Getting a bunk bed up the stairs
Order it flat-packed and measure the longest panel against the stair width, the landing and the turn. The assembled height is a bedroom problem, not a staircase problem.
Measure the piece, not the built bed
A bunk arrives as panels and a bag of fixings. The question on the stairs is the longest board or metal rail, and whether it turns on the landing. Ask the seller for the longest carton dimension before delivery day. Two people make the turn safer than one.
The built weights on the listings are a clue to how many boxes to expect, not something you carry upstairs in one piece. The Orion listing says a net weight of 122 kg. The Ocean high sleeper listing says 143 kg. Those are the finished items.
After it is up
Build it in the room it will stay in. Follow the sheet for which fixings are tightened in which order, and for whether the frame must be attached to the wall. SATRA notes that, where it applies, EN 747-1:2024 marking includes the words “WARNING – This product must be attached to a wall or building structure”. Some listings say the opposite and tell you to keep the bed off the wall. Those are different products. The sheet in the box is the one to follow.
Check the fixings again after the bed has been slept on, if the instructions tell you to. Do not invent a schedule the sheet does not have.
Published examples
Julian Bowen Orion bunk
A stacked single bunk with shelves and a pull-out drawer. A shared room that can take a frame about 172 cm tall, for a child who is allowed on the upper bed.
- The listing’s dimensions line says H 172 × W 197 × D 135 cm, net weight 122 kg.
- Suitable mattress size stated on the listing: 90 × 190 cm UK single. Mattresses sold separately.
- A second dimensions row on the same listing says 196.7 × 135.5 × 171.5 cm. Use the maker’s sheet if those two rows matter to the fit.
We haven’t tested this product. Dimensions and limits are as the maker’s listing states them (checked 13 November 2026).
Julian Bowen Ocean high sleeper
A high sleeper with a corner desk, a drawer, shelves and a one-door wardrobe. One older child or teenager who needs a desk in the same footprint as the bed.
- The listing says H 178.5 × W 98.5 × D 196 cm, item weight 143 kg, model OCE001.
- Mattress sold separately. The listing describes it as a 90 cm / 3 ft kids’ and teenagers’ bed and does not state a user weight limit.
- The listing says to use the ladder and not to jump or climb on from the floor.
We haven’t tested this product. Dimensions and limits are as the maker’s listing states them (checked 13 November 2026).
Questions people ask
Can I assemble it downstairs and carry it up?
Usually no. A built bunk does not turn on a UK landing, and the fixings are not designed to be carried as one unit.
What if the longest panel will not turn?
Stop before you force it. Ask the seller about a different model, or about whether a panel can come as two pieces. Scraping a wall does not make a too-long rail shorter.
Sources
Opened 13 November 2026. The maker’s sheet and the mark on the bed take precedence.