Eco-friendly, Timber Frame Commercial Modular Buildings

A commercial modular building is a permanent, non-residential building manufactured off-site in a controlled workshop and then assembled on your site. Much of the structure is built in parallel with your groundworks, which reduces time and disruption on site. Our commercial buildings are bespoke timber-frame premises used for offices, sport and leisure, catering, retail and community facilities. We design and build them to the same standards as traditional construction, with a 50-year-plus design life, and they are intended to be a long-term part of your estate.

Ours are permanent. Many providers focus on temporary or hire-and-return cabins, but TG Escapes designs and builds permanent timber-frame buildings with a design life of more than 50 years. We build them to meet the same building regulations as traditional construction, covering structure, fire safety, thermal performance, accessibility and acoustics. Because they are permanent assets, they sit on your balance sheet and can be extended later if your business grows. If you need a short-term or relocatable space, modular is not the only option, and we will tell you honestly whether a permanent building suits your plans.

A great deal. We design and build modular offices, sport and leisure facilities, clubhouses and pavilions, visitor and community centres, catering and dining spaces, and prefabricated retail buildings. Because every project is bespoke, we design the layout, size and finish around your operation rather than choosing from a fixed catalogue. We build single and two-storey buildings, standalone or connected to existing premises. If you have a use in mind that is not listed here, it is worth a conversation, as most commercial requirements can be met with a well-designed timber-frame building.

In most cases, yes. A permanent commercial building normally requires planning permission, just as a traditional build would. The good news is that we handle this for you. We prepare and manage the planning application as part of our turnkey service, acting as principal designer and principal contractor, and our structural engineering team supports applications on constrained or difficult sites. Requirements vary by location and project, so we assess the planning position during your free consultation and build the necessary time into the programme, so there are no surprises later.

Cost depends on the size, specification and complexity of your building, so we give you a fixed price tailored to your project rather than a generic figure. That price is agreed before work starts and covers planning, design, groundworks, water and electrical connections, and fit-out through to flooring, washrooms and decoration, so your budget holds. Our ranges and prices page gives a useful starting point. Modular construction is cost-effective compared with traditional construction, and there are several ways to fund a building: capital reserves, framework procurement, Section 106 contributions, we also offer a lease-funded option up to a 10-year term with no upfront capital. We will talk you through the routes that fit your organisation.

Yes. We design our timber-frame buildings to be carbon neutral for regulated energy, with strong insulation and high-performance glazing that keep heating and cooling demand low. Standard U-values of 0.18 W/m²K for walls and 0.14 W/m²K for the roof mean the building retains heat far better than many older commercial premises, which helps protect you against rising energy bills. You can achieve an EPC A+ rating by adding renewable technologies such as solar panels. See our building specifications for the full thermal, acoustic and structural detail your consultants will want to review.

We design our commercial buildings in accordance with Eurocode 0 to exceed a 50-year lifespan with minimal upkeep. They are timber-frame structures built to the same standards as traditional construction, not short-life cabins. We back them with a 10-year structural warranty, a 25-year warranty on the roof membrane and a 1-year warranty on fixtures and fittings, and maintenance plans are available. With sensible upkeep, the building remains a durable, long-term asset on your estate, which is one reason it can be financed over a long lease term.

The honest answer is that modular suits most commercial projects well, but not all. Very large clear spans or highly irregular sites need careful engineering, which our in-house team handles. Planning timescales are similar to traditional construction, so modular speeds up the build, not the consents. The biggest risk with any modular supplier is choosing temporary cabins when you need a permanent building. We only build permanent, bespoke timber-frame buildings, so you get the speed of offsite construction without compromising on quality or design life.