Stairs - Our NEMESES
So…got stairs? What’s the big deal? Well, there’s a number of different things to consider when stairs are involved. Let’s break them down real quick:
The access
No castle is the same and no company have the same policies. Each of our castles have different access requirements. These are based on A) the width of the castle rolled up (which can greatly differ based on the amount of material the castle has ie stairs, slides, pop ups), B) how much additional space we require to safely manoeuvre through access (ie the bigger the castle – the more clearance to safely manoeuvre) and C) the weight of the individual castle – again, greatly differing based on size and material involved.
Depending on your stairs – the access width can wildly vary. What do I mean? If you have stairs (either internally or externally) go have a quick look. Is there a frame to the stairway? Does it have a gate? Is there a bannister? Is there a landing that then turns? ….The quickest way to figure out if the castle you’re about to book will fit the access is to check the *narrowest* point. Is it wider or narrower than our minimum access measurement?
The number of stairs
Depending on the weight and size of the castle you’re wanting to hire, we do have a maximum number of stairs we can navigate. This info is displayed on our website under the specific castle.
On our smallest castles, we can safely navigate 3-5 stairs on our own. How? Well, depending on the *height* of the individual steps, we can either safely trolley the castle up and down OR we flip it. This is totally fine on our smallest castles (between 60-80kg) because its safely managed. But on our larger castles (between 100-200kg+) this simply isn’t possible. It becomes increasingly costly and unsafe to navigate.
The castle choice
As mentioned above, each castle varies in its size, space requirement, access width requirement and weight. Our smaller castles require a minimum of 80cm, medium castles need a minimum of 1m and our largest? 1.5m. Minimum. Each HOUSE is also wildly different so whether or not we can navigate your stairs is going to depend on the clear WIDTH of your stairs.
The crew
As a business, we need to ensure we keep our crew safe. It is completely unacceptable from a business/management perspective to place crew into unnecessarily dangerous situations. To avoid this, we’ve capped the number of stairs we can ever navigate on our smallest castles at 10. To navigate this many stairs? We need a minimum of two crew members. This limits our scheduled deliveries and adds both time and costs to your hire.
The cost – time and financial
Speaking of costs, we are a business. There is A LOT logistically that we need to consider and cover on a daily basis. Party start times, travel times, setup time, packup times. We have multiple locations we need to be at daily (eg 10) – then back again to packup. 20 locations across Greater Sydney in one day. We have already factored the allowable 3-5 stairs on our smaller castles to the hire price shown online. Adding more stairs than this increases A) the crew required and B) the time required for both setup and packup. This is charged out based on the additional labour involved in each hire to ensure our crew are paid appropriately AND that we still make a profit – ie BUSINESS!
Recently, I spoke to several large removal companies and asked them how much it would cost to move ONE x 100kg artwork up 10 steps. The minimum cost? $510.00. The minimum crew involved? 3. That’s $510 to move ONE item up 10 stairs. Once. For us? We have multiple trips for all necessary equipment on both setup and packup. That’s an average of 6 trips up and down a set of stairs. We must charge for our time and labour.
The risks
The *most* important to factor in. I have personally been in several situations where we haven’t been notified of the correct number of stairs which creates a dangerous situation for the lone crew member to navigate. Castles are big and awkward and heavy – we only have a trolley to manoeuvre. When we are navigating stairs, the biggest risk is TIPPING. One unequally weighted move and the castle will tip – placing strain on the crew member. Have a foot beside the castle as we’re rolling it down the stairs? Tip. Catch. Topple. Injury.
Back injuries, falls, finger traps, they’re all risks we need to consider for our crew.
Additionally? Damage to your property. A 100kg+ castle tipping and falling down your stairs?........
*Can my husband help you?* THANK YOU for being so kind and considerate – but unfortunately not. A) You’re not trained in the correct guidance of the equipment. YES there’s a correct way to guide. Do it incorrectly and the crew member carrying the majority of the weight can get injured (been there, done that). B) You’re not covered on our insurance! We won’t risk our own safety – let alone YOURS!
So there you have it. Just a few of the hurdles we come up against when stairs are involved. It’s not as simple as it sounds! Nothing ever is but when it comes to stairs + jumping castles…..sometimes? It’s just not possible to proceed – as much as you, and WE, want to!
Questions? Feel free to DM, email or call us – we’re happy to help clarify anything we can!