Mobile Office Trailer Floor Plans - Know Before You Rent

Used mobile offices make great temporary office spacesI receive several phone calls and emails per month from people who need additional space for their business and in most cases the best answer is to rent or buy a mobile office trailer. Other than the occasional “experienced” caller who rents multiple office trailers per year, most callers need some help figuring out the maze of sizes, floor plans and options available from rental companies. So it makes sense for me to share some of my tips through a series of posts that cover the major decisions you need to consider before buying or renting your new office.

In this post I will cover the topic of doors and door locations. This may sound like a "no brainer" but in many cases a mobile office trailer gets delivered and installed only for the renter to find out the hard way that the doors are not in the right location – or they swing in the wrong direction.

1. During the process of getting price quotations to rent your new office trailer always request a floor plan and serial number of the model the supplier has available for you. If you like what you see and the price is fair agree to rent that exact model. This will eliminate any last minute “switch outs” by the supplier – and save you from getting the incorrect floor plan delivered to your location.

2. Know where you are going to place the office trailer on your job site or facility and be sure that the doors are on the correct side of the office trailer in order to make human access easy and safe. Also consider how the unit will be delivered and put into place - the end with the hitch should be easily accessible so the delivery truck can move the unit into position without the need for a forklift. Remember…additional time on site means additional delivery and installation costs for you.


Plan your door and handicap ramp location for a mobile office trailer.
3. If you are required by your local building and safety department and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) to provide a handicap access ramp to the office trailer be sure to discuss this with the supplier while getting prices and plans. When an access ramp is installed it takes up valuable space and you absolutely must have the correct door style and door swing direction to meet the Federal ADA Guidelines. Your supplier can answer your access questions and provide you with a price to either rent or buy a metal or aluminum ramp.

4. If you do not need to install a handicap ramp for access into the mobile office you will only need to rent or buy a set of OSHA approved metal stairs for each door. This is a fairly easy item to obtain through the mobile office supplier but be sure you ask for stairs that are in good condition and that can adjust in height to accommodate your site – particularly if it is not perfectly level.

Stay tuned for more on this series of posts to help you be the smartest mobile office buyer possible!