Who they are
Prebuilt is a Melbourne modular builder founded in 2003 by Rob and Christiana Colquhoun. It's based at Kilsyth in Melbourne's east, bought a 40,000 m² manufacturing site in 2015, opened an expanded facility in 2022, and in 2026 opened a second factory in New South Wales. It says it has built and installed hundreds of residential and commercial projects.
Its early Freedom House, released in 2004, was a two-storey home that folded to fit on one truck. Today it builds homes alongside commercial work: hospitality, multi-residential, education, health and retail.
What they make
- Pre-designed homes: four single-level designs, Breeze, Mod, Habitat and Eve, each adjustable.
- Custom-designed homes, including double-storey modular homes.
- Conversions: taking a traditional set of plans and re-engineering it as modular.
- Additions, but only to an existing Prebuilt home.
Homes are volumetric modules built in the factory on a steel base frame, so there's no concrete slab, and craned onto engineered anchor footings or screw piles. Their FAQ gives an efficient module size of about 16 m long by 5 m wide.
Models, sizes and prices
| Design | Bed | Bath | From | Modules | Price from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Habitat | 3 to 4 | 2 | 119 m² | 2 | $672,000 |
| Eve | 3 to 4 | 1 to 2 | 122 m² | 2 to 3 | $655,500 |
| Breeze | 3 to 4 | 2 | 132 m² | 2 | $627,000 |
| Mod | 3 to 4 | 2 to 2.5 | 153 m² | 2 to 3 | $703,000 |
Prices read October 2026 from Prebuilt's pre-designed homes page. There's a standard specification and a premium one for a higher budget. No design is under 119 m², so there's no granny flat range.
What's included
- A minimum 7-star energy rating on every home, with higher ratings possible.
- Full-height double-glazed windows and factory-made joinery, per the pre-designed homes page.
- Designed to BAL-19 bushfire as standard. BAL-29 and BAL-40 need design changes or other cladding.
- Off-grid capable: tanks, solar, batteries and generators are options.
- Transport within 100 km of the Kilsyth factory, for a flat, accessible site with a simple unload.
- An HIA contract and six years of home owners warranty cover.
What's extra
- The crane. Every project needs one, and Prebuilt puts it at about $12,000 for a straightforward lift to about $25,000 for a complicated one.
- Transport beyond 100 km of the factory, or to a site that needs more than a simple unload.
- Heating and cooling, priced job by job.
- Site work: demolition, excavation, the soil report and service connections. Prebuilt can arrange them, or local trades can do them.
- Upgrades for a bushfire rating above BAL-19.
Timing
Prebuilt quotes 12 to 14 weeks in the factory for a pre-designed home (one FAQ answer says 10 to 14), usually a one-day install, then two to four weeks to finish on site. Get the dates in the contract.
Where they build, and Queensland
Prebuilt's FAQ says it is licensed in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania, and its site footer lists Victoria, NSW and South Australia as its service area. It doesn't list Queensland or show a QBCC licence.
In Queensland, building work over $3,300 needs a QBCC-licensed contractor, and residential work over that amount needs QBCC home warranty cover. So for an SEQ block, Prebuilt isn't an option today unless that changes, and you'd confirm it with them first.
Licence and registration
- Victoria: Prebuilt Pty Ltd holds Domestic Builder (Unlimited) registration CDB-U 48129, current to 5 July 2027. Checked on the Building and Plumbing Commission's practitioner register data, October 2026.
- NSW: their licences page lists contractor licence 179319C for Prebuilt Pty Ltd, plus licences for Precom Pty Ltd, its commercial arm. We couldn't open the NSW record to confirm it, so check it on NSW Verify before you sign.
- South Australia: their licences page lists building work licence 274992.
- ABN Lookup shows Prebuilt Pty Ltd (ABN 76 103 794 743), active since May 2004, GST registered, based at Kilsyth.
Who they suit
Southern buyers who want a full-size, architect-style modular home with a strong energy rating and $600,000 or more to spend, from a builder with more than 20 years of modular work behind it. Their FAQ is one of the most open in the industry, with real crane figures and timeframes, and it's worth reading even if you buy elsewhere.
Questions to ask before you pay a deposit
- Is my site within the 100 km transport allowance, and if not, what's the freight cost?
- What will my crane lift cost, and who books the traffic control?
- What does my soil report mean for the footings, and are they in the price?
- Which spec is the quote on, standard or premium, and what's in each?
- How much is the deposit, what are the payment stages, and when is the home owners warranty issued?
- What's the factory start date, and is the install date in the contract?
How a Queensland buyer would compare them
Use Prebuilt's FAQ as the standard to hold a local maker to. Ask for the same things in writing: the crane cost range, the transport allowance, the footing system, the energy rating, the factory weeks and the time on site after install.
Then check the Queensland side: who holds the QBCC licence for the job, who pays the home warranty premium, whether the home suits your wind and bushfire rating, and what the site work costs on top of the home.
- How to read a building quote
- How to check a builder
- Paying for a granny flat
- Other modular companies, explained