What evidence should I ask for to verify a reference project?

Ask for the purchase-order value band, the module count, the delivery year, the destination market, the certificate holder for the frame system, and at least one load-out or FAT record from the programme. A photo alone proves nothing. If a supplier cannot name the certificate holder or produce a factory acceptance test from the reference job, treat the reference as unverified.

Can I speak to a past client directly?

For most programmes yes, subject to the client's own confidentiality preference. We will always give you the destination market, module count and delivery window, and we will arrange a reference call where the client has agreed to it. Where a client prefers not to be contacted we say so rather than fabricating an introduction.

Are the reference projects built by MODURA or by partner factories?

MODURA engineers the building and owns the specification; certified partner plants manufacture to it. The ICC-ES evaluation report, ISO certificates and mill certificates each name the holding entity for their scope, and we publish those holders rather than a single logo. The accountability chain is the point, so verify it rather than assuming it.

How long does a typical modular programme take from order to occupancy?

Factory production typically starts 6 to 10 weeks after a signed order and released drawings, depending on the certification package the destination market requires. Module production itself commonly runs 8 to 14 weeks, with site works proceeding concurrently. Overall, modular programmes usually reach occupancy several months earlier than an equivalent site-built project, with the advantage concentrated in the middle of the programme.

What is the smallest project you will take on?

A single volumetric home or a small amenity building is a legitimate modular project and we will quote it. What we will not do is pretend the factory economics of a one-off unit match those of a twenty-unit repetition, because they do not. For small one-off projects, tell us the budget and we will tell you honestly whether modular is the right delivery method for it.

How do you handle a client who wants a fixed price on a design that is still changing?

A fixed lump sum on an unresolved design is not a fixed price, it is a stored dispute. Where scope is defined we fix it. Where scope is still moving we quote the defined elements and hold the open items as clearly labelled allowances, and we revisit the price band when the design freezes. That is the only honest way to price a programme that is still being designed.

Projects — Modular Construction Case Studies

A-frame modular resort hotel courtyard with timber cabin modules

Hospitality, Resort Programs

A-Frame Resort Hotel Program

A-Frame Modules Timber Cladding Courtyard Layout

Complete cabin modules, structure, envelope, interiors, and MEP all finished in the factory, are shipped flat or complete and erected on light foundations in days, not months. The programme logic behind that compression is set out in our modular hotel construction timeline, and the resort-specific formats in modular resort & extended-stay construction.

Complete cabin modules with interiors and MEP finished in factory
A-frame geometry engineered for snow, wind, and seismic loads by destination
Rapid site erection on light strip or pile foundations
Layouts, finishes, and glazing customizable per resort brand

Reference: Resort courtyard program delivered through MODURA’s manufacturing network

A-frame modular cabins on a forest resort site

Hospitality, Eco-Resort

Forest Resort Cabin Development

Forest Site A-Frame Light Foundations

Forest and eco-resort sites demand construction that respects the landscape. Modular cabins arrive as finished units, are craned onto elevated light foundations, and leave the site, and its trees, largely undisturbed compared to conventional site building.

Elevated light foundations protect root systems and terrain drainage, see modular building foundation systems
Minimal wet trades on site, near-zero site waste in sensitive areas
Factory glazing and envelope sealing for weathertightness in forest climates
Phased delivery: cabins arrive sequenced for single-crane installation

Reference: Forest resort program delivered through MODURA’s manufacturing network

Modern prefabricated modular villa with pool

Residential, Villas

Modular Villa Programs

Single-Family Villa Custom Facades Pool & Landscape Ready

Custom villas pair architectural expression with factory precision. Render, stone, and timber facades are applied to light-gauge steel frames in the factory; the module arrives weathertight with kitchens, bathrooms, and joinery installed. Site work is limited to foundations, connections, and landscaping.

Light-gauge steel frame engineered to destination codes (IBC/IRC, AS/NZS, EN)
Render, stone, and timber facade options applied in factory, costed line by line in the modular cost breakdown guide
Kitchens and bathrooms pre-fitted with cUPC and CE-listed fixtures
Flat-pack or volumetric shipping modes by destination logistics

Reference: Villa program delivered through MODURA’s manufacturing network

Contemporary modular townhouse development

Residential, Multi-Unit

Townhouse Development, Australia Delivery

Multi-Unit Australia Delivery LGS Frames

Multi-unit townhouse programs combine repeatable module types with street-by-street facade variation. This reference development was delivered to Australia, one of the network’s most active export markets . With light-gauge steel frames engineered to AS/NZS 4600 and finishes localized per builder specification.

