Few questions arrive earlier in a project than the modular home cost question, and few are harder to answer honestly at the first enquiry. A prefabricated building is not a catalogue product with a fixed ticket; it is a configured system, and the modular home cost for your scheme depends on decisions taken at the engineering stage — module count, specification level, fit-out scope, transport route and site conditions. This page sets out the cost drivers that CDPH applies when reviewing a project, so procurement teams can see where budget is committed and where it can be sensibly reduced. CDPH does not publish list prices: every project is quoted individually after engineering review, and the team replies within one business day with a concept proposal and a budget range. For the underlying product system, see modular houses.
How modular construction is priced: the base system
CDPH buildings are factory-prefabricated standard modules, bolted together on site and relocatable and reusable afterwards. Each module is a galvanised cold-formed steel frame (t=3.0 mm, SGH340, factory prefabricated) with 100 mm glass wool roof and floor insulation, 75 mm colour-steel sandwich panel walls and seamless S-type rock wool composite panels. Two module footprints are produced: 6055×2990×2896 mm (internal 5845×2780×2500 mm) and 6055×2435×2896 mm (internal 5845×2225×2520 mm). Buildings can be single, double, triple or more storeys, in I, U, L or courtyard layouts.
Because the structure is modular, quantity is the first cost lever. Modular home cost per square metre falls as the number of modules repeats, since design, tooling and factory set-up are spread across more units. A one-off two-module unit and a forty-module camp share the same engineering logic but not the same unit economics. CDPH sets no standard MOQ; the quantity effect is assessed project by project.
Two format variants are built on the same module system, and the choice affects both factory content and site labour:
- Flat pack — the 6055 mm standard box packed flat for transport, assembled on site.
- Detachable — bolted, demountable modules that can be taken apart and reused.
Size, storeys and layout
Floor area is the most visible driver. Cost scales with the number of modules, but not linearly: a taller building requires additional structural provision for roof live load (1.0 / 0.5 kN/m²), floor live load (2.0 kN/m²) and wind load (0.6 / 0.5 kN/m²), and corner, stair and wet-area modules carry more factory work than open accommodation modules. Courtyard and U-shaped layouts add corridors and connecting details that a simple rectangular block avoids. For a first budget indication, the useful inputs are: required floor area, number of storeys, layout type and module mix.
Specification and insulation: where performance is bought
Two buildings of identical footprint can differ substantially in modular home cost because of what is specified inside the envelope. As standard, the module system carries 100 mm glass wool insulation in roof and floor, 75 mm colour-steel sandwich panels and seamless S-type rock wool composite panels for walls, 1.5 / 1.6 mm rubber-plastic flooring, steel doors, and integrated PVC sliding windows with security bars and fly screens. Electrical circuits are pre-fitted in the roof; water supply runs along the walls with wall-side drainage.
Specification changes — higher-spec wall panels, upgraded windows, additional doors, heavier floor finishes — are quoted as line items. In cold or hot climates, envelope performance matters more than any single finish, and the project references show why clients specify for environment: a copper mine camp built for −55 °C conditions, and a living camp for a solar power station in Saudi Arabia whose fire performance was verified by Intertek testing. The manufacturer holds CE certification for modular container houses, prefab houses and light steel villas, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, product carbon footprint certification, National High-Tech Enterprise status, NATA materials certification for Australia, Intertek fire-resistance certification, CCS factory approval, and Intertek ICC-ES / WH building-material compliance for the US market. Certificates available upon request.
Fit-out scope: from shell to turnkey
Fit-out is often the largest variable in modular home cost after structure. A shell module and a fully fitted accommodation or office module leave the factory at very different values. CDPH modules accommodate bathrooms, kitchens, storage rooms, bedrooms, living rooms and open-plan offices; each added wet room, kitchen or partition increases factory labour, services work and testing. Procurement teams should define fit-out room by room, and separate fixed factory scope from site-installed scope, so that quotes are comparable. The same principle applies to the prefab house ranges: the ZA series offers interior fit-out options across the same categories, while the ZM wide-span series is typically specified as an enclosure for warehouses, workshops and storage buildings.
