What will my install cost?
Pick your council, your home and your block. You get a low to high range for every part of the install, the working behind each one, and what's left out. Two minutes, no email needed to see the number.
The home is one number. Getting it in the ground is the other
A modular home's price is usually the price at the factory gate. Before anyone can live in it, somebody has to certify it, put footings in, truck it to your block, crane it onto those footings, and connect water, sewer and power. In South East Queensland that work most often costs between $70,000 and $140,000, inc GST, on top of the home. That's a wide range, and the home rarely decides where you land. The block does.
This calculator breaks the install into the five buckets we price on every job: certification and approvals, footings, delivery and crane, plumbing, and electrical. Each answer you give moves one or more of those buckets inside its range. A flat block with sewer at the back fence and a truck parked beside the spot sits at the low end. A steep block that needs an on-site wastewater system and a crane in a closed street sits at the top.
Two choices move the number more than most people expect. The first is who signs as builder. As an owner builder you save about $10,000 in certification, because a licensed builder pays home warranty insurance and the QLeave levy on the whole job, factory build included. The second is crane reach. An easy lift and a road closure can be $20,000 apart for the same home.
What you get here is a guide built from real installer rates, not a quote. We haven't seen your block, the maker's drawings or the engineering. When we have, every line is priced in writing before you sign. If you want that number, send us the job. If you want to know whether a home fits at all, start with the free block check.
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| Bucket and the working | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Total, inc GST |
How we work it out
Every number comes from the five buckets on our installs page. Your answers pick a spot inside each range. Nothing here is a module price; the home is on top.
| Bucket | Range, inc GST | What your answers do to it |
|---|---|---|
| Certification and approvals | About $25,000 owner builder, about $35,000 licensed | Set by who signs as builder. The licensed path adds home warranty insurance, the QLeave levy and the builder's margin |
| Footings | $800 to $1,200 a pier, 6 to 14 piers | Size and modules set the count. Slope sets the price per pier, because a steep block means taller piers. Flood mapping pushes it up again, since the floor may need to sit higher |
| Delivery and crane | $8,000 to $38,000 | Crane reach sets the band. Two modules mean two lifts, a large home a bigger crane, and the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast a longer truck run |
| Plumbing and drainage | About $16,000, about $32,000 with on-site wastewater | Sewer or no sewer |
| Electrical | $5,000 to $9,000 | Run length from the switchboard. If the board needs an upgrade we price the run at the top, and the upgrade itself sits outside this number |
Bushfire and flood mapping mostly change the paperwork, not the install: a BAL assessment or a flood report, and sometimes a higher floor. Those reports are on the not-included list because the map decides them. Read bushfire ratings explained and owner builder or licensed builder before you pick a path.
Where the money goes on crane day
The crane is the line that swings most. A small crane for a morning is one bill. A bigger crane reaching over a roof, or one parked in a closed street with traffic control, is another. We look at access, overhead wires, trees and where the crane stands at the site check, before you're committed to anything.
Footings come next. A flat block and short piers are quick. A steep block means taller piers, more concrete and more time.
Install cost questions
Is this a quote?
No. It's a guide, inc GST, built from the ranges we see on installs across South East Queensland. A quote comes after we've seen the block, the maker's drawings and the engineering, and every line is priced in writing before you sign.
Why does a licensed builder add about $10,000?
On the licensed path the builder pays QBCC home warranty insurance on the whole job, factory build included, plus the QLeave levy and a margin for standing behind a home someone else made. As an owner builder you skip those, but you take on the builder's responsibilities and give up home warranty cover. Our owner builder guide sets out the trade.
What isn't in the number?
The home itself, which you buy from the maker. Approval extras like a development application, a town planner, bushfire or flood reports, survey and retaining. Switchboard or mains upgrades at the main house. Landscaping, turf, driveways and fencing.
How many piers will my home need?
The engineer decides. A small single module usually sits on 6 to 8, a two-module home on 10 to 14. Slope makes each pier taller and dearer, so a steep block costs more per pier as well as more in total.
Why does crane reach swing the price so much?
An easy lift from a truck parked beside the spot needs a small crane for a few hours. Lifting over the house or a long way back needs a bigger crane, and a crane in the street can need traffic control and a road closure permit. That's how delivery and crane runs from about $8,000 to about $38,000.