Frequently Asked Questions

We need additional space and want to create an open plan working environment. What options can Pickerings provide?

There is an increasing demand by our customers for a Pickerings modular building system capable of creating large open plan areas or larger working areas combined with a mix of smaller offices and welfare facilities. At Pickerings we provide a choice of modular building systems dependent on your requirements as modular building specifications vary dependent on their use. Pickerings can provide a modular building that conforms to building regulations, one that needs to be fire rated or a modular building for a construction site. 

A Pickerings modular building can be built to house either a smaller or larger workforce and is only restricted by the amount of ground space on site. The choice of modular building layout is only restricted by your imagination.

Please contact us early in your project for the best advice on which Pickerings modular building system to use. 

Do Pickerings provide modular buildings for use as temporary classrooms for schools?

Pickerings offers a modular building system suitable for the education sector which is particularly useful as temporary classrooms or permanent classrooms. These can be as single classrooms for a school with growing student numbers or as a multi-storey school building which is the ideal solution for decanting students during school refurbishment. Pickerings modular classroom buildings are available to rent (hire), buy or lease purchase, providing an immediate building for teachers and students in a comfortable and compliant environment. The Pickerings modular classroom solution is very cost effective and provides value for money for schools and is designed to meet building regulations. 

If we buy a modular building is there a choice of external finish?

When buying a Pickerings modular building that conforms to building regulations we offer a wide choice of external wall finishes to enhance your modular building and blend in with your current buildings and environment. 

Do we need foundations on which to install our Pickerings modular building?

Yes, foundations are needed on which we can install a modular building system. The foundations required for a Pickerings modular building will vary depending on the site ground conditions, the number of floors in your finished modular building and the size of each building module. Typically, the building modules will be installed on concrete foundation pads at a depth to suit the ground type. Pickerings will provide details for you to construct foundations or we could undertake this for you. Alternatively, our Pickerings+ range of products and services includes temporary foundation pads which are ideal to use with a temporary modular building. These can be easily and quickly installed on your site and will help protect an existing surface such as tarmac.  

We need additional working space but not sure for how long. What options does Pickerings provide?

Pickerings offers customers a choice to either hire, buy or lease purchase our portable cabins and modular buildings. Many of our customers are unsure of how long they would need additional workspace and prefer to hire as this gives them complete flexibility. When you hire a portable cabin or modular building the hire option helps with financial planning as costs are established at the outset of the hire contract. Taking the hire option also helps companies to deal with a spike in workers or student numbers and when staff numbers reduce a hire building can simply be collected from site and on-going costs are avoided. Of course, if you wish to buy or lease purchase a portable cabin or modular building Pickerings can provide these too. 

We want to protect our staff from the risk of fire. Do Pickerings provide fire rated buildings?

Pickerings provides a choice of fire certified portable cabins and fire certified modular buildings to meet your specific needs. These are often referred to as fire rated portable cabins and fire rated modular buildings. Pickerings buildings have been independently tested to meet the requirements of The Joint Code of Practice on the Protection from Fire of Construction Sites and Buildings Undergoing Renovations 9th Edition (JCOP).

With Pickerings fire certified portable cabins and Pickerings fire certified modular buildings complying with the legislation on fire safety it really is the best market option to protect your people and property. Pickerings fire-certified buildings are constructed of non-combustible steel with non-combustible insulation materials to provide enhanced fire-resistance.

The Pickerings+ range of products and services includes fire safety technology and fire extinguishers to help protect your people and property and help avoid a small fire becoming a major disaster. 

Does a Pickering portable cabin come fitted with electrics?

Each Pickerings Anti-Vandal portable cabin and modular building comes complete with electric heating, lighting and power sockets. Once your building has been delivered, off-loaded and fully installed for your occupation the electric distribution board would need connecting by a qualified electrician to your mains services. Alternatively, Pickerings can arrange this as part of our Pickerings+ Site Connect service. Should you be working on a site with no mains electricity the Pickerings Welfare Pod or a Pickerings generator are available to hire to provide power. 

We need to hire a mobile welfare for our team of civil engineers. What size of mobile welfare would we need?

