Chances are, if you have a busy warehouse, you’ll have to expand at some point. The question is, should you build a modular or traditional stick built office? I’m going to go through the differences between the two and the advantages and disadvantages of both.
Stick built construction is the traditional way to build. In this case, the materials are shipped in, cut to size, and assembled on site. If you are building outside, the weather could cause delays in construction. When building indoors, like adding an office inside of your warehouse, you have to be aware of air pollution from cutting the materials inside, and material waste from extra pieces and debris. You also have to consider how long the construction will be hindering your business, as stick built tends to take longer.
Modular offices are manufactured in a factory and then assembled on site. They take less time to build since all of the pieces are already the correct size, and eliminate material waste and dust in the air from cutting indoors. Modular offices are also more environmentally friendly for the same reasons, and are cheaper. We often have requests to build modular offices on top of mezzanines as well, to further utilize space.
In addition, modular offices already meet code requirements due to factory testing and often don’t need a permit because they can be considered equipment in the facility. If a permit is required, they take less time to inspect and make sure they meet the building code. Another advantage to modular offices is that they are easier to expand in the future, and don’t require any demolition to do so.
A downside to modular offices is that if your design is too complicated, it would probably be easier to do stick built since you have more freedom to improvise while building.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both options so it’s good to evaluate your exact needs and do your research to decide what’s best for your warehouse. Contact us to learn more about modular offices.
