Category: General Construction

One of the many frequent questions we get from our clients is in regards to the practicality of the size of our buildings. What is the best size, most economical solution, the best way of assembling modules together, etc? We, therefore, sometimes advise on changes to the building dimensions and/or changes to the floor plan. This is in order to help our clients to undertake more economical decisions regarding building purchase.

We, therefore, decided to shed some light on the idea of connecting modules together. In order to find the simplest possible way of describing the process, we are showing the building assembly in pictures. The example shown is a laboratory, one of our orders in the UK.

In the building industry, you grow every step of the way. The more you learn the better your knowledge and service. Specially designed building joints, a result of many years of tests and gathering experience are in use here. The steel structure is connected together. Wall panels are connected to the structure with the use of specialist construction screws. In order to strengthen the connection and in order to protect the building from damage resulting from meteorological conditions we also use a professional sealant. Sealants are particularly important to use when joining the roof. Additionally, to protect the roof, we use a membrane. This gives an additional water protection layer.

Assembling modules together is often surprising to our clients from an aesthetical point of view. Visually, the neat connection, of assembled modules, is hard to detect. You may have been wondering as to the technicality of the process and the general idea of how it’s made.

It’s not that complicated when you think about it. As you can see, the general idea is simple. It is perfecting the methods in use that is important knowledge. Connection areas which could potentially be visible are hidden with the use of decorative panels, resulting with an aesthetically pleasing contemporary look. Years of practice is letting us deepen the technical knowledge which in return help us to give you a better service and a better product.

The final option of modular building foundation which we will be discussing today is a plastic building base. It is a less popular option for the building foundation and it is often referred to as a summer house base or a shed base.

Its use is less popular but there are advantages to using it and this is why we would like to discuss it as an option. The reason why plastic building base is a less popular choice in comparison to other building foundation methods is mainly the fact that it is more suitable to use under very small buildings.

The local authority control team will advise if the surface present is suitable for construction. In comparison with traditional structures, portable buildings are less invasive which equals with less hassle in terms of planning permission. Preassessment of groundwater and soil may still in some cases be required. It is detrimental to know the type of ground surface you are planning to build on. Consequently, the first advice we give when it comes to the use of plastic building base is to check if the surface present is suitable. The better your knowledge concerning existent surface the better the chance of undertaking the right decision regarding the type of foundation.

Any potential groundwater issues need to be taken into consideration and addressed if needed. In regards to plastic building base, a correct drainage may help with water reduction in contact with the building. Plastic building base can be filled with pea gravel in order to produce a French drain which redirects water from the area. There are plenty of other solutions as well.

We always stress about the ground level. Plastic building base, as any other foundation, needs to be in level in order to avoid deterioration of the building. If the foundation is not level, parts of the buildings such as door and window frames may go out of alignment. This could then lead to issues with opening and closing windows and doors. It could also lead to leakages inside the building.

Plastic building base is often advertised as suitable to use under summerhouses, garden playhouses, bike stores, pavilions and more. We usually recommend it under smaller buildings. You can find this type of base as parking grids as well. Often present by recreation grounds, playgrounds and more. It is used to reinforce car park ground surface in order to make it easier to manage and care for the parking grounds.

When the ground surface is reinforced there will be less danger of potential issues caused by harsh weather conditions through the year, particularly by rainfalls.

Finally, plastic building base is often advertised as an eco-friendly solution. This is often based on its production process being focused on the use of recycled plastic. We recommend for everyone who considers any type of foundation to look into it more and ask questions. That way,  you will find the right type of foundation which is suitable to your needs. 

As discussed in previous articles, there are several ways of preparing the ground under a modular building. Out of the list of four, concrete base and concrete blocks have already been discussed. We are left with the last two, which are as follows; jakpads/easypads and plastic building base (often referred to as a summer house base or shed base).

Our focus goes to jackpads/easypads for the current article. Let us start by clarifying that jackpads and easypads are almost identical products made by different brands. In our opinion, both are ok to use. We do not tend to advise on brands but rather on product types. Jackpads/easypads are ready to use when bought off the shelf, similar to concrete blocks in this sense.

During the process of designing a modular building for a client, we discuss various options for ground preparation choice under a building and it is up to our client to choose his/her preference. When it comes to the use of jackpads/easypads, ground surface already present needs to be firm, so that there is no probability of a building settlement. In most cases the surface present is concrete.                                               Jackpads/easypads layout is prepared by an architect and a client is provided with the layout drawings in order to prepare the surface prior to modular building arrival.

Some of our clients are not keen on using jackpads/easypads because of aesthetic reasons. Jackpads/easypads are similar in use to concrete blocks, leaving us with much the same aesthetic outcome. This means empty gaps under the building, as you may see on the photos of examples provided. If a client sees those gaps as an issue, it could be resolved with the use of metal cladding. We will discuss more options for upgrading the aesthetics of the modular building foundation in another article.

