One point of contact
Design, permits, manufacturing, transport and installation. No subcontractors blaming each other.
Modular manufacturing · Portugal and Europe
Container and modular homes, ready in weeks instead of years
We design, build in a factory and install container homes, prefabricated modular houses and garden offices. Fixed price before we start, lead times between 60 and 110 days, and one point of contact from drawing to keys.
60–110 daysfrom factory to handover
10 countriesdelivery and installation in Europe
Class Aenergy performance as standard
10 yearsstructural warranty
Modular construction without the uncertainty of a building site
A traditionally built house in Portugal takes, on average, one to three years from first sketch to occupancy certificate, on a budget that rarely survives intact. Modular construction inverts that logic: 80% of the work happens inside a factory, with controlled measurements, no rain delays, no material walking off site and no crews disappearing to another job.
At Modular Living Europe we build three product families. Our container homes start from reinforced and re-insulated 20 and 40 foot shipping containers. Our prefabricated modular houses use a purpose-designed light steel frame with none of the width limits of a container. Our garden offices and studios solve the problem of working from home without working inside the home.
What actually changes
- Predictable lead time. Between 25 and 110 days in the factory depending on the model, plus one to four days of installation on site.
- Fixed price. The quotation states what is included and what is not. No surprise extras halfway through.
- Lighter touch on the land. Pad footings or a light raft slab, with no deep excavation in many cases.
- Energy performance. 80 to 140 mm of insulation, thermally broken frames and a class A or A+ energy rating as standard.
- Reversibility. A module can be disconnected, lifted, transported and reinstalled on another plot.
Catalogue
The models people ask for most
Eight standard models, from a 15 m² studio to a 116 m² duplex. Every one can be adapted in layout, cladding and finish level.
Container home — studio
ML-20 Studio
A compact studio in a single 20-foot container: sleeping area, kitchenette, full bathroom and a wide glazed sliding door. The fastest way into modular living.
See specifications
Container home — 1 bed
ML-30 Compact
A single 40-foot container with a separate bedroom, open-plan living space and a steel-framed covered terrace. Our most requested holiday and short-let model.
See specifications
Container home — 2 bed
ML-60 Family
Two 40-foot modules joined side by side, with two bedrooms, a generous living space and an 18 m² covered terrace. Mixed steel and thermo-treated timber cladding.
See specifications
Modular home — 3 bed
ML-90 Panorama
A prefabricated modular home on a light steel frame, with three bedrooms, a glazed corner opening and fibre-cement panel cladding. No shipping containers involved.
See specifications
Container home — two storey
ML-120 Duplex
Four containers stacked with an offset, creating a cantilever, a roof terrace and an external steel staircase. Corten weathering steel and matt black panel cladding.
See specifications
Garden studio
ML-Office 24
A 24 m² garden studio with a work zone, meeting room and bathroom. Corten steel entrance panel and a 4.2 m sliding glazed opening.
See specifications
Container homes
Marine steel, re-insulated and reinforced
A shipping container is a corten steel box designed to cross oceans carrying thirty tonnes. That makes it an extraordinary structure — and a terrible thermal envelope, unless somebody fixes it. We fix it: structural reinforcement around every opening, anti-corrosion treatment, 80 to 140 mm of continuous insulation and thermal bridges cut at the corners.
We work with 20 foot modules (around 15 m² gross) and 40 foot modules (around 29 m²), which can be joined side by side or stacked up to two storeys. A 58 m² two-bedroom home is two 40 foot containers; a 116 m² duplex is four.
Modular homes
When container width is not enough
Our prefabricated modular houses use no containers. They are volumetric modules on a light steel frame, designed around the project, with widths up to 4.2 metres per module. That allows wider living rooms, larger openings and layouts that are not trapped inside a container's 2.35 metre internal width.
It is the natural route for three and four bedroom layouts, for permanent housing, and for anyone who wants a class A+ rating and nZEB readiness from the outset.
Process
Five stages, from first email to keys
The same process for a single unit or a twenty-module development.
Site assessment
We check the local plan, truck and crane access, slope, water, power and drainage connections, and any agricultural, ecological or heritage restrictions.
Design and fixed quotation
Plans, elevations, technical specification and a fixed-price quotation. You know exactly what is included before signing anything.
