Columbus Jobsite Office Trailers

Start with the project, not the trailer

If you ask a Columbus superintendent what is keeping them busy, the answer is usually one of four things: the Ohio State campus and medical center, the office and retail growth in Dublin and Polaris, the logistics buildings south and east of the beltway, or the enormous chip-plant build to the east. Each wants a different trailer, and the quote will be better if you say which kind of job you have.

A campus renovation in Columbus needs a small unit that fits into a tight service lot. A plant build needs a double-wide or two, set in a row, with room for subcontractor foremen. A suburban office project needs one good single-wide and a place to park it where the owner can find it.

Columbus is also a state capital and a big university town, so a share of the work is public. Government and campus projects often come with their own rules for temporary buildings, so get the owner's requirements before you request the delivery.

Anyone who has built in Columbus for more than a few years has watched the metro push outward in every direction, and the trailer business has pushed with it. A provider that mostly served the downtown core ten years ago now delivers to Pickerington and Hilliard every week.

Where the work is spread out

Dublin has corporate campuses and medical office buildings that go up in phases. Hilliard and Grove City carry warehouse work and new residential streets. Westerville, Gahanna and Reynoldsburg have infill retail and school additions. Pickerington is growing on the southeast side, and Upper Arlington is mostly built out, so work there is renovation, which means small sites and neighbors who watch closely.

A provider based on one side of the metro can usually serve the others without a long trip, since Columbus is flat and the outer belt makes the drive predictable. Ask whether delivery is part of the base quote or a separate line. In a metro this size, delivery to the far corner of the county can be the surprise item.

Lease terms worth reading twice

Most Columbus trailer jobs are leased by the month, and the first month is rarely the whole bill. The delivery, the setup, the pickup and the skirting can each show up as separate lines. Ask for one quote that lists them all so you can set two providers side by side and see the same things.

Ask about minimum terms. Some providers want a few months no matter how short your job is. Ask what happens if the project finishes early, and what the extension looks like if it runs late. For a plant build, where schedules slip often, that extension rate is the number you will live with.

Ask whether the provider will service the unit while it is on your site. A trailer is a small building, and things fail. Plumbing, a door latch, a light, a thermostat: the provider should send someone.

Find out whether the unit has been inspected lately. Ohio winters are hard on door frames, windows and roofs, and a trailer with a leaking roof will damage your plans and your laptop.

Freeze and thaw is the real enemy

Central Ohio sits in the zone where the ground freezes and thaws a dozen times between December and March. Clay soil holds water, and a trailer set on blocks over soft ground will shift. Ask who rechecks the level after a hard thaw, and whether the pier or block setup is built for the season you are in.

Steps and ramps are another place the weather shows up. A wooden step with no tread will ice over. A good provider sets steps that are anchored, and if the public will enter, an ADA ramp with a rail. Skirting closes off the underside, which keeps wind out and keeps a trailer from losing heat through the floor.

Permits and utilities

Columbus, Dublin, Hilliard and the townships around them run separate building offices, and a temporary office on commercial ground can need approval from whichever one covers the address. Ask before you book the delivery date, because a trailer that shows up without the paperwork can sit on the truck.

Power, water and data fall to the customer unless the lease says otherwise. A new site with no service yet might need a temporary pole. Ask if the unit has a restroom or if a separate portable one is needed, and whether HVAC is in the monthly rate.

If the unit will sit near a school or a neighborhood, ask about the appearance of the trailer and the skirting. Owners and neighbors notice.

Getting a useful answer on the first call

Give the address, or the nearest intersection if the lot has no number yet. Say when you want the trailer and how long the project lasts. Describe the unit as a field office, a sales office, a guard shack or a storage and office combination, and say how many people will be inside. Furniture is worth raising now. A gate code, a tight entrance or a school zone with restricted truck hours should come out on the first call too. If you might need the same trailer on your next project, say that, since some providers sharpen the terms for a second job.

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