Cost savings come when you purchase ready-to-assemble or flat-pack furniture, but frequently the decision to assemble the furniture yourself doesn't pan out, says Adam Tate, owner of highly rated Furniture Assembly Service & More in Hillsdale, N.J.

For the last six years, he's provided assembly services for clients across the NYC Metro area - frequently putting together furniture from manufacturers such as IKEA, Crate & Barrel, and West Elm.

Based on his experience, and the fact he has enough spare furniture parts and mini-screwdrivers to fill a 10-gallon bucket, Angie's List recently asked him for his best answers to common questions about hiring a furniture assembly service.

What is the biggest mistake that people make when attempting to assemble the furniture themselves?

"People like to feel empowered [by assembling furniture themselves]," Tate says. "But, they generally overestimate their abilities and the tools required, and underestimate the tedium and complexity in assembling some products"

Why do people utilize a furniture assembly service like yours?

Tate says there are many reasons clients choose not to do it themselves, including:

• They’re too busy.
• They have difficulty reading the instructions.
• They don't have the tools.
• They’re physically impaired or elderly.
• They just don't want to do it.
• They tried to assemble the item themselves but broke it or got hung up.

How does the process work?

"Retailers like IKEA offer a very reasonable delivery option from their New York locations," Tate says. "I also assemble furniture delivered from manufacturers such as CB2 or West Elm. The client has to have the items at their residence before I schedule an appointment."

"I don’t schedule installations on the same day as the delivery because I have no idea when the items will actually arrive and if they will arrive intact and undamaged," he says. "As a rule, I schedule assembly for the next day after the delivery.  I know people want to get situated as soon as possible, but from experience, I know that prudence is the Golden Rule for delivery."

Once assembled, what’s the best way to move larger flat-pack furniture without damaging it?

"Moving these items can be a major problem," Tate says, adding that the issue comes down to basic physics.

"The frames are designed with cross members for stability, but the strength comes from the flimsy back panel that’s nailed in," he says. "Some people don’t put the back panels on, but it gives the furniture torsional strength. If you omit the back panels, the furniture will just fall apart."

The best way to move the furniture once it's assembled? Tate says that frequently, disassembly is the only option.

"The only way to move the item is to partially disassemble it, which I don’t do unless I built it originally," he says. "You can only move most flat-pack furniture items once or twice at a maximum. Often, you’re better off buying a new piece instead of moving it."