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Alex's Post

Modular Homes Australia

Alex • 4 days ago • e

...

Has anyone dealt with Expandify or Affordable Modular Buildings?

This is a long one, so in summary:

We're aware there are others in similar situations to us experiencing extreme delays or defects in

finished homes, so if you've dealt with Expandify, I specifically want to know:

• Did you have apositive experience and end up with an installed, compliant home?

•Has your home been installed, but you're now dealing with defects, certification or

compliance issues?

• Areyou still waiting for your home to be shipped, delivered or installed?

For anyone afraid that speaking up could jeopardise their home or project, which is a fairly bleak

sentence to haveto write,you can contactus privatelyat [email omitted]

Therehave been somany delays, things mishandled, conflicting explanations and shifting

positions that I did the completely normal frustrated-daughter thing and built a website just to

keeptrack of this shit show: https://thegrannyflatfiles.com.au/

For those who are interested in a bit of a read, l've broadly outlined the key points of our nightmare

as best I can below.

My mum is a 60-year-old grandmother of three who has been put through more than a year of hell

by these companies.

In July 2025, she signed a $224,003 agreement with Expandify for what the agreement itself calls

a "comprehensive, hassle-free solution", including the dwelling, council approvals, installation ar

"everything in between".

Their own construction journey guide gives a maximum 29-week end-to-end timeline. Even

generously using that, she should have been moving inby the end of January 2026.

It's now September. She's paid $142k+ towards the project and the house still isn't on site.

"Hassle-free" has aged beautifully.

Expandify's current QBCC licence didn't commence until January 2026. In April, Sarah Morrison

and Clayton Bielby at Expandify wanted Mum to sign a new construction contract.

We sought legal advice. We then spent months trying to sort out the contractual mess, on top of a

project that was already poorly managed and significantly overdue.

Then in July 2026, Expandify brought in Tim Austin from Affordable Modular Buildings to manage

the installation. His contribution to restoring confidence was brief but memorable.

On 10 August, Tim sent a demand for $67,200.91, due 14 August, despite the invoice itself saying

the home was expected to arrive in Australla on 21 August. OOCL live shipment tracking said 26

August.

The signed agreement put that payment milestone at "Arrival in Australia".

l've been acting as Mum's authorised representative since April. I gave Tim the relevant contract

terms, explained why the payment wasn't due yet, and told him to withdraw the invoice. In the

same email, I reiterated that all correspondence was to come through me and that Mum was not

to be contacted because shewas undergoing cardiac investigations following significant

stress associated with this project.

In my view, Tim chose to bypass the authorised person giving him an answer he didn't like and take

the pressure directly to the more vulnerable party.

He called Mum anyway and spent more than ten minutes berating her to make the paymentearly,

talking over her while she cried. He told her, in substance, that Expandify couldn't afford the port

costs without it, that if she didn't pay now she might not get her house, Expandify could go under

and she could lose everything she'd already paid. He complained that customers with lawyers were

"kicking up a stink" and raised that he could "pull the plug" and ruin the arrangement for everyone

else.

For someone who has spent more than one conversation telling me how experienced and

successful he is, and questioning why people don't simply trust him and listen, apparently all that

experience didn't extend to the basic human decency required not to call and scare a woman with

known health risks after being expressly told not to. In my opinion, for the avoidance of doubt.

Over 11-12 August, Tim raised the prospect of Expandify not continuing and customers losing their

money four times. On the call to Mum, in writing to me, and twice on a separate call with me.

By 19 August, Expandify confirmed Affordable Modular Buildings had withdrawn from its projects.

For a brief period, Tim's behaviour somehow managed to make Expandify look reasonable by

comparison. He was now gone, but Sarah and Clayton at Expandify were still responsible for

sorting out the mess.

And we had a new problem - was Mum going to lose her life savings if Expandify goes under?

