Is your day care in search
of a quality modular solution for your growing space challenges?
Our Childcare Resource Center is designed to answer your
questions.
Benefits of
Modular Buildings
From floor plan flexibility to great savings, the modern modular
building can offer your childcare facility many advantages when it
comes time for enrollments or opening a new childcare location.
Ease of construction. New,
permanent building projects are time consuming, expensive, and
require the services of hired architects and engineers to
successfully complete. Modular buildings, on the other hand, are
prefabricated at our facility and delivered to your site, ready to
install.
Speed of installation. Once
your permits are in place and you are ready to receive your
building, delivery and installation of your new Mobile Modular
building will be complete in a matter of weeks.
Durability and maintenance.
A modular building is designed and built using materials that
require little maintenance beyond surface cleaning. Engineered for
long life and effective reuse, our modular buildings are
constructed to be highly durable and damage resistant. More
significant maintenance and repair needs are performed by Mobile
Modular.
Adaptability. Depending on
your location and where you need to place your building, your
options for locating your new building are wider than that of fixed
construction. Modular buildings can be moved, modified and expanded
to meet your facility's changing space needs.
Cost. Compared to the
expense of building a new permanent structure, the costs of
selecting modular construction for your childcare center are very
attractive. You only pay for the building until you no longer need
it, and then it is redelivered back to our factory. Greater control
over the expenses involved in space acquisition and use directly
translates to a better ability to make good decisions that affect
the success of your business.
No, it's not. While we do have a strong fleet of quality,
trailer-type modular buildings (most often 24'x36' doublewide
units), modern modular construction is an engineering discipline
rather than a single one-size-fits-all product. Many of our clients
have specific, unique building needs that require custom designs.
Permit requirements may also specify custom layouts and
features.
Mobile Modular buildings are attractive, engineered to order, and
fabricated to offer your childcare facility a flexible and cost
effective alternative to fixed construction. If a trailer is what
you need, we have the best. If you need more, however, we can
provide the best space solution for your business.
Getting
Ready
Are You Ready? Five Questions To Ask
First.
Is your daycare or childcare business ready to
rent or lease a modular building? Answer these questions before
making arrangements to rent, lease or purchase a building.
 From
start to finish, up to a year may pass before your modular building
is fully ready to occupy. Most of that time is spent in the permit
process, the requirements of which will vary widely from one city
or municipality to the next. If you have not yet begun the permit
process, contact your city's zoning division for local building
requirements.
While your modular building may only cost a few hundred dollars per
month in rent, often the total costs involved in preparing for,
delivering, installing and energizing the building can exceed
$10,000. Depending on the applicant's credit history, a rental
deposit (up to six months rent) may be required.
Before we can deliver and install a portable building, you will
need to have suitable land available to locate it. Your available
land needs to be locally zoned for daycare use, must provide
adequate water runoff, and must be compacted and relatively
level.
Mobile Modular buildings are established on a foundation, using
dirt or asphalt to compensate for minor grading issues. If your
land is significantly out of tolerances for your new building
design, you will need to hire an architect and/or general
contractor to professionally prepare the site for building
establishment.
Modular buildings, while designed to be relocatable, are not
self-contained. To complete installation, you will need to have
additional capital available to hire a general contractor to
connect the building to public water and power utilities.
If you are renting or leasing your modular building, eventually it
will need to be returned to our warehouse unless you decide to
purchase it. If returning, the electrical and plumbing must be
detached, and the building itself must be prepared for return. We
strongly recommend setting capital aside to cover the general
contracting costs necessary to uninstall and return your building
at the end of your lease or rental agreement term.
Permits and
Zoning
Complying with local zoning and
building permit requirements can be a time consuming, frustrating
and often expensive process that must be completed before acquiring
your modular building. Permit requirements will vary dramatically
from one municipality to the next, and may also involve regulatory
compliance at county and state levels.
In most cities, your land will need to be zoned for daycare use. In
addition, your land may not be zoned for modular buildings, or
local requirements may demand improvements to modular construction
before it can be occupied.
Before contacting a modular building vendor, consult with your
local zoning board to ensure that your available location site is
compliant with zoning rules governing modular construction and day
care centers.
Once your permits have been obtained, the process of building,
delivering and installing your daycare's modular building is a
pretty fast one - typically anywhere from two weeks to two months,
depending on building complexity. The permit process, however, can
take as long as a year and must be completed before we deliver your
buildings. For this reason, we strongly recommend not approaching a
modular building vendor until all the proper permits are in
hand.
