What’s the difference between modular homes and conventional homes?

The major difference between modular homes and conventional homes is the way they are built. While conventional homes are built 100% on site, modular homes are built in a factory environment and then delivered to site for installation and fit-off. Plus, as the name suggests, modular homes are built in ‘modules’ for ease of transportation.

Are modular homes the same as kit homes?

No. While the end result may be similar, the way that modular and kit homes are purchased is quite different. When you purchase a prefabricated modular home, you are buying a complete home, installed onto your site and ready to move in to. When you buy a kit home, you are essentially paying for the working drawings and the raw materials – the owner is then required to handle the labour aspect of the build, including project management.

Where do you deliver your homes?

Our modular homes can be transported and installed almost anywhere within our area of service, which covers Victoria and parts of southern New South Wales. Please refer to the map on our home page to see if your land falls with our service area or contact our team directly to discuss.

How much does it cost to transport the home to my site?

The cost of delivery for your home to site is included in the base price. This is based on the most common route from our facility to your site, however, occaisionally it’s not possible to take the most common route as our trucks must take the over dimensional route. In these cases there may be additional delivery fees.

Are the permits and legal requirements the same as conventional homes?

Yes – the permit process is very similar whether you’re building a modular or conventional home. Depending on your circumstances you may require a planning permit – from our experience they are required in around 70% of builds. A building permit is required for all new homes that are built – both modular and conventional.

How long does it take to build a modular home?

Modular homes are fast to build – from the time construction starts in the factory until you move in usually takes around 14-18 weeks. This timeframe includes the factory building phase (8-10 weeks in the factory) and the on-site fit-off phase (6-8 weeks on your land).

Why should I consider building a modular home?

There are many benefits to building a modular home. They are faster to build, are often more affordable and have less of an environmental impact on your site. You have flexible options when it comes to design and it’s easy to up the energy rating and create a sustainable and eco-friendly home. You also get a complete package – your home comes with many inclusions and will be ready to move in and enjoy on completion.

Will I need to hire a local builder to complete the process or do you take care of this?

You won’t need to hire a local builder – our site team will take care of everything. While the production team are constructing your home in our factory, our site team will prepare the footings and connections on your site. They’ll get your home ready for delivery and when it arrives will spend 4-6 weeks on-site finalising the installation and adding the finishing touches.

How do I go about connecting electricity and other utilities?

This will depend on your site and is an important factor when choosing your land. If the block is serviced, consider the distance from your where your home will be built to the connections. If the land has no connections in place, you’ll need to include the added expense of connecting in your budget. Our team can visit your site to offer advice, and connections to services can be included in our scope of works.

Can I get finance on a modular home?

Yes. More than half of our clients require finance when building their new home. There can however be some challenges to obtaining finance for modular homes. Lenders can find it hard to progress payments while the home is being built off site, and may not want to release funds until the house is completed. This often comes down to a lack of understanding of modular homes, and can be overcome. Our team have helped hundreds of customers in a similar situation and are happy to share our knowledge, chat to your lender or recommend a broker who has experience with financing modular homes.

Can I alter or change standard plans?

Yes. While there are certain design parameters that need to be considered with our modular homes, we have over 40 standard modular homes designs that can be modified to better suit your requirements if required.

Do you build custom design homes?

Yes. We can custom design and build your dream home or adapt your existing design to our prefab modular home building system.

Are installation and footings included in the price?

Yes. Installation onto concrete footings up to 600mm depth is included in the base price given that your site is flat +/- 300mm over the building footprint.

What permits do I need for my home?

All new homes require a building permit and some will also need a planning permit. Planning permits, which are known as development applications in NSW, are compulsory in certain situations and must be obtained before construction begins. If your property is subject to any planning overlays, is within a bushfire zone or an area that is prone to flooding, has more than one dwelling on the block or has heritage considerations, it’s likely that you’ll need a planning permit. Building permits (or Complying Development Certificates in NSW) are issued once your home is built, inspected and found to be safe and built in accordance with the building code. All new homes, whether modular, kit or conventionally built, must have a building permit.

What is a 7 Star Energy Rating?

As part of the process to obtaining a building permit, new homes must have a minimum 7-star energy rating. Energy ratings on homes range from 1 to 10 – 1 being the least energy efficient, and 10 being the best. An approved energy rating consultant calculates the rating based on a number of factors including size, building orientation, insulation, shading, windows, and energy efficient lighting. Our homes are all built to a minimum 7-star energy rating, and there are many building sustainability upgrades that you can choose to include to further increase this rating.

