Moving Office Phone Booths and Pods: Disassembly to Reinstall

One of the best things about office phone booths is that they're not part of the building. When your lease ends, they come with you. The catch: a booth has to be taken apart and rebuilt by people who know it, or it won't seal and stay quiet in the new space.

Office moves are rarely simple, and phone booths add their own layer. They are heavy, they have glass, and they only work properly when every panel and seal goes back exactly where it came from.

Grey Peacock regularly relocates booths and pods for companies across Toronto and Ontario: moves between floors of the same tower, office-to-office relocations across the GTA, consolidations when two offices merge, and temporary installs for events and venues that go back to storage afterwards. Many of our clients have called us two, three, even seven times as their teams grew, moved or reorganized floors.

Here is how a booth relocation works.

Can you move a booth without taking it apart?

Sometimes, but only over very short distances. Some smaller pods sit on glides or casters and can be rolled across a flat floor on the same level. Anything that involves a door frame, an elevator, a ramp or a truck means disassembly.

Trying to tip or drag an assembled booth is the most common way they get damaged: frames rack out of square, glass cracks and seals tear.

Step 1: Inventory and labelling

Before anything is unscrewed, every booth gets an ID. Each panel, door, roof module and bag of hardware is labelled with that ID and its position. When several booths of the same model are moving at once, this is what keeps parts from getting mixed up.

We also photograph each booth as it stands: the position on the floor, how the cable is routed, any accessories like tables, stools or shelves.

Step 2: Disassembly and protection

Disassembly runs in reverse order of the install: door and glass first, then roof module, then walls, then the base.

• Glass is wrapped and transported upright in padded racks.
• Panels are blanket-wrapped and stacked so acoustic fabric isn't crushed.
• Hardware goes into labelled bags taped to the matching panel.
• The roof unit with fan and electronics travels on top, never under a stack.

Step 3: Transport

A booth move needs the same planning as any office move: dock bookings and freight elevator times at both buildings, certificates of insurance, and a truck big enough to keep panels flat or upright without leaning on each other. For downtown towers this usually means early mornings, evenings or weekends.

For multi-site projects we schedule routes so booths leaving one office are installed in the next one the same day, without sitting in storage.

Step 4: Reinstall and test

At the new address, the crew levels the base first. Floors are never the same between two buildings, so this step can't be skipped. Then walls, roof, glass, trim and seals go back in the labelled order.

Before we leave, every booth is tested:

• the door closes and seals all the way round;
• the fan and lights work and the occupancy sensor responds;
• outlets have power;
• nothing rattles.

Things companies often forget

• Power at the new location. Booths need an outlet within reach. If the new floor plan puts a booth in the middle of a room, an electrician may need to add one.
• Spare parts. Old seals or broken trim are best replaced during the move. Order spares from the manufacturer ahead of time.
• The rest of the office. Booths are usually moved together with desks, chairs and storage. One crew for everything saves a lot of coordination. See our moving services and office furniture installation.

Temporary installs for events and venues

Booths and pods also show up at conferences, theatres and corporate events. These jobs are about timing: install before doors open, remove the same night, and leave the venue floor without a mark. We plan the load-in around the venue's schedule and protect floors along the whole route.

How long does it take?

As a rough guide, a two-person crew can take apart and rebuild a single phone booth in a few hours, not counting travel. Large meeting pods take longer. Moving several booths at once is more efficient per unit because the truck, dock and elevator time is shared.

Every project is quoted after we know the model, the number of booths, both addresses and the access at each building.

Moving booths within the same office

Not every booth move is a full office relocation. Very often a company rearranges its floor: a team grows, a new kitchen goes in, or booths need to move closer to the people who use them.

Moving booths across the same floor still follows the same rules:

• Disassemble unless the booth is designed to roll. Even a few metres of dragging can rack the frame.
• Re-level at the new spot. Floors change from one corner of a room to another.
• Check the power. The new spot needs an outlet within reach of the booth cable.
• Protect the floor along the way, especially polished concrete, hardwood and carpet tiles.

A same-floor move is usually much faster than a move between buildings because there's no truck, dock or second elevator booking.

Moving booths between floors

Moving booths from one floor to another in the same building is a middle case. The booth still has to be taken apart to fit in the freight elevator, but there's no truck. The key is the elevator booking: you need enough time to move all the panels in one block, ideally outside business hours.

