How much will it cost to get an accommodation module delivered?

One question that we would expect you to ask is “How much will it cost to get an accommodation module delivered?”

And rightly so!

When investing in accommodation for your farm workers, you’ll definitely want to know the total overall cost so that you can budget accordingly.

But you might be surprised when you receive a quote and ask “Why does the delivery cost seem high?”

Of course, we could list all sorts of reasons such as the remoteness of the location, the travel time and fuel costs and the need for specialist equipment, but what we really want customers to understand is the value of what they’re getting.

Understanding the overall value of buying a manufactured accommodation unit.

While delivery costs can range anywhere from $3,000 to $50,000, it’s just one aspect of the overall value of the unit. Consider it as just one part of your investment – think about what you’re getting for your investment.

A complete accommodation unit delivered to your property, ready to move into.

So while the delivery cost makes up a portion of the cost, it’s important to take a more ‘big picture’ view of the entire investment that you’re making.

Compare this to how much it would cost to have a new home or unit built on-site. More about this later.

What you’re essentially getting with an accommodation unit is a fully built unit delivered to your property, ready for occupation; just plug & play.

You’ll also find that these units are really good value when you look at everything that goes into them. That’s because they’re built offsite in a factory in locations where there’s easy access to resources.

Comparing the overall value of a manufactured unit as opposed to having something built on your site.

When you purchase a manufactured unit and have it delivered to your site, you know exactly how much your investment is going to cost.

• Cost of the Unit + site preparation costs + delivery and installation.

This isn’t as simple and straightforward if you had elected to have something built on-site. If you were to go down this track, you’d have to consider a ton of other things –

• Cost of timber or steel for the frames + delivery.
• Cost of roof trusses or materials to make them + delivery.
•  Foundation costs, whether you’re using stumps or concrete + delivery.
• Cost of the windows and doors + delivery.
• Cost of the internal fixtures and fittings + delivery.
• Labour costs for building the entire unit + their travel time and accommodation.

On top of that, you also have to consider the availability of suitable tradespeople and the length of time you might have to wait for them to be available. This often also has a considerable cost value.

And then there’s also the waiting time for materials to be available and ready for delivery.

As you can imagine, all of these costs all add up pretty quickly.

And don’t forget that the time to build can significantly blow out if you find it difficult to source materials or get reliable tradespeople to do the work. And we’re not just talking weeks, but months, even years.

If you’re managing the project yourself, this can mean a lot of downtime when you really should be focusing on running your property.

Plus, what about if you’ve found the perfect worker who’s keen to get started but can’t because there’s nowhere to live? That’s more lost time, missed productivity and even scuttling the possibility of onboarding a worker who could pay dividends in the years to come.

So, that’s why we say the focus must be on the overall value of your investment rather than just focusing on one of the components of the overall cost.

When you purchase a fully built unit, you really do get value for money.

When you compare the differences between having a fully built unit delivered to your property as opposed to having one built on-site, the value of the former is a no-brainer.

With a manufactured unit, you know exactly what you’re getting and when. You could opt to buy one already in stock – if your supplier carries stock – or get it built for you. Even if you choose the latter, a manufactured unit has a defined reasonable time frame of when it will be finished and ready for delivery.

And you’ll get the overall cost of not only the unit itself but also the delivery. This means that there’ll be no surprises.

So you can just get on with running your property, safe in the knowledge that your new accommodation unit or units will arrive in the estimated time frame and be ready for occupation.

Compare this to the time you’ll lose if you decide to have one built on-site. Not to mention, the frustration this is likely to cause and the money you’ll lose by not focusing on running your property.

So, just to wrap up, while you might think that the delivery cost of your unit is a significant portion of the overall cost of your investment, it’s still exceptionally good value when you compare it to the alternative.