FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
General
Yes we can hang sides to fully or partially enclose the Marquees as required. The sides are simple to install or remove and you can easily change them during your event.
We have transparent sides and solid white sides. We default to the transparent sides, so let us know if you’d prefer solid white. The solid white sides are useful to block unsightly surrounds e.g. portaloos.
Yes, with the sides installed the Marquees are fully waterproof in your average shower. Joining Marquees and the links are similarly rainproof.
If the rain is heavy, and depending on the lay of the land, you may get some water flowing in underneath the Marquee. We can normally find an area where this won’t happen.
If you are unlucky enough to experience a storm with strong wind + heavy rain, some water droplets might be blown through gaps between the Marquees and the sides.
Absolutely!
If you ask, we can install ropes for you to hang things from.
We just have to be careful to keep sharp or hot objects away from the canvas. In terms of weight, we haven’t yet come across anything which is too heavy to hang – disco balls, chandeliers, flower arrangements… We could probably hang up to 100kg even, but make sure to work with us on hanging heavy decorations.
There are ropes attached to the Marquees going over every arch, which are popular places to hang fairy lights.
Please make sure to remove all your decorations and lights before we arrive to pack down.
Where can the Marquees be installed?
Our Marquees can be installed almost anywhere. The ideal surface is flat well mown grass, with topsoil or clay underneath.
Gravel or pebbles: The Marquees can be installed easily. The stakes will go through the gravel, or we can dig some out of the way.
Big rocks under the the earth: The stakes go straight through most buried rocks. We may have to change the position of the Marquees slightly to avoid any impenetrable rocks.
Concrete: We can anchor the Marquees with concrete bolts in small 10mm holes, or arrange weights as anchor points.
Tarmac: The stakes can go through tarmac, sometimes some pre-drilling is required. Holes can easily be patched with readymade cold bitumen asphalt patching material, easily obtainable from Bunnings/Mitre10 etc.
The Marquees can withstand a surprising amount of wind if we are prepared properly.
Please let us know if your location is notoriously windy or exposed. If your expect a lot of wind or high winds are forecast, there are a few things we can do:
- Ideally find somewhere sheltered from direct wind. Small trees, hedges, buildings, even trucks can have a large effect on sheltering the Marquees.
- We can install extra stakes or guide ropes to secure the Marquees.
- We can change the install/removal time to avoid high winds.
Our Marquees don’t need more space than their advertised dimensions. For example, our 12x9m Marquee only needs a 12x9m area. There are no additional guide ropes or pegs that extend outside these dimensions.
If space is tight, corner stakes can be carefully installed inside adjacent gardens, or even on the other side of walls.
Not at all! Placing the Marquees on slopes is fine.
Our Marquees can be installed on bumpy or undulating ground no sweat. If parts of your area curve away uphill or downhill, we can normally install easily. If you are unsure, just send us some photos or we may be able to come and have a look.
Deposit and Payment
You can read our full Terms & Conditions here.
We take a 20% deposit to secure your booking date. Alternatively we may arrange a part-payment schedule.
In these uncertain times due to COVID, all deposits/payments are fully refundable up until your event.
We are happy to arrange a part-payment schedule with you. We are entirely flexible, as long as your booking is fully paid before your event.
We don’t usually need a bond for Marquees and Light Belts.
Depending on the equipment you hire, a refundable damage/cleaning bond may be required. The value of the bond will be determined by the items being hired.
For winter events we sometimes require a cleaning bond as the Marquees can get muddy and it is very difficult to clean and fully dry the Marquees in winter.
Installation & Removal
Install is normally midday/early afternoon of the day prior to your event, removal is normally the afternoon following the day your event.
However, we are fairly flexible with install and removal times. We can install/remove at any time of the day/night if required. If you’d like the Marquees for an extra night or two, we can normally accommodate this without extra charges, season dependent. If the weather is improving, we may request to leave the Marquees up for a day or two so that they can dry out.
You don’t need to meet us onsite during install, as long as you have clearly indicated where you’d like the Marquees.
You don’t need to meet us onsite during the pack down if the Marquees are empty and ready for removal.
Installing Marquees takes roughly 60min per Marquee. Allow for two hours per Marquee if the ground is very rocky, or concrete, or we are preparing for high winds. Lightbelts take ~30min each.
Removing Marquees takes ~45min ea. Removing Lightbelts ~25min.
You cannot install the Marquees yourselves as there is quite a knack and particular process to install the Marquees safely and securely.
However, we may be able to arrange a discount if you can organise help during install and removal.
Tables, Bench Seats, and Flooring
8-10. Eight is comfortable, ten is ok if you are short on space or seating kids.
6-8. You can seat three on each side and one on each end.
Approximately 7 adults comfortably. The Bench Seats are solid wood and won’t struggle with any weight. You could seat 9-10 people if they are comfortable against each other!
We have rolls of industrial carpets which can be laid in the Marquees.
In our experience, dry and well-mown grass is the best floor, even for dancing.
If you’d like staging we can make recommendations.
Light Belts
Yes and it looks great!
Hanging the light belts between multiple Marquees or nearby trees/buildings/etc makes for a really nice atmosphere. We can supply poles to hang the lights between.
They are 100m long with a light bulb every meter.
Our light belts require a normal 240V 3-pin plug like you’d find on your household wall.
Because they are LED bulbs and only draw ~300W, they can we powered from a small generator or by long/multiple extension leads.
Yes we hang them included in the price. There is quite a knack to hanging the lights and it’s a bit of a process, so we do recommend using our light belts and leaving the hassle to us.
Possibly! But we recommend leaving it to us. Imagine making a knot in a 100m rubber rope with delicate light bulbs… Contact us and we’ll discuss your vision 😉