Many, many factors can influence the building permit process,
complications that often can result in unplanned expenses.
 Some
cities may require expensive sprinkler systems or fire rated
exterior walls.
Day care centers and other businesses involving children tend to be
particularly scrutinized. Still other municipalities will actively
discourage modular building use, policy choices that will be
reflected in their local permit process. Expect unforeseen permit
complications and the compliance costs that accompany them.
In order to meet permit requirements, often additional construction
will be required. Entryways may need to be covered. Additional fire
barriers and sprinklers may have to be installed. Your land may
need added preparations. Contact a licensed general contractor who
is familiar with local permit requirements to perform needed
building and land upgrades.
Location
Not all land is created
equal. Is your daycare's land adequate and prepared for a modular
building installation?
Your new daycare workspace must be located on level, stable land
that provides adequate space and support for a heavy modular
building and its occupants. Mobile Modular buildings are typically
sited on concrete foundations, anchored in place to accommodate
wind loads, and cannot be delivered and installed until an
appropriate location has been evaluated and selected.
Should be stable. Land can be composed of
a variety of elements, including top soil, clay, sand and stone,
each bringing with it different structural and stability dynamics.
In some regions, high water tables and thin land can result in
sinkholes. Have your land professionally evaluated to ensure that
it is stable enough to support a modular building.
Should be level and compacted. If your land's grade
exceeds the tolerance level of your modular building, it will have
to be regraded to accommodate a foundation. Your land your already
be relatively level and compact. If not, you will need to hire a
general contractor to level it.
Should offer good water runoff. Does your land allow the
easy runoff of storm water? If not, additional work will be
required to prepare the land for a modular building.
Should be accessible. Is your location in an easily
accessible area that accommodates the delivery and installation of
a large modular building? Will a crane be required to locate and
install it? Do trees, structures, billboards or other obstructions
make the location difficult to reach? Installing your new daycare
building in a hard-to-reach area will result in a more difficult
delivery and higher costs.
Should offer adequate space. Many states and
municipalities regulate space allocation for daycare centers,
stipulating a certain amount of available square footage per child.
In addition, your site should have adequate space outside to allow
for play areas and other external features.
Before your modular classroom can be delivered and installed, your
available land must be able to support a modular building
installation. Often improvements are necessary to meet installation
specifications and the stringent demands of the permit process.
Owners of unimproved land should be prepared to make the following
efforts before a Mobile Modular building can be installed.
Note: Specific requirements for land improvement vary widely from
one municipality to the next, and can only be determined by
consulting with your local zoning permit office. Your installation
site must conform to local zoning and permit regulations before we
will deliver your building.
Leveling. To properly allow installation of your building,
your land will need to be relatively level and compact. If the
grade or firmness of the land is an issue, you may have to hire a
general contractor to prepare it properly.
Clearing Trees and Debris. Your land will need to be clear
of trees and other debris, offering adequate space for the building
and occupants. Many states and municipalities also require a
certain amount of available square footage per child before a day
care building can be installed.
Soil Stabilization. If your land is sandy, unstable or in
an area subject to erosion, you may have to make improvements to
stabilize the land sufficiently to support a modular
building.
Water Drainage. Depending on climate, elevation and other
environmental factors, your land may require drainage improvements
to avoid excessive water accumulation.
Power and Water Service. A modular building is not a
standalone structure, requiring water and power connections served
from the local utilities. If your land does not have those service
lines already installed, utility improvements will be necessary
before a building can be installed.
Environmental Cleanup.All land has history, and your
land may have a history of environmental damage and abuse.
Carefully research the history of your site. Your land may require
environmental cleanup efforts before it can support a day care
center building.
Financing
Depending on your region, your Mobile Modular building may be
available for rent, lease or purchase. New and custom construction
is available for purchase only. A deposit may be required, subject
to a credit qualification by Mobile Modular's finance
department.
 When
planning for modular construction at your day care center, we
strongly recommend factoring all costs into a comprehensive
business plan that includes land improvements, building
customizations, permit requirements and deposits.
These up front costs can be significant. Planning appropriately for
the financial demands of your modular building is the best way to
ensure a smooth, well managed building process and efficient,
on-time occupancy.
For more information about Mobile Modular's financing requirements,
contact us toll free at 800-944-3442 or via email at info@mobilemodularrents.com.
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