An additional advantage of jackpads/easypads use is the possibility of combining them together with a concrete slab. It is particularly useful if there is a need for access ramp construction and/or the outside staircase. Jackpads/easypads are therefore one of the most flexible and convenient ways of preparing the surface under a modular building.

Possible options as a ground base preparation under a modular building are as follows;

– concrete base

– concrete blocks

– jackpads/easypads

– plastic building base (often referred to as a summer house base or shed base)

We discussed concrete base as a ground base preparation option in one of our recent articles. Today we will be discussing concrete blocks. The main advantage of concrete blocks over the concrete base is the fact that they are ready to buy and use off-the-shelf. It means that you don’t need to worry about extensive preparation and drying process. 

Our team will advise whether concrete blocks are sufficient to use as a ground base under our building. Our architect assesses the size of the building and gives advice on the type of foundation needed.  As part of planning permission process, the local council will advise whether the ground surface present is suitable for construction. The nature of our buildings is not permanent but portable which means that in most cases there is no need for additional ground surface tests. 

Important information you need to know about concrete blocks is how to lay them down. This will be drawn out by our architect during the designing process. A contractor can then lay down concrete blocks for you. If you have some experience with this type of work, you could potentially lay them down yourself. A level of concrete blocks is most crucial and will be checked by our team prior to modular building assembly so that it can be slightly adjusted if needed. 

When concrete blocks are in use though, you are left with empty spaces under the building. Some clients are not keen on an overall aesthetical look of the building exterior when they are left with those empty spaces within the foundation of the building. For every problem, there is a solution though. You can get rid of those empty spaces. The simplest way to do that is with the use of cladding, particularly metal cladding. Another option could be with the use of plants. In a separate article, we will be discussing more extensively some of the possibilities of making the exterior of the building look more appealing. 

There is a site preparation requirement prior delivery of a modular building. This requirement is ground base preparation. The purpose of this is mainly to level the ground/surface present. During the process of ordering and designing a building, we advise each client on the subject of ground base preparation. The client decides on the type of base he/she wants to choose so that architect can advise on what is needed. Depending on the size and the type of the building chosen, we will always advise on the options. There are different types of ground base preparation under construction of a modular building. We would like to discuss some of the most popular choices among our clients as well as discuss our own preferences;

– concrete base

– concrete blocks

– jackpads/easypads

– plastic building base (often referred to as summer house base or shed base)

Today, we will talk about concrete base which can be used as a ground base preparation under our portable cabins. The concrete base is our favorite choice of ground base preparation and we often recommend it to our clients. The main reason for that is the reliability of concrete base. We need to remember that weight of an empty building is spread out evenly at first, but as soon as we put furniture in, some areas within the building interior will be holding more weight and naturally putting more stress onto the foundation. This is completely natural but if for any reason, the foundation is not leveled properly, we may start noticing problems such as difficulties with shutting windows and doors. Particularly if the construction is to be undertaken on a soft ground, large slab of concrete base will prevent building foundation settlement on any of the sides resulting in preventing mentioned problems. If prepared in the right manner, the conrete base is a very stable and safe ground. When the ground base is looked at, discussed with our architect and prepared in the right manner, all potential problems with building settlement will be avoided.

Our architect will advise not only on the size and depth of the concrete slab needed but also on the class of the concrete to be used. Our client can then choose a local contractor to prepare ground base under the building and after that, we can deliver our portable building on site.

It is important to remember that you need to allow extra time for preparation of a concrete base. A contractor will use reinforcing metal mesh to hold the concrete together and then pour the concrete in, leveling the ground. Concrete will then start drying. Not only the job itself takes time but drying takes time as well, depending on the size of the building. A typical concrete base will dry for about two weeks but as already mentioned, a drying process is dependent on different factors. Particularly when low temperatures are present, we may be forced to wait longer.

There is another reason why our clients often choose concrete base instead of other ground base preparation options. While some may say concrete is not an aesthetically appealing material, when using it as your base you will not have to worry about gaps left under the structure.

If required there is also a possibility to construct concrete base together with concrete stairs and/or disable ramp. Other design ideas and requirements on the outside of the building can also be fulfilled with the use of concrete slabs if needed. 

A concrete base may seem slightly more difficult in terms of preparation when compared to other available ground base preparation methods. It is definitely more time-consuming. When prepared in the right manner though, a concrete base is a safe, long-term ground base solution. It allows you to design outside of the building as you may require and it may even turn out to be irreplaceable at times.

Even though a concrete base is a versatile and safe option it is of course not the only option and there are many who will want to fight against it. We will, therefore, be discussing other ground base preparation options in future articles.