What is a BAL Rating?

If you’re building a new home in Australia, it’s highly likely a BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) rating will be required. There are six BAL categories ranging from low to extreme. A BAL report can be completed by a fire assessor or engineer and they’ll base their findings on the Fire Danger Index, slope of the site, the type of vegetation surrounding the property and how close it is to your home. Your rating will impact on a number of factors when it’s time to build – if the BAL is over 12.5 there will be special requirements relating to materials used. Our standard modular homes are built to a BAL 12.5 rating – if a higher rating is required further upgrades can be added to meet the BAL rating for your site.

Can you build on BAL 40 & Flame Zone rated properties?

Yes, we can build to BAL 40. BAL 40 construction levels are achievable with modular homes, with substantial upgrades to construction materials, which are compliant with the provisions of the Australian Standard for construction of buildings in bushfire prone areas, AS 3959. No, we are not able to build to BAL FZ (Flame Zone).

What is a Bushfire Management Statement?

A Bushfire Management Statement (BMS) is a document required for building in areas at risk of bushfires. It outlines how your home and property will meet safety rules to reduce the risk of bushfire damage. This includes things like building materials, vegetation management, and access for emergency services. It’s an important part of the planning process to help protect your home and meet local council and CFA requirements.

A Land Capability Assessment (LCA) is a detailed assessment and report that is applicable if your property is located in an area that is not connected to sewerage. It identifies site features that will assist you in developing a management plan for your on-site wastewater management that will enhance long-term sustainability and minimise environmental impacts. The LCA will determine the best place for the installation of a waste water treatment system including the location of an effluent field.

How do I know if I can get a modular home onto my property?

Our friendly team are available for advice on access and location, plus, planning and reporting requirements too. We can perform a desktop assessment from our office or physically visit your property to report on its suitability. Assessment pricing is site-specific, and you can contact our team for a quote for your property.

Do you build on concrete slabs?

Unfortunately, because our homes are prefabricated in a factory, our building system requires our homes to be built on a steel floor frame therefore we cannot build a modular home in a concrete slab.

What type of warranty do your homes have?

All Anchor Homes come with a 7-year Home Owners Warranty. Plus, we also offer a 3-month building maintenance period after handover.

How do I know if I am eligible for the First Home Owners Grant?

To be eligible for the first home owners grant you must not have previously received a grant in Australia, not owned residential property before 1st July 2000, the property must be occupied as a home for a continuous period of 12 months within the first 12 months, plus, you’ll need to meet the residency requirements. If you have a partner or spouse, they must also have not received a grant or purchased property previously.

How do I choose the best facade for my project?

When choosing a façade, focus on harmonising with your home’s interior style while also complementing the surrounding environment. At Anchor Homes, our skilled team will help guide you when selecting your façade, cladding materials, and colour scheme to work with your overall vision for your dream modular home.

Can Anchor Homes create a custom facade for my project?

If you have a few creative ideas of your own, we can work with you to bring your own unique facade to life with our in-house architect.

What is the standard ceiling height for the Cubehaus facade?

The Cubehaus facade allows for 9ft ceilings throughout.

What is included in the Hamptons facade upgrade?

The Hamptons façade is an optional upgrade for the Avoca 12, Avoca 14, and Avoca 18 modular house designs. This upgrade includes: Double aluminium French doors, upgraded front door and handle, fretwork with cement sheet backing, painted timber window trim and ledges (3 sides of the home), additional area to home (1.8m2), additional gables, a portico, unlined skillion verandah, stacked stone piers, merbau decking (90mm) and linea cladding to all external walls (180mm).

Are your facades compatible with solar panel systems?

Yes, at Anchor Homes, all our standard facades are compatible with solar panel systems.

Back to News and Insights

Article

The Block Test: Can We Actually Deliver a Modular Home to Your Site?

Modular construction

April 16, 2026

Written by

Alana McNab

Lower Plenty - Prefab Modular Home Delivery - Anchor Homes_7

Before choosing to build a modular home, there is one practical question that needs to be answered:

🔎🏠 Is your block of land compatible with a modular home delivery?

That question matters whether you already own land or you are currently looking at a block you are considering buying and trying to decide what will work for your build. After all, if your heart is set on a modular home design, it is important to know whether it can come to life in the way you want it to.

At Anchor Homes, we help take the stress out of that question with a free desktop site assessment that gives you early guidance on whether your block is likely to suit delivery and installation.