Repeatable module types with per-lot facade variation
LGS frames engineered to AS/NZS 4600 for Australian wind regions
Containerized shipping with sequenced delivery per construction stage, see cross-border modular logistics
Compliance documentation packages for local certifier sign-off

Reference: Australian townhouse program delivered through MODURA’s manufacturing network

Single-family prefabricated home from the export program

Residential, Export

Single-Family Export Program

US-Standard Designs Flat-Pack LGS Kits 60+ Countries

Single-family programs export complete light-steel home kits to 60+ countries, the ICC-ES evaluated framing system (ESR-5348) covers IBC/IRC compliance with California and Los Angeles supplements, and standard designs adapt to local tastes with factory-applied facades.

ICC-ES ESR-5348 evaluated light-steel framing system (IBC/IRC 2021 + CA/LA)
Flat-pack kits: one or two 40ft containers per home, erector-friendly manuals
Standard plan library with custom design services for developers
Mill certificates, warranty, and compliance documents shipped with every kit, the same paperwork chain described in modular quality comparison

Reference: Export home program delivered through MODURA’s manufacturing network

Aerial view of modular steel frame modules on a construction site

Logistics, Erection

Site Erection & Overseas Delivery

Containerized Shipping Crane Erection Export Packaging

Every export program ends on site. Modules ship containerized from East Asia with sequenced packing so the first-erected modules come off first; crane crews work from network erection manuals; and weekly shipment status reports keep developers and lenders informed from factory gate to final module.

Sequenced container loading matched to erection order
Erection manuals and connection details prepared per site crane plan, covered in depth in modular crane & equipment logistics
Weekly shipment status reports from factory gate to port to site
Destination-market compliance documentation with every shipment

Reference: Multi-site export logistics delivered through MODURA’s manufacturing network

Procurement, Due Diligence

How to Verify a Reference Project Before You Sign

Case-study pages are marketing. These are the seven artefacts that separate a verifiable delivery record from a rendered brochure, ask for every one of them, for a project in your own jurisdiction.

Artefact to request	What it proves	Red flag if withheld
Container & module packing list	Module count, dimensions, and load sequence actually shipped	Only renders, no shipment record
Bill of lading + port of discharge	The goods physically left the factory and landed where claimed	Blanked-out consignee and dates
Structural calculation package	The building was designed to your destination code, not a generic one	"Standard design" with no calc set
ICC-ES evaluation report	Independent third-party evaluation of the framing system (ESR-5348)	Self-declared compliance only
Mill certificates for structural steel	Heat-number traceability of the steel grade actually used (Q355B)	"Equivalent grade" unspecified
Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) report	Electrical continuity, plumbing pressure, and airtightness measured pre-shipment	Site inspection only, after the fact
Local certifier sign-off	A building official in the destination market accepted the assembly	"Approved in China" used as proxy

Cost & Programme

What These Programs Cost and How Long They Take

Realistic order-of-magnitude figures for an export modular program, based on the commercial structure used across our hospitality and residential reference builds. Every number below is a planning range, not a quotation. But the direction of each line is what matters when you compare against site-built alternatives.

Cost line	Modular / prefabricated	Conventional site-built	Why it diverges
Structural shell	Factory jig-set, tighter tolerance	Site labour, weather-dependent	Factory repeats absorb setup; site labour does not
MEP rough-in	Pre-installed in module, tested before ship	Trade sequencing on site	Continuity tested in a controlled environment
Freight & logistics	Material cost, containerised sea freight	Near zero for local materials	The one line where modular usually loses
Site preliminaries	Weeks of crane + connection crew	Months of scaffolding, supervision, welfare	Prelims scale with programme duration
Financing carry	Shorter draw period	Longer draw, more interest	Every month of programme removed removes a month of interest
Cost certainty at contract	Fixed at factory gate, scope locked in factory drawings	Open to site variations and weather delay claims	The largest single difference in developer outcomes

The carry line is the one most often under-modelled. A modular program that reaches first revenue two months earlier than a conventionally built equivalent funds those months out of operating income rather than out of the development loan, and on a multi-unit project that swing typically outweighs the freight premium that modular pays on the logistics line. Work the full model in our modular construction ROI guide and total cost planning guide before you compare headline rates.

