In short
- Most Westboro houses were built between 1900 and 1960, and Wikipedia puts 71% of them as detached.
- One Ottawa firm's Westboro page lists $150 an hour for two movers and truck, a 1-bedroom condo at 3 to 4 hours ($420–560) and a heritage 3-bedroom at 5 to 6 hours ($700–840).
- Condo towers along Richmond Road book freight elevators; a tight window may call for a third mover at +$40 an hour on that page.
- The firm lists a $35–60 parking-permit pass-through on Richmond Road when needed.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 movers + truck | $150/h | One Ottawa firm’s Westboro page |
| Third mover for a tight elevator window | +$40/h | Same page |
| 1-bedroom condo, 3–4 hours | $420–560 | Same page, vendor estimate |
| Heritage 3-bedroom, 5–6 hours | $700–840 | Same page, vendor estimate |
| Parking permit on Richmond Road | $35–60 | Same page, passed through when needed |
Sources. Seen 29.10.2026: Men In Trucks, Movers in Westboro (rates, condo and heritage notes, parking pass-through; one firm’s figures); Wikipedia, Westboro, Ottawa (boundaries, housing era, stations, history); Move-Ottawa Movers, Our prices ($30 per flight of 7 stairs); OttawaBestMovers.ca, Prices (walk-up rule). The company that calls you quotes its own price.
Three Westboros in one
Westboro, often called Westboro Village, lies along the Ottawa River with Island Park Drive on its eastern side. Wikipedia reports 22,725 residents in the 2016 census. It began in the late nineteenth century when flyers urged buyers to “Move to Westboro”, and it was a police village until Ottawa annexed it in 1949.
For a move it splits into three streets of work. Richmond Road is the commercial spine with newer condo towers. North of it are older heritage homes and cottage-style houses. South of it the McKellar Park blocks hold 1950s family bungalows. Each has its own access pattern.
Richmond Road and the condo towers
Wikipedia notes that several condominium projects are bringing more people to the neighbourhood. One Ottawa firm names Q West, The Eddy, 360 Richmond, Kavanaugh, 101 Richmond and Upper West Side as the buildings it moves most. That firm says each of those buildings runs a formal freight-elevator booking process.
The elevator window is the real constraint. One firm says a three-person crew fits a one-bedroom into a two-hour booking, which is why that page recommends a third mover at $40 an hour more for tight slots. Ask the company how it plans the window and get the number of movers in the written estimate. For tower moves in general read condo moving; for the whole downtown area see Centretown.
Heritage streets and the narrow stair
Wikipedia dates most houses to 1900–1960 and counts 71% as detached. The cottage-like houses near the river, once reached by a streetcar line along Byron Avenue, still stand. Maplelawn Garden, at the village’s western edge, keeps a house from 1831, the second oldest building in Ottawa.
Old houses mean narrow stairs, low doorways and radiators. A mattress or a dresser may go up on shoulders where a dolly will not make the turn. Tell the company the number of steps, the turns and the widest piece. Stairs may be billed per flight: Move-Ottawa Movers lists $30 for each set of seven stairs, on top of the hourly rate. OttawaBestMovers.ca says it may charge extra for stairs and does not count fewer than six stairs as a walk-up. Ask.
McKellar Park and the bungalows
South of Richmond, the streets are wider and the houses sit on driveways. These are simpler moves: a larger truck can pull up and the stairs are a few basement steps. The cost drivers are volume and the basement. A bungalow with a finished basement holds as much as a two-storey house.
Parking and timing near the strip
Mid-week, mid-day parking near Richmond Road is tight. The firm’s page lists a parking-permit pass-through of $35 to $60 when a permit is needed, or a loading dock when the building has one. Ask the company how it handles the truck, and whether a permit is on the quote.
Westboro also has many renters. Young tenants often move on short notice, so see last-minute movers if the lease date is close. The neighbourhood has two OC Transpo stations, Westboro and Dominion.
Moving out of Westboro
A move to Nepean or Kanata heads west. Those trips add to the bill, so ask how the company counts travel. Moves to Gatineau are described on Ottawa to Gatineau.
Who phones about the building
Ottawa Moving Desk forwards a Westboro move to one independent company. The firm asks whether it is a tower or a house, counts the steps with you and quotes for the day.
Questions to ask the company
- My building has a two-hour elevator booking. How many movers do you plan for that window?
- Do you file the building's certificate of insurance, and who pays any damage deposit?
- The heritage house has a narrow staircase. How do you carry a mattress or a dresser down it?
- Where does the truck park on Richmond Road, and is the permit on the quote?
- Are stairs billed separately, or inside the hourly rate?
Have this ready for the call
- Ask the condo office for the move-in form, the freight elevator booking and the pad requirements.
- In a heritage house, take the width of the front door, the basement doorway and the tightest stair turn.
- Plan where the truck stops: a driveway, a loading dock or a side street.
- Give the crew the elevator code or the concierge name in advance.
- Pack the last box of items for the first night so that nothing is searched for in the new place.
Questions people ask
Where exactly is Westboro?
Wikipedia places Westboro in Ottawa’s west end along the Ottawa River, with Island Park Drive as its eastern border. The community association runs from the Transitway to Carling Avenue and from Tweedsmuir to Denbury Avenue. Name the street so the company knows which pocket of Westboro it is pricing.
Do narrow heritage staircases cost more?
They can. A tight stairwell slows the carry and may call for a third mover. One Ottawa firm charges $30 per flight of seven stairs, another may charge extra from six stairs up. Ask which one the company that calls uses.
How soon should I book a Saturday on Richmond Road?
One Ottawa firm says month-end Saturdays in Westboro fill three or more weeks ahead, and mid-month Saturdays often open within the week. Book as early as the lease or sale date allows and say if the date cannot move.
Is a mover allowed to use the tower's loading dock?
That is the building’s decision. Condo corporations set moving hours, elevator slots and dock access. Ask property management for the rules and pass them to the company so the quote and the crew match the booking.
Can a mover wrap antiques and artwork?
Many crews pad-wrap furniture and offer crating for oversized or fragile pieces. Say in the request what the pieces are and their approximate size. Ask what the coverage pays for artwork and whether extra valuation is available.