Prefab house ranges at a glance
| Parameter | ZA series | ZM series (wide-span) |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Hot-galvanised cold-formed steel | M300 steel columns T=3.0 mm, C170 purlins T=2.3 mm, hot-galvanised |
| Span | Up to 12 m | 12 / 15 / 18 m |
| Eaves height | Up to 3.5 m (accommodation/office) or 4.5 m (storage), customisable | 6 m |
| Column spacing | 3.45 m | 4 m or 6 m |
| Roof slope | Double-pitch 1:5 | Double-pitch 1:5 |
| Roof live load | 0.50 kN/m² | 0.3 kN/m² (6 m spacing) or 0.50 kN/m² (4 m spacing) |
| Wind load | 0.45 kN/m² | 0.45 / 0.60 kN/m² |
| Snow load | — | 0.35 / 0.50 kN/m² |
| Working temperature | −25 °C to +50 °C | — |
| Wall / roof panels | 75 mm colour-steel sandwich panels (white walls; blue corrugated roof) | — |
| Doors and windows | Steel door 900×2100 mm, customisable; UPVC or aluminium alloy windows | Sliding door 4000×4000 mm; double door 1500×2000 mm, customisable |
| Erection benchmark | 4 workers, about 40 m² of structure per day | 10 workers, about 1,000 m² of structure in 5 days |
| Transport density | About 200 m² of structure per 40 ft container | About 170 m² of structure per 40 ft container |
Logistics, site works and programme
Transport is frequently underestimated. Modular construction moves value, not air: flat-pack and detachable formats exist precisely to raise the square metres shipped per container. The ZA series ships about 200 m² of structure in one 40 ft container; the ZM series about 170 m². Route, distance, port handling and any abnormal-load permits all feed into delivered cost. CDPH's Hebei production base is 48 km from Tianjin Port, which shortens inland movement for export projects; the company also operates bases in Xinjiang and Sichuan, with 13 subsidiaries and offices and a team of 500+ people, including 100+ engineers.
Site works are outside the factory price and should be budgeted separately: foundations and ground preparation, crane or lifting provision, utility connections, drainage tie-ins and local labour for bolt-together assembly. The erection benchmarks above — 4 workers erecting about 40 m² of structure per day on ZA, 10 workers erecting about 1,000 m² in 5 days on ZM — help estimate site labour, but actual programme depends on site conditions and configuration, so CDPH does not promise fixed delivery day counts.
How CDPH builds a budget range
Founded in 2009, Beijing Chengdong International Modular Housing Corporation (brand CDPH) is a project-based manufacturer reporting 5,000+ projects implemented in 100+ countries across Eastern Europe, North America, Southeast Asia and Africa. Overseas projects run through CDPH (HAINAN) COMPANY LIMITED, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Beijing corporation. Reference work spans engineering camps, commercial buildings, emergency facilities, education facilities and military sites — including a port expansion camp in Côte d'Ivoire, a construction camp for a methanol plant, a camp for a cross-sea bridge project in Croatia and a natural gas project camp in Nigeria.
To receive a meaningful modular home cost indication, send the engineering team: floor area and storeys, layout preference, occupancy and climate, fit-out scope, destination port or site, and required standards. Every project is quoted individually after engineering review, and the team replies within one business day with a concept proposal and a budget range. Contact CDPH to start that review, or return to the home page for an overview of the manufacturer and its production bases.
Specification, Logistics and Installation Choices That Move the Modular Home Cost
Once size and layout are fixed, the next cost layers come from how the building is engineered, finished and delivered. Because a modular home cost is project-based rather than catalogue-based, each of the following decisions should be settled with the manufacturer during engineering review, before a budget range is confirmed.
