Measure floating stair delivery access before fabrication decisions are locked. Record the expected packaged dimensions, unloading area, narrowest door, corridor, every turn, vertical clearance, final opening, floor-protection route, staging area, and any lifting constraint. The usable route must fit the packaged component and the planned handling method, not only the finished stair shown on a drawing.
Do this survey with the fabricator, general contractor, installer, and any qualified lifting or rigging provider whose work may be required. Measurements alone do not choose a crane, hoist, crew, module size, or installation method. Those decisions require project-specific dimensions, weights, site conditions, equipment capacities, and professional responsibility.
The eight-measurement access survey
| Survey field | Record | Decision it triggers |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Package envelope | Length, width, height, weight, lifting points, and orientation from the supplier | Whether the current route and handling concept remain viable |
| 2. Offload | Truck approach, curb, slope, overhead space, ground condition, and legal work area | Where custody and safe handling begin |
| 3. Openings | Clear width and height with doors, handles, trim, and protection considered | The first physical pinch point |
| 4. Corridors | Clear width, height, length, floor changes, and obstructions | Whether a long package can travel in its required orientation |
| 5. Turns | Inside and outside dimensions, diagonal space, ceiling height, and swing area | Whether rotation is possible without an improvised maneuver |
| 6. Vertical route | Stairs, elevator cab and door, shaft, balcony, window, or roof access | Whether a different module or qualified lifting plan is needed |
| 7. Final opening | Verified floor levels, opening, landing, support zones, and temporary obstructions | Whether fabrication inputs match the actual site |
| 8. Staging | Level protected area, access control, weather protection, and assembly clearance | Where inspection and installation preparation can occur |
1. Get the packaged dimensions, not just finished dimensions
Ask the supplier to identify how the stair is expected to be divided, supported, wrapped, crated, and oriented during delivery. Record the maximum envelope and weight of each package or component, not a rough overall stair size. Packaging, blocking, lifting features, and protection can increase the space required.
Keep supplier-confirmed values in a revision-controlled worksheet. If module strategy changes, repeat the route check. Do not estimate weight from a rendering or use an article to select handling equipment.
2. Survey truck approach and offload conditions
Photograph and measure the route from the public road or site entrance to the intended offload point. Record gate width, turning room, slope, soft ground, curbs, drainage structures, overhead wires, trees, building canopies, traffic restrictions, working hours, and whether the area can be controlled during unloading.
Assign who provides the delivery vehicle information, offload equipment, operator, spotters, permits, traffic control, temporary protection, and weather decision. A quote that says delivery included may still leave unloading or movement inside the building outside the scope. Ask for the handoff point in writing.
3. Measure every door as a clear opening
Measure the actual clear width and height with the door opened to the planned position. Include leaf thickness, closer, handle, threshold, trim, temporary protection, and any removable item. Note who may authorize removal and reinstatement. A nominal door size is not the usable opening.
Take one straight-on photo, one side photo, and a photo showing the tape at each pinch point. Label them in route order so the supplier and installer are reviewing the same path.
4. Map corridors and all changes in level
Record corridor clear width and height along its full length. Mark low beams, lights, sprinklers, ducts, door swings, columns, radiators, temporary walls, floor transitions, and finished surfaces that require protection. A corridor may be wide enough at shoulder height but blocked near the floor or ceiling.
Do not assume an elevator solves the vertical route. Record its door opening, cab dimensions, rated capacity from the responsible building party, availability, protection rules, and reservation restrictions. The qualified project team must confirm whether the package and handling method are permitted.
5. Test turns with a package envelope
A right-angle turn is often more restrictive than the narrowest straight corridor. Record both corridor legs, the inside corner, outside swing space, diagonal clearance, ceiling height, and obstructions at every elevation. Ask the supplier or installer to test the confirmed package envelope in a scale drawing or model.
Never solve a failed turn by planning to tilt, stand, suspend, or partially unpack a component unless the responsible supplier and qualified handling team approve the method. Changing orientation changes clearance, control, support, and risk.
6. Verify the final opening and support zones
The access survey and the fabrication survey should reference the same site conditions. Record finished or reference floor levels, opening length and width, landing relationships, wall build-ups, support zones, guard interfaces, and items that will exist on delivery day. Identify which dimensions were field verified, by whom, on what date, and from which reference points.
The floating-stairs section drawing checklist helps coordinate plan, section, elevation, floor levels, and support zones. It is a question guide, not a fabrication drawing or structural design.
7. Plan floor, wall, and finished-surface protection
Record the surface type and protection responsibility for every route segment. Protecting a floor also changes clear height, rolling resistance, thresholds, and turning conditions. Identify wet areas, level changes, soft finishes, fragile edges, glass, millwork, and locations where temporary protection cannot be fixed to the surface.
Confirm that any route or staging surface is suitable for the project-specific equipment and concentrated loads with the responsible professional. This article does not establish a floor capacity.
8. Separate the route survey from the lift plan
The route survey records constraints. A qualified project team uses confirmed component dimensions and weights to select equipment, rigging, crew, sequence, exclusion zones, communications, and contingency steps. If lifting or rigging is required, the plan must follow applicable rules and equipment instructions.
The federal rigging-equipment requirements in 29 CFR 1926.251 state, among other things, that rigging equipment must be inspected before use, marked with safe working load, not loaded beyond that rating, and protected from damage. Custom lifting accessories require marked capacity and proof testing under the cited rule. These requirements are safety context for employers; they are not a homeowner rigging tutorial.
Who should sign off each field?
- Supplier or fabricator: component division, package envelope, weight, approved lifting or support information, and packaging constraints.
- General contractor or owner: site access, schedule, removals, protection, permits, and route readiness.
- Installer: installation sequence, required staging, temporary conditions, and coordination inputs.
- Qualified lifting or rigging provider: equipment, rigging, crew, capacity checks, exclusion zones, and lift plan when applicable.
- Architect or engineer: verified building interfaces, support information, floor or structure questions, and design changes within their scope.
A recent public industry guide on shipping and assembling prefabricated stairs highlights labeled parts, shop drawings, packing order, and local assembly coordination. Use it as industry context, not as Senmit's shipping promise or a substitute for project documents.
Send this package before fabrication
- Numbered route plan from offload to final opening.
- Supplier-confirmed package dimensions and weights.
- Clear-opening and turn measurements with dated photos.
- Vertical-route, overhead, and floor-protection notes.
- Staging dimensions and access-control plan.
- Named responsibility for offload, internal movement, lifting, installation, protection, and permits.
- Open questions and the date each must be resolved.
Next step
Attach the route survey, photos, plans, project address, and intended schedule to the Senmit floating-stair quote request. Ask which packaged dimensions, delivery boundary, site inputs, and installation interfaces Senmit can confirm for the specific proposal. Do not assume freight, offload, internal movement, lifting, installation, or site protection is included unless the written project scope says so.
