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After you have approved a basic floor plan design for your modular building, the real work begins. If you don’t carefully allocate who does what – you may find yourself with a building that you cannot immediately use. You must carefully define the scope of work or the DOR- delineation of responsibility. This means knowing up front, what your builder will cover and what you will need to do before you occupy. Some builders follow the floor plan and drop the facility off with no site preparation. If you get a really cheap bid or an offer that’s too good to pass up… you may want to do just that: pass it up. If this is your first modular building your best bet is to get a full service turnkey provider who will ensure the building is up to code and is ready for use when the keys are turned over.
The scope of work is predicated on the site you choose. Your modular building provider should survey the site to find out of it is accessible, if utilities are nearby and determine additional needs based on other environmental factors. The scope of work can also include grading foundation or preparing it to make sure a building can safely be placed onto the existing land. The list of responsibilities can also include electric, water, phone instillation, communication and other utilities. The builder can also contact the city or county to determine ordinances or city codes that prohibitive. Generally, a permit must be obtained before work begins. If you are comfortable doing this, fine but unless it’s written in the DOR, it will be left up to you.
To save you time and a hassle ask the modular provider for a site plan, which illustrate basics of what will take place within the coming weeks. Now here is the fun part. What do you want the building to look like? Modular’s have come a long way. Long gone are the single wide shabby white trailers that come to mind when you think of temporary or modular facilities. The more extravagant your taste the higher your bill but, remember this unit can last some 25 years depending on the materials and finishes used. A good modular manufacturer can also match the architecture of existing buildings if this is an addition.
Your relocatable building can be made of steel or wood and even have faux brick or a stucco edifice, which are more permanent modular solutions. Indoors, you have a choice of wood, ceramic tile, vinyl composite and carpet. Lastly determine how the sidewalks leading to your building will look, how many cars the parking lot will accommodate and if you need steps, decks and ramps. All of this should be written clearly in the scope of work. When comparing prices look thoroughly at the proposed scope of work to discover if your needs are being met and determine the best deal. Understanding expectations will keep you happy along the way.