23/02/2026
Modular homes can be affordable, sustainable and cost-effective, with builds often completed in around 12 weeks (depending on site and design).
They must comply with engineering requirements, including Wind Region D where applicable, as well as the Building Code and NCC.
It’s important to choose reputable, experienced local builders and do your research.
www.bijoumodular.com.au
An engineering and environmental consultant has raised concerns over the use of modular housing to help alleviate Karratha's housing crisis.
It comes after the Housing Industry Association warned housing shortages in regional Australia could deepen.
Peter Long from Engineers Australia’s northern WA group says modular housing can work, but needs to be up to standard in the cyclone-prone Pilbara.
“Builders have said to me that there’s houses only three years old that they're having to pull out walls and replace them,” Mr Long told ABC Pilbara Breakfast.
Mr Long said some modular homes had water ingress as a result of inadequate air circulation underneath the floor, and certain cladding was more vulnerable to flying objects.
“It’s just got to be properly built and properly clad so that it'll work.”
Local property developer Carissa Ives says modular homes are subject to the same strict land and building conditions in-situ developments are.
“Our cyclonic region, our energy efficiency, our structural engineering, it all has to be specific to our region,” Ms Ives said.
She said the properties have had region-specific structural upgrades to the chassis, frame, panels and fixtures to align with the region’s cyclonic rating.
“We’ve probably come in at a good time where all the previous issues have been learnt from and our requirements for engineering and certification, they're already preset for us.
“A reason we built within WA is because the people we chose could meet the requirements for this region.”
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