Portable Buildings
Do the words “portable buildings” bring to mind those old leaky trailers of yesterday? Times have changed and so too have the construction and quality of portable buildings.Construction of Portable Buildings
Portables are constructed in a factory-controlled environment. The floor plan is laid out, broken up into pieces to be built, and shipped. Up to 90% of a building is constructed at the factory including walls, ceilings, carpeting, and wiring. This means that the usual time delays of sunlight or rain do not delay portable buildings from being built, saving you time and money.
Advantages of Portable Buildings
- A standard 5,000 square foot building such as a medical office space could take 6 months to build traditionally; built as a portable, it can be done in 45 days and most of that time is allowing for permits and other red tape. The actual building can be completed in a week.
- Using traditional building techniques, you might pay $100 to $130 per square foot; however, with a portable building, you would pay from $55 to $60 per square foot.
- Without a slab foundation to attach your building to the ground, you can freely move if you need to. You can simply have steps or ramps going up to the building, saving yourself the hassle of re-investing in constructing another building from scratch.
Disadvantages of Portable Buildings
The primary drawback of portables is appearance. If you want the look and feel of a permanent building, perhaps portable buildings are not for you. It should be noted that you can customize the look and feel of your building, but that will indeed drive up the costs, begging the question “Should I build a permanent building instead since I'm spending this much?”
Options with Portable Buildings
There are many choices when it comes to picking out your portable building. For the exterior you can go with wood, steel, brick, stucco, aggregate, or other siding. You can also customize with windows, multiple doors, and roofing treatments. Rest assured that all materials used are approved by the same standards as traditional buildings.
Finding the Right People to Construct Your Portable Building
When you are locating a dealer or builder here are some things you'll want to know upfront.
- If you work with a dealer, make sure you find out which manufacturers will be doing the actual building.
- Do not purchase or sign a contract without a complete set of specifications and materials (sometimes people will substitute on materials and they tend to downgrade if it is not specified).
- Check out the builder's reputation and experience in your buildings type and size.