Honest guidance on what a modular timber frame building costs in the UK, from classrooms and SEND facilities to sports pavilions and commercial spaces.
Every TG Escapes building is bespoke, so the cost depends on its size, its specification and what it is for. A single classroom, a multi-room SEND facility and a two-storey teaching block sit at very different points on the scale, and the site itself, from ground conditions to service connections, shapes the final figure as much as the building does. Every building is also permanent, with a 50-year-plus design life, so you are pricing a long-term asset rather than a temporary unit.
The clearest way to think about it is in two parts. The building itself, the superstructure we design, manufacture in our Coventry workshop and build on your site, is priced per square metre and is the most predictable element. Site-specific works, such as foundations and groundworks, external works and service connections, are surveyed and priced for your site. Our free design service gives you a comprehensive quote covering both, not an estimate.
Below you’ll find current guide rates for the building by type, the factors that influence the overall cost, and our completed projects to explore by building type, size and budget.
Current guide rates for the building superstructure, per square metre of floor area, including design, manufacture, delivery and build. They exclude foundations and groundworks, external works, professional fees and VAT, which are priced for your site.
| Building Type | Typical Size | Superstructure Guide Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Classrooms & teaching blocks | 75–700 m² | £3,000–£3,900 per m² |
| SEND Facilities | 150–600 m² | £3,500–£4,800 per m² |
| Early Years / Nurseries | 50–260 m² | £3,200–£4,000 per m² |
| Sports Pavilions & Changing Facilities | 30–190 m² | £3,000–£5,000 per m² |
| Commercial & Community | 15–480 m² | £3,200–£3,800 per m² |
| Multi-purpose | 80–1,000 m² | £3,100–£3,900 per m² |
Rates are indicative, were last updated in August 2026 and reflect pricing for the building alone. Specification, storeys, site access and ground conditions all move the final figure, so get in touch for a quote tailored to your project.
Offices are priced like our other commercial buildings: the building itself at the commercial and community guide rate above, with foundations and groundworks, external works, professional fees and VAT on top. Floor area, the number of storeys, the internal fit-out, such as meeting rooms, kitchens and washrooms, and your site move the final figure most. See our modular office buildings and commercial modular buildings.
The floor area is the single biggest cost driver. Beyond size, the internal specification matters: a basic open-plan classroom costs less per m² than a SEND facility with hoisting tracks, sensory rooms, and specialist ventilation. Higher acoustic or thermal performance standards also add cost but reduce long-term energy bills.
Modular buildings are manufactured off-site and delivered in sections. Sites with good HGV access and flat ground keep delivery and build costs down. Restricted access, inner-city sites, or locations requiring specialist cranage will add to the programme and cost. Distance from our Coventry workshop also affects transport costs.
Ground conditions determine foundation costs. We engineer the foundation to suit your site, typically an insulated concrete raft or a beam and block floor on strip and pad foundations, with piled solutions where the ground calls for it. Our site survey identifies the most cost-effective option, and you don’t need to decide. Poor ground, made-up ground or sloping sites increase groundwork costs.
M&E accounts for a significant proportion of the build cost. Air source heat pumps for heating and cooling, low surface temperature heaters in smaller rooms, ventilation linked to CO2 and temperature sensors, LED lighting and fire detection are typical of our projects. More complex requirements, such as server rooms, commercial kitchens or medical-grade ventilation, increase the M&E budget.
All our buildings are designed with sustainability at their core, and are carbon neutral for regulated energy as standard. The timber frame itself is a low-carbon structural system, and features such as solar PV, enhanced insulation, and efficient M&E substantially reduce running costs over the life of the building.
Planning requirements vary by project. Educational buildings may benefit from permitted development rights, reducing planning costs and timescales. Projects requiring full planning permission, listed building consent, or ecological surveys will have additional professional fees. We manage the planning process as part of our turnkey service.
From first conversation to an agreed price, our process is designed to give you certainty.
Tell us what you need: the building type, approximate size, any specific requirements, and your budget expectations. We’ll give you honest early-stage guidance on feasibility and likely costs.
Our in-house architects develop the design, at no cost to you, while we survey your site. This stage produces drawings, a visualisation and a specification: everything needed for an accurate price.
You receive a comprehensive quote, not an estimate, covering design, manufacture, delivery, build and fit-out. The building is priced in full, and anything that depends on your site is set out clearly alongside it, so you can see exactly what you are paying for before work starts.
Prefer to spread the cost? We can design a building to be extended in phases as budgets allow, and a 10-year lease-funded route with no upfront capital is available for schools and trusts. Read about leasing a modular building.
Browse our portfolio and use the filters, including project cost, to find projects similar to yours. Project costs are the price at completion for each project’s full scope, so they will not match today’s guide rates.
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St Joseph’s Specialist Trust is a co-educational residential and day school catering for children between the ages of 5 – 19 with complex and severe...
Chichester College provides further education and higher education on its Chichester campus. This new building provides a dedicated space for their SEND learners, the neighbouring...
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Broad Heath Community Primary School wanted an eco friendly, multi use building which could provide additional changing facilities and a cafe area. Take a tour...
King Edward VI Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy, a part of the King Edward VI Foundation, needed an additional stand-alone space to house their 6th form...
Originally, Samuel Ryder was a very small secondary school with about 250 students. A few years ago the Local Authority decided to extend the school’s...
Speaking at the new studio opening Craig Maguire, Acting Head, stated, ‘Dance and drama are a central part of Hendon School’s offering. Our talented students...
St Bernard’s needed a new canteen and were attracted by the style of TG Escapes buildings.
A stylish sports pavillion at Holy Cross School helps makes use of a previously underutilised space. This sports facilities project was delivered in partnership with...
Busy Bees is the UK’s leading childcare nursery provider, with 361 children’s nurseries which are renowned for providing rich learning opportunities in unique, safe and...
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Every project is different. Share your requirements and we’ll give you honest, no-obligation guidance on costs, including a free consultation and site survey.