Permits
We file the application with the municipality — full permit, prior notification or a preliminary information request, depending on the case.
Factory production
Structure, insulation, services, windows and finishes are built in a controlled environment, with a weekly photo report.
Transport and installation
Special transport, crane placement, final connections and handover with all technical documentation. One to four days on site.
The range
Seven layouts, from an office to a duplex
Real factory lead times, counted from approval of the detailed design. Each project is quoted once we know where the plot is.
| Type | Area | Factory lead time | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden office | 12 m² | 25–35 days | Working from home without being inside it |
| Studio | 15 m² | 35–45 days | A first home, an annexe or a rental |
| Tourism suite | 18 m² | 35–50 days | Short-term lets and glamping |
| 1 bedroom | 29 m² | 45–60 days | A couple or a holiday home |
| 2 bedrooms | 58 m² | 60–75 days | A small family, year-round living |
| 3 bedrooms, modular | 86 m² | 75–95 days | A family with children, all year |
| 3–4 bedrooms, duplex | 116 m² | 90–110 days | A main house over two floors |
We do not publish a price list: the figure depends on the model, the finish, the country and the plot. In how the price is built up we set out, item by item, what goes into the total and what is always carried out locally.
Why us
Four things that make a difference
European structural design
Structures verified to Eurocode 3, with seismic and wind zones set by the actual location.
Price with a warranty
Fixed quotation, 10 years of structural warranty and 2 years on equipment and finishes.
Delivery in 10 countries
Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Luxembourg and Ireland.
Permits
Modular does not mean permit-free
This is the most expensive misunderstanding in the sector. Portugal's new planning and building regime, approved by Decree-Law 108/2026 of 29 May and in force for most of its provisions since 3 August 2026, repealed the former article 1-A that expressly regulated permanent modular construction. That repeal created no exemption whatsoever.
The new article 2 defines a building by its function and permanence — work intended for human use, or incorporated into the ground with a permanent character — regardless of the construction system used. Being modular changes nothing. What counts is the use, the permanence, the physical integration, the foundations, the utility connections and what the municipal plan allows on that specific plot.
Source: analysis of Portugal's new planning regime applied to modular construction, SSE HF.
Quick answers
The questions we get every day
Does a container home need a building permit?
In most cases involving permanent residential use, yes. Portugal's new regime defines a building regardless of the construction system, so modularity does not remove prior control. Depending on the case, the route may be a full permit, a prior notification or, at study stage, a preliminary information request. We assess your plot before you commit to anything.
How long does it take, from contract to keys?
Manufacturing takes 25 to 110 days depending on the model, and installation one to four days. Total time depends mostly on municipal permitting, which varies by council. In practice we plan for four to nine months from contract to keys, against an average of three to six months of construction alone in the traditional route according to Santander.
Can a modular home be financed with a mortgage?
Yes, with conditions. Banks require the house to be fixed, permitted, registered at the land registry and sited on land with authorised residential use. Mobile units or unpermitted units are not accepted as security. We prepare all the technical documentation the bank asks for.
What does the module quotation include, and what is left out?
No. The module figure is ex-works: the finished house leaving the factory. Excluded are the land, design fees and permit charges, foundations and site preparation, water, power and drainage connections, transport and installation. These items vary a great deal with the plot and the country, which is why we quote each one separately instead of hiding them inside a single number. See how the price is built up.
How long does a container home last?
With proper anti-corrosion treatment, continuous insulation and normal maintenance, structural life is comparable to conventional steel construction — several decades. We give a 10-year structural and weathertightness warranty.
Do you deliver outside Portugal?
Yes. We deliver and install in ten European countries. Transport is quoted by distance and load type, and permitting is always handled under local law. See countries and lead times.
Inside
What it is like to live inside a module
Anyone who has never stepped into one asks the same question: does it fit? These are the moves we use so that 15, 29 or 86 square metres do not feel like a corridor.
Architectural visualisations of our models, produced from the construction drawings. They are not photographs of completed work. The finishes shown correspond to the Signature and Atelier levels.
Get a quotation for your plot
Tell us where the land is and which layout you are after. We reply within 48 hours with a detailed quotation, a lead time and a clear list of what is and is not included.