Call (800) 806-7485 and you will talk to Matt Banes — 38 years in the modular building business, no call center, no sales script, no charge. Most calls take ten minutes and end with a straight answer about what a building should cost, whether the one you are looking at is worth buying, and what it takes to get it approved and installed. iModular.com has run this helpline nationwide since 1998. California is where we broker directly; anywhere else in the country we source the building, scope the job with you, and connect you with a supplier and installer in your state.
What people actually call about
These are the questions that come in week after week, and what you get back on the call.
| What you ask | What you get |
|---|---|
| “Is this used building worth what they are asking?” | A read on condition, age, roof and HVAC risk, and whether the price reflects the market |
| “How much building do I need?” | Sizing from occupancy math — roughly 20 square feet of net classroom area per student, about 150 square feet gross per office worker |
| “HCD or DSA — which one applies to me?” | Which approval path your use falls under, and what changes if the building moves between them |
| “What will it cost to get it here and set?” | Transport class and escort requirements, site access constraints, foundation and ramp scope |
| “Should I buy or lease?” | The ownership math for your timeline, not a rental quote dressed up as advice |
| “Can you tell me what my building is worth?” | A valuation view based on real sale comparables, if you are selling or trading out |
The kind of detail you get on the phone
A few examples of what “specific” means here. In California, a building over 12 feet wide is a permit load that needs escorts, and it cannot travel during the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. midday window in many jurisdictions — which is why a 24×40 arrives as two 12-wide modules on two trucks, and why a site with a tight turn radius changes the delivery price before anything else does. A used public-school classroom carrying DSA approval is not automatically usable as a private office; it goes through a conversion and recertification path first. Foundations get quoted as a state-approved (California), powdercoated black, adjustable steel pier system rated for 100 mph wind loads and 100 lb snow loads — not a concrete pour — which is part of why a modular building lands in weeks instead of the months a permanent build takes.
Those specifics are Californian. Every state runs its own program — HCD in California, TDLR in Texas, DBPR in Florida — with its own transport rules and escort thresholds, and part of the call is telling you which one applies where your building is going. You do not need to know any of that before you call. That is the point of calling.
Who uses the helpline
- Private schools adding a classroom, a grade level, or admin space
- Churches and places of worship needing classroom, meeting or office space
- Contractors putting a job-site office or crew space on a project
- Businesses and industrial operators adding office, break, locker or shower space
- Childcare and nonprofit operators working against a licensing requirement
- Owners selling a building who need to know what it is worth before they list it
Calls that turned into real projects
San Gabriel County Water District in Rosemead called about office space and ended up with a remodeled and converted 24×40 office with a handicap access ramp, installed. Green Lawn Funeral Home in Bakersfield needed a 36×40 classroom and office building — remodeled, delivered and installed. Little Wings of Atascadero needed a 24×60 childcare building with ramping. Each of those started as a phone call from someone who was not sure what they needed yet.
What the helpline will not do
No sales pitch, no pressure, and no obligation to buy anything. Your information does not get sold to a list of dealers who then call you for a month. If the honest answer is that you should keep the building you have, repair it instead of replacing it, or buy from someone closer to your site, that is the answer you will get. Permitting and site work remain the owner’s responsibility on any project — we will tell you what is involved, and we will tell you plainly when a project is more complicated than it looks.
Prefer to type it out?
Send the details — size, use, location, timeline, and a photo or listing link if you have one — through the nationwide contact form and you will get a written answer back, wherever your project is. In California, you can also start a California price request directly.
Frequently asked questions
Is the helpline really free?
Yes. There is no fee and no obligation to buy. It is how iModular.com has met most of its customers since 1998.
Who answers the phone?
Matt Banes, who has spent 38 years in the modular building industry selling, valuing, brokering and inspecting buildings across California. Not a receptionist, and not a lead form dressed up as a phone number.
What areas do you cover?
The helpline is national — calls come in from every state, and the advice is the same wherever your project sits. iModular brokers directly in California, where we handle sourcing, conversion, delivery and installation ourselves. Outside California we source and qualify the building, scope the project with you, and connect you with a supplier and delivery partner in your state. Either way you are talking to the same person, and it costs you nothing.
Can you tell me what my used modular building is worth?
Yes — valuation is a core part of what we do. See used building valuation for how that works, then call with the specifics of your building.
How fast can I get a building?
A used building that is already approved and in stock can be on site in weeks. A new build, or a building that needs conversion and recertification, takes longer — the call will tell you which situation you are in.
Do you handle permits?
Permitting and site work are the owner’s responsibility, but we will walk you through what your jurisdiction will ask for and which state program governs your building — HCD in California, TDLR in Texas, DBPR in Florida, and the equivalent elsewhere. For California specifics, see the California approval path.
What about ADA ramps and access?
Almost every commercial modular building needs an access solution. See ramps and accessibility, or ask on the call — ramp scope is one of the most commonly underestimated costs on a project.
I am shopping used buildings online. Can you sanity-check a listing?
That is one of the best uses of the call. Send the listing and get a read before you put money down — more on what to look for under buying used buildings.
iModular.com — California modular building specialists since 1998. Written by Matt Banes, 38 years in the modular building industry. Last updated: September 2026.
