Second Hand Portable Buildings: What to Check Before You Buy
A second hand portable building is judged on five things: the frame, the floor, the doors and glazing, the electrics and the roof. Get those right and the rest is cosmetic.
Start with the frame and the floor
The frame carries everything, so it is the first thing to look at. On a steel-clad unit you are looking for straight corners and no distortion where it has been lifted. Inside, walk the floor. Soft spots near doorways or under a sink tell you more about a building's history than any description will, and they are the repairs that cost money later.
Doors, windows and locks
Doors take the most abuse on a working unit. Check they sit square in the frame, close without lifting and lock properly. Glazing should be intact and sealed. On a steel building, check the shutters run and the fixings are sound — a shutter that has been forced at some point often looks fine until you try it.
Electrics
This is where a used building either has paperwork or it does not. Refurbished units are electrically tested and certified before they leave our Manchester workshops, and the certificate is what tells you the installation has been checked. Sockets, lights, the consumer unit and the heaters should all be accounted for. Ask what has been tested rather than what has been replaced.
The roof
Ask to see it, or ask for a photo taken from above. Standing water, patched seams and blocked outlets are all worth knowing about. A sound roof is the difference between a building that holds its condition and one that deteriorates quietly from the top down.
What refurbishment actually changes
Refurbished units are repaired and refitted, electrically tested and certified, then repainted before sale. Some buildings are sold exactly as they stand — the listing tells you which, so you always know what you are looking at. The majority of our stock is second hand, though we do have the occasional new unit.
Think about the second move, not just the first
A portable building is worth buying partly because you can take it with you. If there is any chance of relocating it, look at how it was made to be lifted and how the corners have stood up to previous moves. Units that have been handled properly show it.
Every building in our stock can be adapted before it goes out — partitions moved, a kitchen or washroom added, different doors or windows, a colour of your choosing. Treat the listings as a starting point rather than a fixed catalogue. Browse second hand portable buildings, look through everything on the buy page, or read what a full refurbishment covers. Prices exclude VAT, and delivery is quoted by postcode.
