Assessing the Damage and Making the Repairs

There are always casualties when it comes to moving. When we moved our things out of our house in Central Park in Denver, the movers (who I would NOT recommend), destroyed the $5,000 Buckskin Slipcover for my sofa. To make matters worse, I naively under insured our property with the movers and so they only paid $50 to cover the damage. Luckily, we received a nice tax return in 2022 and I was able to replace the slipcover with one that should be better suited for our new property in Palisade. This experience motivated me to hire more professional movers (Mayflower) and invest in moving insurance.

As they say, “the second time is the charm” and our overall experience with Mayflower went smoothly. They took great care in wrapping all our furniture and inventoried everything. Unfortunately, we did have a casualty with this move as well. The last item off the truck was our antique Queen Anne style buffet table from 1910. It was one of the first antiques, along with the matching dining room table, that Andy and I bought as a couple. As the movers were removing the blanket from it, I noticed that two of the legs were moving. The buffet has no moving parts, so I knew this was not a good sign. 

With the blanket off we discovered that the two front legs had snapped at the joint where the legs attach to the base of the table. The good news was that it was a clean break. Given its age, how it was broken and the fact that there were traces of wood glue present around the break, I suspect this area of the buffet had been repaired before. Surprisingly I stayed calm. Although I have an amazing father and son antique repair/refinish team in Denver, we are now on the Western Slope. I asked Andy to research antique repair companies in Grand Junction, we placed a call; sent pictures of the damage and are awaiting a quote. 

Given all that we have gone through these last eight months this challenge did not feel unsurmountable and we just rolled with it. Yes, it will cost money to repair but it is worth it as this piece of furniture has value to us. Will the insurance we bought through Mayflower cover it? Probably not as we have a $500 deductible. 

With the buffet out of commission, the fine China and crystal that I usually store in the Buffet will remain in boxes. This is probably a good thing because sometime soon, I will start the remodeling process on the main house and that means one less thing to have to pack again. One can always find a bright side! Damage to items when moving is just part of the process, take it with a grain of salt and move on to the next item of business. If I’ve learned anything over the last year, one can live without material things… sure, they can make life more comfortable and or carry sentimental value but they are not the keys to a happy, joyful life!