Building Better with Nexus Modular – MAC’s Efficient Solution to Garden Homes in Victoria

Why choose modular for garden homes in Victoria?

Ken Lydiatt, Project Leader at MAC Reno Design Build has significant experience with modular homes, having managed a team in Alberta for over a decade before coming to MAC in Victoria. He shared why modular homes are a great solution for homeowners in Victoria looking to add a garden suite to their property. “While the cost of a modular home is a little less than a site-built home, the real benefits are in the significant reduction in building time and the minimized impact on the neighbourhood. Instead of having 30 – 40 different trades taking up parking spots on a narrow street for about a year, the modular home can be assembled, delivered, and installed in four to six months, and the disruption to the neighbourhood is usually less than six weeks: a month or so for the foundation and getting the services set up, and then a couple of weeks to finish things up once the modular home has been placed.”

The Nexus Modular building process embraces efficiency through their building process. “There’s 90% less waste in a modular build vs. a traditional construction process,” shared Noah Topp, Business Development Manager at Nexus. “We operate in a 16,000 square foot, climate-controlled warehouse. Everything is built indoors, so we don’t lose material to heat, cold fluctuations, or constant rain. Everything stays dry.”

“Building these homes in a climate-controlled warehouse means Nexus can promise a fixed timeline and they don’t lose materials to heat or cold fluctuations or Victoria’s constant rain. Everything stays dry.” – Ken Lydiatt, MAC Reno Design Build

Affordable vs. Cheap

Choosing a modular build doesn’t mean settling for cheap materials. “Modular tends to be more cost-effective than an on-site build,” explained Noah. “But there’s a distinction between affordability and cheapness. Some people assume manufactured or modular homes are built like cheap camping trailers — graham cracker walls with marshmallow insulation and low-quality components. But that’s just not the case. The modular homes of today are built with high-end materials and luxury finishes and are designed to safely travel 100+km to the job site. We use the same calibre of materials that you would expect to find in a custom site-built home. I’d even say that our homes are more robust: they must be structurally sound enough to lift with a crane, put on a float trailer, and driven to a job site. We build beautiful, durable, custom modular homes, all the while meeting the same energy and building codes required of a site-built home. Modular homes are affordable without compromising quality.”

Prefab vs Modular: Understanding Your Options in Greater Victoria

While prefab and modular construction are often used interchangeably, there are important distinctions for homeowners in Greater Victoria. Prefabricated homes typically involve basic panels or components built off-site and assembled on your property, often with limited options and potential quality concerns. Modular construction, however, represents a sophisticated approach where entire sections of your home are precision-built in a controlled factory environment, then transported and assembled on-site. Companies like Nexus Modular exemplify this advanced approach, offering superior quality control, faster construction timelines, and full customization to suit Victoria’s unique architectural character and challenging terrain. For Greater Victoria homeowners looking for the perfect balance of efficiency, quality, and design flexibility, modular construction delivers a smart solution that traditional basic prefab methods cannot match.

Building Standards

Nexus homes are built to meet or exceed the CSA A277 and CSA Z240 building standards and regularly passes the QAI Laboratories inspection process. The CSA standards include specifications referenced by the National Building Code of Canada, National Plumbing Code of Canada, and the Canadian Electrical Code.

“We have to meet the same building code and energy efficiency requirements as any sort of site-built home,” shared Noah. “We test for air tightness and energy efficiency with all of our homes. And once the home is delivered, we complete post-construction energy modelling as well.”

“Some people assume manufactured or modular homes are built like cheap camping trailers — graham cracker walls with marshmallow insulation and low-quality components. But that’s just not the case. The modular homes of today are built with high-end materials and luxury finishes and designed to safely travel 100+km to the job site.” – Noah Topp, Nexus Modular Solutions