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Site Works And Your Modular Home: The Process

  • October 2nd, 2018
Large machinery at Mt Macedon prefab job site

So you’ve found and purchased a site and are ready to build your dream home. Congratulations, the exciting part can now begin! But before you rush off and start selecting fittings and fixtures, it’s important to think seriously about how you are going to build and be mindful of the fact that the method of how you build your new home can have a significant impact on your finances, your stress levels and your end result.

When comparing modular and traditional construction one of the key differences is the level of site works required and the speed of construction. Here’s an overview of the site works and sequence of construction required for a modular home compared to a traditional build.

1. Demolition

You might have found your perfect site in the suburb you love, but the current house is far from fulfilling your needs. You could undertake a renovation but that comes with limitations. By demolishing and rebuilding, there’s no need to compromise on design layout, orientation, room size and materials.

If building the traditional way, demolition would be one of the first tasks required. But building modular ensures the house can remain as is up to three weeks prior to the install. Therefore, there’s less time and money you have to spend renting another property while your house is being built. With Modscape, the majority of our clients are out of a house for only five to eight weeks.

Related: Considering a knockdown rebuild project? Here are 6 reasons why a modular home solution can work for you

2.    Prepare and clear the site ready for the installation of the foundations

Your site will need to be prepped and made ready for the new dwelling. Regardless of how you build, cutting and filling the site means excavators and heavy machinery may be required. This could result in the need for retaining walls on your block. Any large trees that may affect the building will also need to be removed.

With Modscape’s modular method, we don’t require a slab so this negates the need for necessarily having to excavate and level the block.

Concrete slab foundations can take up to 28 days to construct the formwork, be poured, cured and reach design strength before placing significant loads.

Our modular homes typically sit on footings which can be installed in one or two days. The most appropriate footing system and the pile depth is determined by your site’s soil type.

Thanks to the strength of the steel frame modules, the number of screw piles required is minimal, ensuring we leave a much lighter footprint on the land.

3.      Prepare the site for services

A few weeks prior to the install of your new modular home, we set up your utility services (power, water, sewage) so that they can be connected in time for your move.

4.      Construction

A traditional build method will see your project constructed from the ground up, all on-site. Following the preparation of the site and the foundations, wall frames and roof trusses will go up, windows and exterior doors installed and the brickwork completed, before moving on to the internal fixtures and fittings. Each individual task needs to be completed before the next task can begin. Building a house the traditional way takes, on average, around 9-18 months.

With a modular build, construction takes place entirely indoors – in Modscape’s case, in our modular construction hub in Brooklyn. This ensures that a high level of quality is achieved as our construction managers can more easily supervise works. Our builders can also work uninterrupted all year round, so even if there’s a torrential downpour for two weeks, there’s no need to down tools.

Thanks to the controlled factory environment, we can guarantee that your home will be constructed in just 12 weeks.

Because of the fast construction cycle, all of our projects are heavily documented and the design is resolved to a high level before any construction begins. This means building waste is reduced as we only order the exact amount of materials required. This control works in your favour because we can fix the price with no surprises creeping up along the way.

Site works and construction works can occur concurrently in a modular build, condensing the entire construction sequence. Installation of your modular home usually takes one day with a further 7-14 days required post-installation to connect to your utility services and to complete the final construction works.

The reduced time on-site is a blessing to your neighbours too. One major contributor to stress can be living next door to a building site for months on end. The noise and dirt that emanates from a block during a traditional house build can send many a patient person to their edge.

Read more about the Modscape difference.


With a Modscape modular home, you know exactly how long the entire construction process is going to take with minimal time spent on-site. Thanks to off-site construction in a controlled factory environment and the ability to conduct the site and construction works simultaneously, we’re able to mitigate the risk in the construction process – fixed cost, fixed timeframe. Contact us to discuss your next project.

TRADITIONAL

MODULAR

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT, PERMITS AND APPROVALS, SITE ANALYSIS

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Both modular and traditional projects start the same. However, once the projects are ready to break ground, the two take dramatically different approaches

Demolition

WEEK 1

Nothing happening on the site

Site preparation

WEEK 2The construction has begun in the factory. Weather disruption has no impact to the schedule

Foundation construction begins

WEEK 3Foundation complete

WEEK 7Framing begins

WEEK 8

WEEK 9Demolition

WEEK 10Site preparation

Roofing added

WEEK 11Site services set up

WEEK 12Modules arrive to site and installed in one day

WEEK 13Windows and doors installed

WEEK 14Connections to services and final construction works complete

WEEK 15Move in!

Exterior finishes completed

WEEK 22Internal fixtures and finishes completed

WEEK 38Move in! …maybe. The construction program is very much effected by the weather

WEEK 39+
Modscape Modular Home Factory, Brooklyn Australia
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