Site Preparation Checklist for Your New Modular Home

The factory builds your modular home in around 8 weeks. The site has to be ready for the modules to arrive. Site preparation is the part most clients underestimate, and it is the difference between a smooth 2-day install and an expensive holding pattern. Here is the complete site preparation checklist for a NSW modular build in 2026.

The Big Picture

Your block needs to be ready to receive modules around 4 to 6 weeks before delivery date. The work that has to be done before then:

• Clearing and earthworks complete
• Access road or driveway suitable for semi-trailer and crane
• Foundations poured and cured
• Underground services rough-in to foundation
• Crane swing zone identified and clear
• Power available for tools and lighting

Step-by-Step Checklist

1. Site survey and pegging

Surveyor marks out the building footprint, setbacks, and key levels. This locks down exactly where the home will sit on the block.

2. Clearing

Remove vegetation, scrub, and any temporary structures within the building footprint plus working area. Save trees you want to keep, but make sure the crane can swing without hitting them.

3. Earthworks

Cut and fill to create a level building pad. Retaining walls if slope demands them. Drainage to direct stormwater away from the foundation.

4. Driveway and access

A truck with up to a 7-tonne module needs to reach the building site. Width, turning circle, grade, and weight-bearing all matter. Gravel access is usually fine; concrete is even better. If access requires a temporary upgrade (e.g., bridging a swale or strengthening a culvert), this happens now.

5. Foundation

Concrete slab, stumps or piers, depending on what your engineering report specified. Critical: get the dimensions exactly right. The modules are precise; the foundation must match. We provide foundation drawings for your concrete contractor.

6. Underground services rough-in

Water, sewer, power, telecommunications cabling all need to be in trenches and stubbed up at the foundation locations specified on our connection diagrams. Done now, before the modules land. Cleaner and cheaper than retrofitting later.

7. Crane swing zone

Identify where the crane will set up and where the boom will swing. Clear obstacles. Power lines overhead are the biggest issue and may require power authority involvement.

8. Temporary power and water

Available for the install crew. Either temporary builder's connection or your permanent connection commissioned early.

Who Does What

For a Hi-Tech build, we can coordinate the full site preparation as a turnkey package, or you can manage it locally with our specifications. Many clients prefer turnkey because it removes coordination risk between trades. See our process page for details.

Common Mistakes

• Underestimating crane access requirements
• Foundation dimensions off by a few centimetres (delays install)
• Services not stubbed up in the right locations
• Driveway not strong enough for the truck
• Trees too close to crane swing area

Get the Timeline Right

Site prep typically takes 6 to 10 weeks depending on complexity. We sync this with factory build so the modules arrive when the site is ready, not before, not after. Talk to us about coordinating your site prep with our factory schedule.