Six Things in the Offsite Industry That Are Total Bullshit (But We Keep Believing)

The Offsite construction industry is filled with bold promises, big dreams, and unfortunately, some deeply entrenched myths that just won’t die. These aren’t small misunderstandings—they’re industry-wide beliefs that get repeated so often we start to accept them as truth, even though experience shows they’re pure nonsense. If we’re ever going to build a stronger, more sustainable future for Offsite, we need to drag these illusions into the daylight and call them out for what they are: total bullshit.

1. “Standardization Will Save Us”

This one gets repeated so often you’d think it was carved into the walls of every conference center. The dream is simple: let’s just copy the automotive industry—build the same module a thousand times, crank it out like a Chevy Malibu, and the profits will roll in. Except housing isn’t a car. Every project comes with a fresh stack of code requirements—flood plains here, seismic zones there, snow loads up north, hurricanes down south. Even within a 100-mile radius, you’ll run into different zoning, fire codes, and financing quirks. Yet, the myth of “standardization” survives because it makes us feel like we’re one brilliant process away from solving everything. The truth? Limited standardization helps, but the dream of one-size-fits-all production lines is pure smoke.

2. “We Can Train Anyone in a Week”

Factory owners love this one. They honestly believe that someone can walk in off the street, watch a quick safety video, hold a nail gun, and suddenly be a skilled modular builder. A week of training, maybe two if you’re generous, and voilà—a production worker! Then the problems show up: crooked walls, misaligned plumbing, electrical nightmares, and production delays that eat into profits. Turnover gets ridiculous because the new hires weren’t set up to succeed in the first place. But the story lives on, because it’s cheaper to believe you can plug anyone into the line than to actually invest in real, ongoing workforce development.

3. “Technology Will Fix Everything”

The industry’s favorite magic trick: buy your way out of problems with tech. Robots, AI, digital twins, automated lines—if you spend enough, it must mean efficiency and profitability, right? Wrong. We’ve watched factories spend millions on robotics that sit idle, software systems that no one knows how to use, and digital tools that create more confusion than clarity. Technology is incredible when paired with a solid business plan and the right people to implement it. But too often, it’s used as a Band-Aid for deeper management and process failures. It’s bullshit to think a shiny machine can save a flawed factory.

4. “Bigger Factories Mean Bigger Profits”

If I had a nickel for every time I heard this… A bigger factory must mean you’ll build more homes, which must mean you’ll make more money. But bigger also means more debt, more overhead, more empty space you need to justify, and more pressure on sales teams who can’t always deliver the volume. I’ve seen startups rent cavernous buildings, fill them with equipment, and then struggle to land enough contracts to keep the lights on. The overhead eats them alive before the first modules roll out the door. Yet people keep repeating the mantra because “bigger” sounds bold, visionary, and impressive on investor decks—even if it’s financially suicidal.

5. “Investors Will Always Wait Patiently”

This myth is particularly cruel. The story goes: get enough investor backing, and you’ll have years to figure out your factory. Investors “believe in the mission,” so they’ll wait for the payoff. In reality, investors are patient until they’re not. They love the press releases, the groundbreakings, and the glossy renderings. But once the months roll by without revenue, patience runs thin. Suddenly the calls get sharper, the funding slows down, and the smiles disappear. Offsite companies still cling to this myth because, let’s face it, without it they’d have to admit they need paying projects, not just funding, to survive.

6. “The Market Automatically Wants Modular”

We love to tell ourselves that since modular is faster, greener, and potentially cheaper, the market is just waiting for us. “Build it and they will come” has become a dangerous lie in our industry. Developers still worry about financing, lenders hesitate because they don’t understand modular risk, inspectors don’t always know what to do with offsite projects, and buyers are often clueless that the home they’re walking through is modular at all. The truth is, modular construction still needs to be sold—every single day. Yet we continue to repeat the fairy tale that demand is automatic, and that’s why too many factories are shocked when the phone doesn’t ring.

For every myth we’ve swallowed whole, there are dozens of real, practical strategies that actually work—factories that focus on realistic growth, train their teams properly, and market their product with clarity are proving it every day. Success doesn’t come from pretending problems don’t exist or believing the hype. It comes from doing the hard work, listening to experience, and adapting to the messy realities of housing.

And that’s where hope lives. Offsite construction still has the power to transform housing affordability, improve sustainability, and reshape how we think about building. But only if we stop repeating the bullshit and start embracing the truth. The factories and leaders willing to make that shift will not just survive—they’ll lead the industry into a future where innovation and success finally match the promises we’ve been making for years.