Transportable Homes vs Built on Site
Building in a remote location does not mean you should have to compromise on design or quality. As a result, we have broadened our quality trade base so that we can now build on your block, no matter your location. Let me take you through the differences to help you to better understand the differences before we compare Transportable Homes vs Built on Site.
The basics
Transportable home, modular (multiple pieces), prefabricated (prefab), factory built, relocatable, demountable.
Any and all of the above are homes that are built away from its final location, usually in a yard or factory. It arrives mostly assembled, is fastened to a pre-prepared foundation and the final touches are completed.
Holiday Park Transportable Homes
Don’t confuse these styles of homes with a ‘kit home’. As implied, it is kit with everything you need to build a home, either yourself or by a builder that you employ, you just need to have the right tools and skills. Think of it like a packet cake mix. You receive most of the required ingredients but need to have the right bowls, beaters, tins, baking knowledge and perishable ingredients to make the cake.
In comparison, a home built on site is exactly that – built from the ground up on your block, specifically for you. Exactly what we, at Kookaburra Homes, are known and loved for.
Let’s look at the reasons that a home built on site far outweighs building a transportable home.
Price comparison
It is hard to compare apples to oranges, or a transportable to built on site in our scenario. Put simply, transportable homes are constructed within a yard or factory. Custom homes are built on site, your site, to your specifications.
The physical construction price doesn’t differ between these build types. Our trades and materials cost the same, regardless of the project. The only small savings that might be evident during the process would be through the mass production stages in a yard or factory.
A transportable home requires a large additional fee to relocate the home from the yard or factory to your land. This cost is specific to the size of the home, transport company, route taken and the final location.
Design compromise
It would come as no surprise that transportable homes are limited by the shapes that can be created as each section, or the whole home, needs to fit onto the back of a truck. This means you are limited to a maximum of 23m long by 6.9m wide, per section. Also remembering that the larger the home, the more sections required, and the bigger the transport fee.
Transportable homes are wrapped with lightweight cladding only. While everyone knows that we love using any of the Jamie Hardie range, this means a classic brick home and natural feature stone are out of the question. Due to it being placed on blocks at the final location, this also means the luxury of an attached and enclosed garage is not an option under the main roof structure. This can be added on as its own structure, or a carport can be utilised instead.
Transportable Home in one long shape
To add to this, ceiling heights and roof pitch are also limited due to transport height restrictions. Every doorway and window requires expansion joins to allow for the moving process. Consequently, designs and finishes are not always architecturally or aesthetically pleasing on the eye as we have come to expect with modern homes.
Built on site is custom built for you, meaning no two houses are the same. It is created to suit your design, style, site and budget. It can be as simple or elaborate as you require. There might be requirements for different locations and housing estates, however, we work with you to fit your ideal design into these requirements.
Site requirements
Many new housing estates, and some Council areas, will not permit transportable homes. This is associated with the fear that this type of home lowers property value and cheapens the neighbourhoods look.
We have all seen the old, cracking, and unpleasant transportable home, with the overgrown garden and old car, in the questionable neighbourhood you like to avoid, so can understand how this opinion started.
A requirement for placement of a transportable home is sufficient space for a semi-trailer to unload and put your home in place. There will also need to be enough space around the home to allow for stairs or ramps for each entry point.
Quality of build
There isn’t much to compare when it comes to quality. Both home styles are required to meet building requirements before a Certificate of Occupancy is granted. If anything, transportable homes are built slightly different to withstand the demanding transportation process.
Custom home built on site in Karoonda
Build timeline
For transportable homes built on a production line, build times will be slightly quicker as they are produced in a yard or factory. The build team can work on multiple projects at a time, assuming that trades and materials are readily available and there are no wait times. Time to transport to site will depend on the transport company and the foundations being ready for house placement.
Build time for built on site homes is dependent on many factors – location, public holidays and closure periods, building material availability, trades, changes during construction and finance approval.
Final verdict
There are lots of pros and cons above for you to consider transportable homes vs built on site homes. For the final verdict, we will leave that decision to you, especially because your house has to be exactly as you pictured it.
Looking to start your built on site home building journey? Check out Our Projects to view some of our completed and future builds or Contact Us to start today.
By Amy Rosendale