Pickerings offer a choice of mobile welfare solutions from our hire depots nationwide. For 6 to 8 site personnel you would need to hire a Pickerings 12’ Mobile Welfare that is suitable for 4-6 people and has a 6Kva generator. For sites with 6-8 people you would need to hire a Pickerings 16’ Mobile Welfare with a 10Kva generator. For a larger workforce of 10-12 people you would need to hire a Pickerings Anti-Vandal Static Welfare building that comes with a 10Kva generator. 

What service is provided with Pickerings Welfare Buildings?

With its hired self-powered service range of buildings Pickerings provides a weekly service for welfare units. This includes a chemical toilet clean and grey waste water disposal in line with waste water regulations. More frequent services are available on request. This service is included in Pickerings self-powered welfare buildings from its twelve strategically placed hire depots from Southampton in the south of England to Middlesbrough in the north. 

Is the generator maintained in a Pickerings self-powered welfare building?

Generators are scheduled to be serviced regularly on site as agreed at the outset of your hire contract. 

What is included in the Pickerings Anti-Vandal Welfare Power Pod?

The Pickerings Anti-Vandal Welfare Power Pod is a self-contained steel unit which includes a super silenced generator, distribution board,1000 litre water bowser and 1000 litre bunded fuel tank. Please note that water bowsers and fuel tanks are not filled prior to delivery. 

As well as a portable building we also want to hire other equipment. What else does Pickerings have available to hire?

Our Pickerings+ and Pickerings Essentials ranges of products and service provide a wide range of items that you’re likely to need when you hire a portable building from us.

The Pickerings Essentials range includes the hire of furniture for use in your Pickerings portable cabin; container racking to increase your actual container storage space; effluent tanks to use with portable toilets when mains drainage isn’t available; waste water emptying service; water bowsers; fuel bowsers; staircases, steps and ramps to provide access to your hire building. 

The Pickerings+ range includes generators to provide power to your portable building; foundation pads; Site Connect to connect your mains utilities to your portable and modular building; wi-fi telecommunications to give you instant broadband and avoid waiting months and months with your network provider; data cabling; fire safety technology; fire extinguishers; Covid-19 solutions to protect your people and help stop the spread; temporary fencing; CCTV; climate control for a more pleasant environment in your modular building.

As the Pickerings+ range of products and services is continually growing please contact your local Pickerings hire depot for our up-to-date offerings. 

What are the details of Pickerings Distribution Board that is available to hire?

Pickerings hire 11 power outlets tailored to suit including- 110v,240v, or 415v (3 phase) 

We may not have sufficient ground space on our site for all the anti-vandal portable cabins we need. What would Pickerings recommend?

This is a question we often get asked at Pickerings by customers setting up a new site. Where space permits we could stack one anti-vandal portable cabin on top of another anti-vandal cabin. This is called double stacking. The upper portable cabin can be accessed by a steel staircase supplied, delivered and fitted by Pickerings. Double stacking of anti-vandal portable cabins is very popular with customers that need a full site complex consisting of portable offices, portable canteens and portable toilets. Linking of Pickerings anti-vandal portable cabins can be achieved by butting the portable cabins together and connecting the doorways with a rubber seal. 

How are portable cabins delivered and off-loaded on a customer’s site?

Pickerings operates a fleet of its own modern HGV vehicles nationwide to provide customers with the most timely, safe and efficient means of delivery and installation of portable cabins. All of Pickerings delivery vehicles are fitted with the most modern off-loading facility that allows the HGV driver to place a portable cabin alongside the vehicle on our customer’s site. Pickerings is accredited to the Fleet Operators Recognition Scheme (FORS) which is a scheme for fleet transport operators that aims to raise the level of quality with fleet operations and to demonstrate which operators are achieving exemplary levels of best practice in safety, efficiency and environmental protection. 

If we order two portable cabins can Pickerings deliver these together?

Portable cabins can be delivered to site as either a single load or double load. On a single load the Pickerings portable cabin will be delivered on the bed of the HGV vehicle. On a double load two Pickerings portable cabins of up to 24‘ long will be delivered together. One portable cabin will be on the bed of the HGV vehicle whilst the other will be placed on a trailer. When delivering Pickerings portable cabins on a double load there must be sufficient space on the customers site for a lorry and trailer. Portable cabins over 32’ long can only be delivered on a single load.