20th April 2023

Everything has Pros and Cons. Here are some pointers when considering a modular home. Being a modular home builder we’re of course going to try pretty hard not to be too biased!

So let’s start with the Pros:

✅ Number one is the time to build

Building a modular home rather than building on site is easily 50% quicker. If you’ve ever built a home before I’m sure at some point in the project you started getting stressed out about how long it was taking. If you’re looking for a more stress free build then modular is the way to go.

✅ Cost certainty

While the cost of a modular home might not appear much cheaper than a built on site, with modular building you don’t get the cost blow outs and big variations like you do with normal on site building. A modular home is built in the controlled environment of the factory and we can give you definite and fixed prices that include everything. When comparing the cost of a modular home make sure you also allow for the extra 3 or 4 months rent or finance that you will have to cover compared to building a home on site.

✅ Quality

I love this one. If you were buying a new car which would you choose? Would you want whole bunch of parts delivered to your garage and then you get a local mechanic to come and build your car from the ground up? That’s crazy?!? Or would you prefer your new car to be built in the controlled environment of a factory and brought to your site once it is complete? Stupid question you might be saying. Well, we think it is just as stupid to build on site when you can have your home built in a factory where there are proper quality checks, regulated building processes and trusted quality outcomes.

✅ Custom design, architectural design

Some folks think this is a con of a modular home and that you’re not able to custom design a modular home. Not true. At Uniplan, every home we build is custom design in some way or other to suit your individual needs. Have a browse through our projects and see some of the beautiful architectural designs we have created. The Uniplan factory is designed so that the cost of a modular home is still kept low, even if you’re building a custom design home.

And yes, there are Cons:

❌ Not all banks will finance a modular home

Some banks have got no idea how to give their clients a stress free process of obtaining finance for a new home. We have found some larger banks refuse to finance a modular home because they think a modular home can be too easily removed from site and they would loose their security. We suggest working with banks that know the game (such as Regional Australia Bank)

❌ Modular homes don’t look like an architecturally designed home

OK, I know what you mean. The transportable homes of the past haven’t done any favours to the impression you have of what a modular home will look like. Many modular or transportable home builders of the past, and sadly even some today, haven’t been very adventurous when it comes to architectural design. The boring low pitched roof, basic cladding and boxy shape is probably what you’re imagining. It will only take you a few moments to browse the collection of designs available from Uniplan to see that a new era of architectural design in modular homes has arrived.

❌ Modular homes will always sit up a little bit off the ground

This is true. Because of the chassis needed underneath a modular home for transport, your new home will always be at foot or two off the ground. While this can change the look of a home it can also be turned to advantage by allowing us to add extra insulation or make best use of a sloping site.

❌ The size and shape of a modular home is limited

Quite true, a modular home needs to confirm with the maximum size limits for transport. This means that if you have an odd shape block that requires an odd shape house a modular home may not suit you. A modular home can be split into multiple modules and put together like puzzle pieces. Basically we require walls to be suitably located on module joins so that each module is no greater than 5.3 x 16m

❌ External walls can’t be brick

Yep, we know how much Aussies love brick veneer buildings. This isn’t really practical with a modular home. But, ask anyone that knows anything about building and environmental efficiency and they will tell you that bricks are the most unsustainable and inefficient form of wall cladding. We love the sustainable cladding options that we use and highly recommend their good looks and durability.

We hope this helps outline the pros and cons of building a modular home versus a built on site home. If you want a stress free build of your new custom architectural design home then reach out to our friendly team at Uniplan today.