Modular Building - Choose Wisely, Spend Carefully

A quality modular building supplier 
will help you with every step from
purchase to installation.

At first glance renting or buying a modular building or portable classroom may seem like a fairy simple task - find a modular supplier, place an order and have the structure delivered to your business or school...right? Having sold modular buildings for more than twenty years I can tell you that this task is rarely simple and it requires plenty of help from the supplier you select...so choose wisely and spend carefully!

Here are some tips to help your modular building buying experience be as smooth and affordable as possible.

About Modular Bathroom, Locker and Shower Trailers

What do you do if you need to add bathrooms, lockers and showers to your school or church campus in a hurry? 
The short answer is to buy or rent a modular building! Modular builders have been designing and building specialized prefabricated bathroom, locker and shower trailers for everything from emergencies to special events - and schools have made good use of these structures for decades. From small trailers complete with a few toilets and sinks to several thousand square foot modular structures with change rooms, lockers, showers and laundry facilities - it's hard to find a school facility need that hasn't been met with a modular building.

Modular Construction is Green Building

Modular buildings have always had green building aspects - built indoors, reduction of material transportation, less site labor and control over quality along each step of construction. This video shows just how far modular construction has come in the last decade.

Visit Modular building has graduated into green building on our green building blog www.iBuildgreen.com.

Schools Sell and Donate Their Modular Classrooms

This time of the year I seem to get several calls from school districts in the U.S. that want to get rid of perfectly good used portable modular classrooms. Why? So they can either move new modular trailers in or they recently completed construction and no longer need the temporary trailers to house students.

For example, today I received a call from a contractor who is responsible for removing twenty-four 24' x 40' modular classrooms from a school campus in Riverside County, California and all they want is $2,000 each plus the cost of removal. A few days ago I took another call from a large church in Georgia that has a 36' x 60' modular classroom to get rid of - for next to nothing.

In some cases a school district or church will simply donate their modular buildings to another organization in need of space - this leaves only the costs for removal, transportation and set up. What a deal!

Can we install a modular building in an L shape...

The owner of a daycare center asked me this question not to long ago and when I answered "Yes" I could sense his relief. Whenever I speak with someone interested in renting or buying a modular building or portable classroom trailer one of my first questions is "do you have property or space available and if so, are there any obstacles such as landscaping or other structures that an installation crew will need to work around?"

In most cases the business or school I'm helping has enough property available to install a 24' x 60' or 36' x 60' modular building with plenty of room for trucks to deliver the modules and for a crew to position the building with a handicap ramp and steps. However, in some cases space is either difficult to access (obstacles like other buildings or large trees are in the way) or the available space is in a strange configuration (an L or U shape for example). When site obstacles exist most modular building suppliers will have a sensible solution that can be implemented with some additional time and creative "positioning" by the installation crew.

Customize Your Modular Building Floor Plan

"Can we change the floor plan of a rental modular building to meet our specific office layout needs?" I get this question quite a bit - especially from people who need their office trailer to have a very specific number of offices, conference rooms, classrooms, bathrooms, etc., and my answer is always a simple YES!

Who Needs OSHA Stairs?

Metal Trailer Steps

Finding a set of OSHA approved steel or aluminum stairs for a modular building, mobile office trailer or mobile home can be tricky - especially since this is not something you need to buy that often. Try using the iModular.com Free Price Quote Form for Steps and Handicap Ramps. It takes 2 minutes to complete and within the same business day you will hear directly from local suppliers with the best prices to rent or buy steps, ramps, landings and replacement parts.

What is the cost to rent a modular building?

Last week I received a call from a large utility company's Facility Manager who wanted to get some budgetary prices for a used double wide 24' x 60' and a triple wide 36' x 60' modular building. His first question was "how much do you think it will cost to rent one of these modular buildings?" My answer is always the same - what, where and when?

Without knowing the answers to the 3 questions below my response was very general . As a matter of conversation I mentioned that the rental price could be anywhere from $500.00 per month to well over $1,500.00 depending upon how many modifications are needed to the floor plan and the length of the lease term.

About Using a Modular Building for a Bank

Modular building used as a bank branch office.

We get phone calls from banks every year and they always ask the same question..."Can we use a modular building as a branch office and are they secure structures for banking?"

Here are some facts to consider if using a modular building or other prefabricated structure is in your future. Modular buildings can be manufactured specifically for use as permanent or temporary banks or credit unions and installed in parking lots, empty properties or even used as additions to existing structures. Modular builders are typically well versed in meeting the special requirements for construction and installation of banking centers - particularly when it comes to security in a retail setting. You can request information through our online price quote form and talk to experienced modular bank builders today if you have immediate questions or want prices.

Used Modular Office - 48'x60' for Rent or Purchase

This 48'x60' modular building (and other models with various floor plans) is available for rent or purchase nation wide. This style of relocatable modular building is ideal for temporary or permanent office space for any type of business.