Structure and loading. Standard modules are factory-prefabricated and bolted together on site, so the frame specification sets both material content and transport weight. The standard module frames use galvanised cold-formed steel at t=3.0 mm (SGH340). Design loads are typically stated as roof live load 1.0 / 0.5 kN/m², floor live load 2.0 kN/m² and wind load 0.6 / 0.5 kN/m²; a project in a higher wind or snow zone needs a heavier, more heavily braced frame, which raises cost. In the ZA Series, roof live load is 0.50 kN/m² and wind load 0.45 kN/m², with spans up to 12 m and eaves heights up to 3.5 m for accommodation/office use or 4.5 m for storage, customisable. The ZM wide-span series reaches spans of 12, 15 or 18 m with 6 m eaves, column spacing of 4 m or 6 m, roof live load 0.3 kN/m² at 6 m spacing or 0.50 kN/m² at 4 m spacing, wind load 0.45 / 0.60 kN/m² and snow load 0.35 / 0.50 kN/m². Wider spans and taller eaves mean more steel per square metre.
Insulation and envelope. Roof and floor insulation is 100 mm glass wool on the standard modular house; walls use 75 mm colour-steel sandwich panels and seamless S-type rock wool composite panels. The ZA Series uses 75 mm colour-steel sandwich walls (white) and a 75 mm corrugated colour-steel sandwich roof (blue). Thicker panels, upgraded rock wool cores or corrosion-resistant external wall panels add cost but reduce later heating and cooling loads — and the ZA Series is rated for working temperatures from -25 °C to +50 °C, so climate matters.
Fit-out and openings. Interior options — bathrooms, kitchens, storage rooms, bedrooms, living rooms and open-plan offices — are the largest discretionary line after structure. So are doors and windows: steel doors (900x2100 mm on the ZA Series, customisable), UPVC or aluminium alloy windows, integrated PVC sliding windows with security bars and fly screens, and large sliding (4000x4000 mm) or double (1500x2000 mm) doors on the ZM Series. Flooring is 1.5 / 1.6 mm rubber-plastic. Electrical circuits are pre-fitted in the roof, water supply runs along the walls and drainage is wall-side, so relocating wet areas late in the design adds cost.
Format and logistics. Flat pack and detachable variants both use the same 6055 mm module box. For the separate ZA and ZM prefab structures, shipping density is about 200 m² (ZA) or 170 m² (ZM) of structure per 40 ft container. Detachable modules are bolted and demountable, so they can be taken apart and reused — relevant if the camp is relocatable. Freight, lifting and site assembly follow from container count and module weight.
Erection, quantity and site works. Erection rates are published: 4 workers erect about 40 m² of ZA structure per day; 10 workers erect about 1,000 m² of ZM structure in 5 days. Site preparation, foundations, crane access and utility connections are separate from the factory package. Quantity matters because engineering, freight and mobilisation are spread across the order — and no standard MOQ applies; each project is quoted after engineering review, with a concept proposal and budget range typically returned within one business day.
Maintenance and sourcing. Hot-galvanised cold-formed steel columns (T=2-3 mm on ZA; M300, T=3.0 mm on ZM) and hot-galvanised C170 purlins resist corrosion, and the double-pitch roof slope of 1:5 sheds water. Buyers should also weigh supplier credibility: CDPH (Beijing Chengdong International Modular Housing Corporation, founded 2009) operates three production bases (Hebei, Xinjiang, Sichuan), with the Hebei base 48 km from Tianjin Port, and reports 5,000+ projects delivered in 100+ countries. Certifications are held at category level — CE, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, product carbon footprint, National High-Tech Enterprise, NATA materials certification for Australia, Intertek fire-resistance, CCS factory approval, Intertek ICC-ES / WH compliance for the US, with 14 key welders qualified to AWS, CWB and CE standards. Certificates available upon request. Overseas projects run through CDPH (HAINAN) COMPANY LIMITED, the wholly-owned subsidiary.