Moving booths to storage

Sometimes booths aren't needed for a while: an office downsizes, a lease ends before the new space is ready, or an event booth is only used a few times a year. Booths can be disassembled, wrapped and stored, then reinstalled later.

For storage:

• keep each booth's panels together and labelled;
• store glass upright;
• keep the space dry, since acoustic fabric and wood finishes don't like humidity;
• photograph each booth before it is taken apart.

Office pod relocation for growing companies

Booths are one of the few pieces of office infrastructure that can follow a company through several moves. We regularly work with growing companies that move booths several times: from a first small office to a bigger floor, then into a headquarters, sometimes adding more booths each time. Because the booths are labelled and documented on every move, reinstalling them gets faster each time.

What affects the cost of moving booths

• Number and size of booths. Meeting pods take longer than single phone booths.
• Distance. Same floor, different floor, different building, different city.
• Access at both ends. Docks, elevators, stairs and carrying distance.
• Timing. After-hours and weekend moves are common for offices.
• Storage. If booths need to be stored between addresses.
• Other furniture. Moving booths together with desks, chairs and storage is usually more efficient than separate moves.

We quote every office booth relocation in writing after we know the models, the number of units and both addresses.

Office phone booth relocation checklist

Before the move

• List every booth and pod: model, size, location
• Photograph each booth and its cable routing
• Confirm the new floor plan and the spot for each booth
• Check power outlets at the new locations
• Book docks and freight elevators at both buildings
• Send certificate of insurance requirements to the movers
• Order replacement seals or trim if needed

Moving day

• Label every panel, door, roof unit and hardware bag
• Wrap glass and panels; transport glass upright
• Load roof units on top, never under panels

At the new office

• Level each base before assembly
• Rebuild in the labelled order
• Test doors, seals, fans, lights and outlets
• Remove all packaging and protection

Temporary booth installs for events

Booths are also popular at conferences, product launches and venue events, where a quiet space for calls or interviews is needed for a few days. These projects run on a tight timeline:

1. Load-in planning: confirm the venue's dock times, route and floor protection rules.
2. Install before doors open: often the night before or early morning.
3. Testing: fans, lights and power, especially if the venue uses temporary power.
4. Removal: usually the same night the event ends, with booths wrapped and returned to storage or to the next venue.

Because the booths are taken apart and rebuilt so often, labelling and careful packing are even more important for event work.

Why use a specialist for booth moves

General movers can move boxes and desks, but booths need people who understand how the panels, seals and doors go together. A badly rebuilt booth can look fine and still leak sound, which defeats the reason you bought it. A crew that installs booths regularly knows the sequence, the hardware and the adjustments, and leaves every booth tested and working.

Frequently asked questions

Can I move an office phone booth myself?

Small booths on casters can sometimes be rolled across a flat floor. Anything that has to go through a door frame, an elevator or a truck should be taken apart and rebuilt by people who know the model. Booths that are tipped or dragged often end up with a racked frame, broken glass or torn seals.

Will my booth still be soundproof after a move?

Yes, if it's reassembled correctly. The acoustic performance depends on the seals and the alignment of the panels and door. That's why levelling and checking every seal at the new location is part of our process.

How long does it take to move a phone booth?

A two-person crew can usually take apart and rebuild a single phone booth in a few hours, not counting travel. Meeting pods take longer. Several booths moved together are more efficient per unit.

Do you move booths from any manufacturer?

Yes. We work with booths and pods from different manufacturers. Send us the model name or a photo so we can plan.

Can you move booths and the rest of our office at the same time?

Yes. We move and reinstall desks, chairs, storage and phone booths in one project, with one crew and one schedule. See our office moving guide.

Do you relocate booths outside the GTA?

Yes. Most booth moves are in Toronto and the GTA, but we also relocate booths across Ontario, including Ottawa, Hamilton, Barrie and Kingston.

Office booth relocation in Toronto and across Ontario

Moving office phone booths is a specialist job, and one we do regularly. We move office phone booths and meeting pods in Downtown Toronto, North York, Etobicoke, Scarborough and across the GTA, including Mississauga, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill and Oakville. Whether you're moving booths across one floor, to a new building or into storage, the process is the same: label, protect, move and rebuild them so they work like new.