+ reviews
- Licensed CAL-T 0191363
- Insured, COIs on request
What we move for labs
Joshua's Moving moves the lab furniture and equipment that fits in a box truck: workbenches, lab tables, carts, shelving, 3D printers, robot arms, and the instruments and supplies your team has packed. We take apart what comes apart, load it, and set it up again in the new space.
- Lab furnitureWorkbenches, lab tables, stools and chairs, carts and shelving. We take apart what comes apart and set it up again.
- Equipment that fits our trucks3D printers, robot arms and other equipment we can load into a box truck.
- Packed instruments and suppliesBoxes and crates your team has packed and cleared for the move.
- The office side of the labDesks, workstations, chairs, files and IT gear, on the same truck. How our office moves work.
- StorageShort and long term storage for business clients when the new space isn't ready yet.
Say a robotics startup is leaving a shared lab in Menlo Park for its own space in Sunnyvale. The robot arms and 3D printers ride on the same truck as the benches, desks and parts bins, so one crew handles the whole move instead of three vendors trading off at the dock.
What stays off our trucks
We don't do crane, rigging or flatbed work, and we don't haul heavy machinery. Chemicals, biological samples, radioactive material and gas cylinders also stay off our trucks: your lab team or a carrier set up for them handles those before we arrive.
University safety offices draw the same line. The University of Delaware's lab relocation guide says its movers are not permitted to move any chemical, biological, radioactive or hazardous material, and that refrigerators and freezers that held biological materials must be emptied and wiped down first.
| Item | Who moves it |
|---|---|
| Workbenches, lab tables, carts, shelving | Our crew |
| 3D printers, robot arms, other equipment that fits a box truck | Our crew |
| Boxes and crates your team packed and cleared | Our crew |
| Anything that needs a crane, rigging or a flatbed | A rigging company |
| Chemicals, samples, radioactive material, gas cylinders | Your lab team or a carrier set up for them |
Which kind of lab move is yours?
- If everything fits in a box truck, book us for the whole move, offices included.
- If one or two pieces need a crane or rigging, book a rigging company for those pieces and us for everything else.
- If you have samples, chemicals or gas cylinders, your team or a specialist carrier moves those first. We move the emptied, cleaned equipment and the furniture after.
Picture a lab where one large instrument has to come out through a window with a crane. The rigger takes that one piece, and our crew moves the benches, carts and boxed gear around it, so you aren't paying rigging rates for chairs.
How a lab move works with us
A lab move with Joshua's Moving has four steps: a walkthrough, prep by your team, move day, and setup. Most of the planning happens at the walkthrough.
- WalkthroughIn person or by video. We list what moves, what doesn't fit our trucks, and what the building needs: dock times, freight elevator, certificate of insurance.
- Your team prepsYour team follows its safety office's checklist, clears hazardous materials, and disconnects equipment. Our packing crew can pack the rest, or you can.
- Move dayDuring business hours, in the evening, or on a weekend. Evening and weekend moves cost nothing extra, which keeps lost bench time down.
- SetupWe set benches, tables and desks where your floor plan puts them. Your team or the equipment's service provider reconnects and checks the equipment.
Imagine a lab manager who has to hand back the old space on a Friday, but the new building won't open its dock until Monday. We load Friday evening, keep everything in storage over the weekend, and deliver Monday.
Insured for lab and commercial work
Lab buildings and property managers usually want proof of coverage before move day. Current limits from our certificate of insurance (more on our license and insurance page):
- Commercial general liability $2,000,000 each occurrence, $2,000,000 general aggregate, $3,000,000 products and completed operations aggregate
- Automobile liability $1,000,000 combined single limit
- Umbrella liability $3,000,000 each occurrence, $3,000,000 aggregate
- Workers' compensation and employers' liability Statutory, employers' liability $1,000,000 each accident
- Motor truck cargo $100,000
Certificates of insurance on request
Tell us what your building needs, including additional-insured or building-specific certificates, and we send the COI before move day.
We hold California moving permit CAL-T 0191363. You can check it on the California Department of Consumer Affairs license search.
Get a lab moving quote
Tell us what's moving and where. A rough equipment list helps, and so does a note about anything very heavy. We reply within one business day.
Rather talk now? (650) 629-2465
Why labs and startups book Joshua's Moving
- 1,500+ customer reviewsMore than 1,500 reviews across Google and Yelp. Read them before you call.
- State licensedPermit CAL-T 0191363 from the California Bureau of Household Goods and Services.
- Our own crews and trucksOur moving crews arrive in our own branded box trucks.
- Furniture take-apart and setupWe take apart desks, workstations and conference tables, move them, and set them up again.
- Packing, moving and storageOne company packs, moves and stores your furniture and equipment until the new space is ready.
- Local since 2013Based in East Palo Alto and moving Bay Area customers for more than ten years.
Lab moving questions
Do you move lab equipment?
What lab items won't you move?
How much does it cost to move a lab?
Do you reconnect or calibrate lab equipment?
Can you move our lab in the evening or on a weekend?
Can you store lab furniture or equipment between spaces?
Which areas do you cover for lab moves?
Planning a lab move? Talk to Joshua's Moving
We've moved Bay Area customers since 2013, with our own crews and trucks, and we'll tell you at the walkthrough exactly what we can and can't take. Moving the offices too? Our commercial movers handle the whole building.
Get a Lab Moving Quote