How to Relocate Your Temporary Modular Classroom

Sometimes you need to move your portable classroom to another location on your campus. The benefit of modular construction is that your investment in a temporary module based building gives you the flexibility to conveniently move your space to new site locations at any time. Whether it’s classroom trailers, office trailers, or any types of temporary modular buildings, the following process gives you a general idea of how we can assist you in relocating your building.

The Process of Relocating your Temporary Modular Classroom

*Some of the following steps will take place at the same time to ensure efficiency for moving your portable classroom.

Step 1: Check the Weather and Clear the Area to Ensure the Safety of Students and Staff

We always want to take on the safety of the people that might be nearby the construction site and the workers moving the modular classroom. 

We do this by checking the weather for any signs of severe storms or uncomfortable conditions that may slow down work or endanger the crew.

The perimeter of the building site is also clearly labeled to keep any unnecessary people such as students and teaching staff from mistakenly entering the premises. Professional modular construction workers should be the only ones geared up and inside the work zone area.

Step 2: Remove Exterior Skirting, Decks, Ramps, And Gutters

Any exterior building materials such as skirts, steps and decks, handicap accessible ramps, gutters, and security systems will be disassembled so they’re not damaged in the move of your modular classroom building.

In addition to preventing damage to these materials, the removal of the exterior skirting gives us access to the underside of the building.

Step 3: Shutoff and Disconnect the Portable Classroom Mechanicals and Utilities

This will allow us to disconnect plumbing (sewage/water), gas lines, electrical, and any other utilities for a safe dismount.

From here we can assess the foundation and the placement of jacks to load the building onto the truck trailer.

Step 4: Dismantling and Removing Interior Components such as Sprinklers, Electrical Connections, Flooring and Duct Work that Might Overlap with Any Seams

For the most part, all stable interior components of the building can remain assembled. However, we’ll need to take apart any of the mechanical parts that are at the seams of a building.

This includes the removal of sprinkler systems, electrical, flooring materials, duct work, and security systems. This allows us to safely separate the modules as each one will be moved separately.

Step 5: Prep the Temporary Classroom’s New Site Location

This step will most likely be happening while steps 2 through 4 are being done. But we’ll need to ensure that we have built and properly prepped the new foundation. Depending on your needs, the soil type in that area, drainage, and length of time the building will be placed in the new location, this might require different materials.

Typically for temporary modular classrooms we would build a stable, raised foundation. For more permanent buildings types, we can construct an on-grade foundation.

Step 6: Transporting and Reassembling the Mobile Classroom

Finally, with the new building properly dismounted and the modules pulled apart at any seams, we can begin to load the modules onto trucks and trailers to be transported to the new site. Once carefully loaded onto the new foundation, the process of reconnecting utilities as well as exterior and interior building parts can begin again.

Some Tips and Considerations to Help Reduce the Cost of Relocating your Temporary Modular Classroom Building

If you’re considering moving a building that you already had delivered and installed on your campus, there are several things you will want to consider to help save costs.

1. Consider the location that you want to move your building to.

As mentioned above, the foundation type, soil conditions, tree removal, and any other space conditions can affect how much support and the type of support you’ll need for the new site. 

Try finding a level area with significant space and the most ideal soil conditions to relocate your classroom building. This means avoiding low spots that pool with excessive water concentrations.

2. Empty the classroom or office space prior to the construction crew getting there.

A cost effective practice if you can spare the time and staff is to remove any furniture and loose materials that will need to be removed before the building can be transported.

This ensures that the construction crew can efficiently start working on the core building itself and complete the job more quickly. Of course, this isn’t always an option, and the modular building crew will always be happy to help in removing furniture should this be a request.

3. Allow for additional space for more temporary buildings and walkways.

It’s important to consider the amount of space available in the relocation site that you choose for a couple of reasons.

One, depending on spacing and foundation type, you might be able to transport the modules via truck and trailer. However, sometimes you will need to bring in a crane to help lift and place the buildings in their new spot.

You might find that you want to add more temporary modular classroom solutions. Oftentimes schools will have more than one building on their property. Make sure you have enough room for potential expansions that give you and your students enough space to put in a comfortable walkway between buildings.

VESTA Modular is your home for temporary and permanent classrooms for your next school year!

Our award winning team has thousands of portable buildings across the country available for lease or sale. If you’re in need of a mobile office or classroom (Video), click request a quote and one of our experts will contact you shortly to get your modular building project underway.