Programme

Milestones: Factory-Built vs Site-Built, Month by Month

Typical sequence for a mid-sized multi-unit export program (roughly 60–120 modules). Months are counted from contract signature to the point the client can actually use the building.

Milestone	Modular (months)	Site-built (months)
Design freeze & compliance drawings	1–2	1–2
Foundation / enabling works	1–2 (parallel with factory)	1–2
Factory production of all modules	3–5	n/a
Superstructure / envelope	0.5 (erection)	4–6
MEP rough-in & fit-out	included in factory	3–5
Sea freight & port handling	1–2 (overlapped)	n/a
Connections, commissioning, certifier sign-off	1–2	1–2
First revenue / occupancy	6–10	11–17

The compression comes from one structural fact: foundation and production run in parallel because the building is being made indoors while the ground is being prepared outdoors. That is why the gap widens on larger programs and narrows on very small ones. See the full sequence in our modular construction project timeline.

Before You Commit

Questions We Are Asked Before Every Export Contract

“Your reference projects are delivered by partner factories, who is actually accountable?” MODURA engineers the building and owns the specification; partner lines manufacture to it. The ICC-ES evaluation report, ISO certificates, and mill certificates name the holding entity for each scope, which is why we publish the holders rather than a single logo. The accountability chain is the point, verify it, don't assume it.
“Will my local building official accept a factory-built module?” The frame system carries ICC-ES evaluation (ESR-5348) covering IBC/IRC 2021 with California and Los Angeles supplements, and the fire assemblies are tested to ISO 3008-1 by Intertek. For markets outside North America we engineer to the destination standard, AS/NZS 4600 for Australia, EN for Europe, and ship the calculation package with the modules. Our guide to modular certification standards walks through what each market asks for.
“What happens if a module arrives damaged?” Modules ship with sequenced loading matched to erection order, so the first unit off the ship is the first unit up. Damage claims are handled against the packing list and bill of lading rather than estimates. Documentation discipline is why we insist on the artefact list above. See modular payment and draw schedules for how this ties into payment milestones.
“Can I phase delivery so I only pay for what I can install?” Yes, and on resort programs it is normal. Containerised shipping with sequenced delivery per construction stage lets a developer take the first phase to revenue while later phases are still in production. The trade-off is that phased programmes lose some of the factory-repetition saving, discussed in modular transportation logistics.
“How does this compare with just using shipping containers?” Container-based and purpose-built modular are different products. Containers are constrained to ISO dimensions and their structural capacity is a corner-post frame; our volumetric and hybrid modules are engineered to the destination building code with proper floor loading, thermal envelope, and fire separation. The comparison is set out honestly in modular vs container construction.

Request the full documentation pack, evaluation reports, certificate holders, structural calculation samples, and a prior shipment's packing list, against a specific project in your market. Request the documentation pack.

Programme Detail

What Each Reference Programme Actually Built

Programme	Scope Delivered	System & Structure	What It Proves
A-Frame Resort Hotel Program	Repeat visitor units with pitched envelope, factory-fitted bathrooms and glazing, delivered to a hospitality operator	Volumetric modules on a light gauge steel frame, ICC-ES ESR-5348 evaluated	That a non-standard architectural form can still be built as repeated factory modules rather than bespoke site work
Forest Resort Cabin Development	Amenity and accommodation pods for a remote, low-accessibility site	Volumetric modules sized to the transport envelope, crane-set on prepared pads	That a site with poor access rewards factory completion, because the number of site deliveries is minimised
Townhouse Development, Australia	Multi-storey residential modules shipped cross-border and erected on site	Hybrid volumetric plus structural elements engineered to AS/NZS 4600	That modular delivery works across regulatory regimes when the calculation package travels with the modules
Soledad, California Interim Housing	Interim housing units delivered from the South China container module base	Container modules, US market, IBC/IRC 2021 with California supplements	That a US public-sector programme can be served from an Asian factory base with the right code evidence
Single-Family Export Program	Individual family homes exported as complete modules	Volumetric modules, turnkey internal fit-out	That modular economics do not require twenty identical units; a single home can ship factory-complete

How the delivery is sequenced and who is accountable at each stage is explained in our modular construction timeline guide, and the commercial structure behind a multi-phase programme is covered in our modular ROI guide for developers.

Real Buildings. Real Results.