Measure the package
Use boxed length, width, depth and weight, including protective corners.
NARROW APPROACH · PACKAGE SIZE · COTTAGE ROOM
A product that suits the room can still fail at the gate, passage or final turn. Bob’s helps compare packaged dimensions with the complete approach before assembly is booked.

COTTAGES AND LARGER HOMES SHARE THE AREA
Richmond identifies Castelnau as Conservation Area 25 and includes it in Barnes village planning guidance. Its Article 4 guidance describes Castelnau Row as seven small 1864 cottages arranged around a lawn and reached by a long narrow path, while noting their contrast with larger surrounding buildings. The Article 4 controls apply to the specified cottages, not automatically to every address bearing the area name.
Check the property and route individually. Record gate width, passage projections, steps, door openings and the final room turn. Confirm exterior permissions before visible alteration. Bob’s can assemble suitable products inside after delivery feasibility is clear; structural change, significant historic fabric and exterior consent questions remain with their correct specialists.
BOX TO FINAL POSITION
Use boxed length, width, depth and weight, including protective corners.
Carry a light full-size template through each gate, turn and doorway.
Choose a dry private area that keeps paths and doors clear.
Build large products where the completed item can still turn and stand safely.
FIND THE LIMITING DIMENSION
The narrowest opening is not always the hardest part of delivery.
Measure the clear opening with the gate secured, including handles and closers.
Record width at floor, handle and shoulder height; pipes or sills may reduce only part of the route.
Count rises and landing depth so a long box can be repositioned safely.
Allow floor area for panels, tools and safe handling before furniture occupies its final footprint.

BUILD A LIGHTWEIGHT PACKAGE TEMPLATE
Join clean cardboard strips to the packaged length and width, then carry the frame with two people using the intended route. Keep it rigid enough to show corners but light enough to stop safely. Test gates and doors in their secured open positions; never wedge a controlled or shared door improperly.
Mark the first failed turn and compare options allowed by the manufacturer: a different package orientation, authorised unpacking in a dry private place or a smaller product. Do not assume panels can be separated or bent. Photograph the successful template route and clear the staging area before delivery day.
ASSEMBLY LABOUR GUIDE
The calculator applies Bob’s published weekday labour rates. It excludes products, delivery, parking, disposal, specialist lifting, consent and damage caused by an unsuitable route.
PROTECT THE APPROACH
Use suitable non-marking protection without taping fragile or historic finishes.
Do not drag packages through beds or lean panels against trees and railings.
Stage nothing in a neighbour’s route or an escape path.
NEARBY COVERAGE
Prepared visits across Barnes.
Property help across the river.
See coverage farther south.
CASTELNAU DELIVERY FAQ
All three dimensions and weight matter, but a long diagonal turn often fails even when every doorway is wider than the box depth.
Only if the manufacturer permits, the place is private, dry and authorised, and every component can be protected and identified.
Follow the building’s authorised procedure. Fire or security doors must not be improvised into an unsafe open position.
Carry a lightweight full-size cardboard frame through the path and photograph the tight points before ordering.
It estimates defined assembly labour after access is proven. Delivery, lifting, products, parking and route alterations are separate.
Check the manufacturer’s assembly method and final clearance before opening cartons. Choose another product if safe erection is impossible.
SEND THE ROUTE SHEET TO THE RETAILER
Put the packaged size, weight, gate opening, tightest turn and final-room doorway on one page. Add photographs with private details removed and state whether delivery is kerbside, threshold or room-of-choice. Ask the retailer what can be separated before arrival without affecting warranty. Keep the answer with the assembly instructions. If two people or specialist lifting equipment are required, arrange that before dispatch rather than improvising at a narrow passage. On delivery day, keep the route dry, lit and empty, then check carton labels before accepting them into the staging area. Record damage before wrapping is removed and keep each carton number tied to its room.
PROVE THE ROUTE FIRST
Include step, gate, passage and room measurements. Bob’s can review assembly only after the product has a safe path and working area.