In this article, we will walk you through why that assessment is so important in the early stages, share helpful information about how home delivery works, and show you three recent projects we delivered in Victoria so you can see different homes installed on different block types in Apollo Bay, Montrose and Lower Plenty.

Why a free desktop site assessment matters so early

When you are in the early stages of planning a modular home, getting clarity on site access can be incredibly helpful.

A free desktop site assessment by our team is a practical first step that helps identify how your block may shape the delivery and installation approach. Rather than guessing, you can get an early understanding of the visible conditions that may influence access, positioning, and the most suitable install method for your site.

For those who already own land, it helps bring more confidence to the planning process. For those still searching, it can be a valuable way to compare blocks and understand which sites may be better suited to a modular build before making a purchase decision.

What we look for in a desktop site assessment

When we carry out a desktop site assessment, we review the visible access and site conditions that can affect modular home delivery and installation.

This can include:

• site slope
• road width and road layout
• turning space for delivery vehicles
• overhead powerlines
• trees and surrounding vegetation
• other visible access obstacles
• whether the block is more likely to suit truck installation or crane installation Anchor Homes_Prefab Modular Homes Victoria and New South Wales_Delivery_8 The purpose of this assessment is to give you early clarity. Rather than waiting until later in the process, it helps identify what is likely to work well, what may need closer consideration, and how your site could shape the best delivery approach.

That is one of the big advantages of building modular. Because so much can be planned in advance, there is more opportunity to make informed decisions earlier and create a smoother pathway through the build.

It’s important to note that even if site access does not seem straightforward, our team’s delivery capabilities may surprise you. We have successfully delivered solutions on challenging sites before by working together to find the right approach. The key takeaway is to explore what’s possible rather than ruling it out at first glance.

How modular home delivery works

Once the early planning is done, delivery day becomes the exciting part.

When building with Anchor Homes, you new modular home is built off site in our controlled construction environment, where most of the work is completed before the modules are transported to your property. This is one of the reasons prefab modular homes offer strong quality control, reduced weather delays, less disruption on site, and a more efficient overall build pathway.

When the modules are ready, they are loaded onto specialist transport trucks and delivered to site. From there, the installation method depends on the block and the home design.

In some cases, the modules can be installed directly by truck. In others, a crane is used to lift the modules into place. Both methods are part of the modular process — the right one simply depends on what will deliver the best outcome for the site.

And once installation begins, one of the most exciting things for clients is seeing just how quickly the home starts to take shape on site!

3 recent Anchor Homes deliveries in Victoria

The best way to understand how all of this comes together is to see it in action.

The three projects below were all delivered in Victoria and all installed by crane. That said, not every Anchor Home is. We install homes by both crane and truck depending on the block, the access conditions, and the design requirements of the home.

These three recent deliveries show how different block types and home designs can shape the installation method, while still leading to a smooth and exciting result.

1. Apollo Bay Project

The Apollo Bay Project is a strong example of a delivery where the home design played a major role in the installation method. This custom two-storey home was delivered in modules and craned into place on site, creating an impressive delivery day as the home came together.

It is also a great reminder that crane installation is simply part of choosing the right delivery strategy for the home and the site. With the right planning in place, it allows complex or larger designs to be installed with precision and efficiency.

2. Montrose Project

The Montrose Project in the Yarra Ranges shows how a suburban block can still require a carefully planned installation approach. This custom knockdown rebuild was built in four modules, transported to site, and then craned into position.

The sloping conditions of the block helped shape both the design response and the installation method, making it a great example of why early site understanding is so important. It also shows how modular homes can achieve a highly tailored result on a site that needs a more considered approach.

3. Lower Plenty Project

The Lower Plenty Project is a great example of how modular can unlock possibilities on a sloping block. This project was a modified version of the Aspendale design, adapted to better suit both the client’s lifestyle and the site itself.

The home arrived in two main modules plus decking modules and was craned into place in just a few hours. It is a strong showcase of how prefab modular homes can be tailored to suit different site conditions while still delivering a streamlined installation experience.

To stay up to date with our latest modular home deliveries, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Want to see if your block is suited to an Anchor Home?

If you are just starting to explore whether a modular home is right for you, a desktop site assessment is a helpful place to begin.

It gives you practical insight early, before you commit to a block, a design, or the next stage of planning. Rather than trying to guess whether your land will suit modular home delivery, you can get a clearer understanding of what may be possible and what factors could shape the build. For many people, that early clarity makes it much easier to decide whether building modular is the right path forward.

It's quick and easy - request your free desktop site assessment here.