The Modular Building Buying Process

Despite the complexity of the final product, buying a modular building is a fairly straightforward process.

It starts with an initial call where you describe what your needs to a project manager or estimator. The builder will learn about your desired modular building application (e.g. portable classroom, day care center, medical clinic etc.), the ideal size building you want, and any specific requirements you have for the building. This conversation should help you both understand whether a modular building is the appropriate type of construction for your needs.

After this initial conversation, the next step is for the building supplier to develop your building specifications. It can start with a hand-drawn sketch of the building with a rough floorplan. The floorplan then gets fleshed out over the next few days, with details like the placement of windows, cabling, and electrical outlets ironed out.

A proposal based on this specification is then developed. If you work with an integrated dealer manufacturer, your project manager will turn to the estimating department to prepare a quote for you. Dealers will request quotes from one or multiple modular building manufacturers, depending on whether they have exclusive arrangements, and then choose one to present to you.

After you have signed off on a proposal, you will approve the deal by making a down payment. Your project manager will then visit your site to square away details about the site location and building that are needed to draft engineering documents. These engineering documents define the structural requirements for construction. Manufacturers may use in-house engineers or outsource the document creation to an engineering firm.

With the engineering documents created and then reviewed by third-party inspectors, actual construction can begin. The building process can take one to three days for a five thousand square foot building. Since the building is created in a climate-controlled environment, factors like sunlight and inclement weather do not restrict the available hours to work.

Third-party inspectors will then inspect the completed building modules before they can be shipped to you. Most buildings have a frame, axle and tires attached directly to the module so it can be shipped directly to you by truck.

Even though a building may be ready for shipping as soon as a week after you have ordered it, it can take several weeks for the appropriate permits to be issued. Once the permit-related hurdles are crossed, the foundation can be built and the building modules can be delivered and assembled. Most often, you would hire a local work crew to build the foundation and turn to your building partner to handle the building installation.