Modular classrooms have become increasingly popular as resources to help bridge short-term problems such as construction delays or temporary spikes in school enrollments. The term "modular classrooms" is not pleasant to many school administrators. They have images of rickety old office trailers or mobile homes about to fall apart and not exactly pleasing to the eye. That may have been the case decades ago but modular classrooms have come a long way. Anymore it's become difficult to distinguish between modular construction and on-sit construction.

How Modular Classrooms Work

Modular classrooms are built with the same if not better quality materials used in conventional construction including steel supports and concrete floors. Modular construction takes place in a factory-controlled environment where individual modules ranging from 10 to 18 feet in width and 36 to 76 feet in length are constructed and shipped. The maximum length and width are dictated by state shipping regulations.

Tips for Evaluating & Purchasing Modular Classrooms

1. Speak with people who've used modular buildings from the builder you're considering. Much like used car salesmen might cover up an ugly car with a new coat of paint, it's difficult for the untrained eye to identify shoddy construction. Ask for references and follow up to make sure the modular classrooms have held up well over time.

2. Make sure the builder has experience building the size and type of modular classrooms you need. You don't want a builder learning on your dime.

3. Talk to multiple suppliers. It should come as no surprise that different manufacturers and resellers have different pricing structures and models. Comparison shopping applies to modular classrooms too.

The vast majority of the construction (up to 90% or more) is done at the factory including walls, ceilings, flooring, and wiring. After being delivered to the site, it only takes a short time to attach the modules together to form a single unit.

Why Choose Modular Classrooms?

The biggest reason for choosing modular classrooms is speed. Modular classrooms can be built to specifications, delivered and set up over the summer break. Because they are build in climate controlled factories there are no weather delays. There are no materials issues either since there is always an ample supply of building materials available at the factory. There's no waiting for materials to be delivered as is common with on-site construction.

This one is obvious but modular classrooms are portable. They can be moved from one school to another to accommodate fluctuating class sizes. Some states actually require a certain percentage of new school construction to be portable.

In addition to speed and portability, modular classrooms are also cheaper to build. You won't compromise durability with modular classrooms either. They're built to withstand being moved from one location to another and you can expect an average lifetime of 50 years with no major repairs.