So our solicitor proposed putting the full $67,200.91 into Expandify's own solicitor's trust account,

with release tied to delivery, ownership and completion milestones.

Expandify refused.Their lawyerinsteadinsistedon direct paymentto Expandify before delivery

and threatened termination.

This is where I'm fresh out of benefit of the doubt. They've had more than a year to give us a

reason to trust them. They haven't.

They chose Tim. They put him in front of their customers. They don't get to treat what he said as

irrelevant now that it's inconvenient.

What we're hearing from Expandify is essentially "trust us with another $67k, or we'll terminate

your contract and leave your already unwell mother with no clear path to the home she has spent

her life savings on."

Then there's the question of whether Expandify can actually deliver its own side of the contract.

Our 16 Centemher ORCC cearch ctatac "NO CUPRENT NOMINEES FOR THE COMPANV"

If Expandify currently has no nominee, we're asking how they can lawfully finish the remaining

licensed work they're threatening to terminate Mum's contract over.

Our solicitor disputes their right to terminate.

So no, this isn't simply "customer signed contract, customer won't pay".

Mum wants to paythem to actually build her bloody house.

We're questioning whether Expandify can actually deliver what they're demanding payment for.

We have legal representation and we've tried every reasonable way we can think of to resolve this

privately for months.

Going public was not Plan A. But here we are.

THE GRANNY FLAT

FILES

THEGRANNYFLATFILES.COM.AU

The Granny Flat Files

B 10 Q 11

All comments-

Fraz Kiani

Has any Expandify customer gotten class 1a approval yet, I'd like to verify from them

directly, whether this class 1a promise was just an empty claim or has anyone

achieved it in actual?

4d Like Reply

Biddy Mitch

Sorry Alex but the Class 1A BS expandable companies claim seems to never come

true. Hopefully someone can tell you otherwise but there's been a lot of these

companies screwing people over for a few years now.

4d Sad Reply

How awful that you are both going through this. You might get some answers from

posting in the Granny Flat Forum too. Best of luck with it all.

4d Love Reply

Alex

Thanks Sue Tee! I have posted inthere a few days away, but it's still waiting for

admin approval. A few of the groups have declined or removed my post which is

extremely disappointing to say the least given the seriousness of the situation

and public interest.

3d Like Reply

Sue Tee

Hi Alex, please update us on what happens in the future with your mum's build.

Wishing her all the very best.

2d Like

Reply

Reply to Sue Tee

Andrew Copley

Hi Alex

Andrew here, owner of AJC Modular. I hate hearing these stories but unfortunately,

it's happening all too often in this industry with these companies trying to sell a

product that can't event get an approval and they end up vanishing before you know

it. Please feel free to DM and I'll try help your Mum out where I can

3d Love

Reply

Evolution bulldogs • Follow

So many red flags and have to say, after doing a lot of research that price for a

expandify home seems VERY high also, I know that's not your initial issue but still. I

would personally void contract under the guise that they have not done what the

contract states that they would. Cut your losses (time) hopefully not more money

and deal with a reputable company that has lots of good reviews and can deliver

what they actually claim. Throwing more good money after bad" seems very risky

given there bad track record thus far. Bail now and your mum could be in her home a

lot quicker good luck A.

3d Like Reply

Biddy Mitch

Evolution bulldogs great advice!

3d Like

Reply

Reply to Evolution bulldogs

Benson Xuan

Try better expandable modular homes

30 Like

Reply

Tim Austin

Since all my public replies get cancelled because the post is deleted then posted

again. Here itis again! Very good read.

Alex,

You have now received cease and desist letter, as we consider the statements being

made about myself and our company AMB to be false and defamatory.

For clarity, anyone reading this.

The facts from ourposition are straightforward.

We were engaged by Expandify to carry out installation works because they were

having difficulty securing contractors to complete installations

in this market and we are well established and have delivered over 1200+ jobs in 6

Your disputeand previous experience were with Expandify was not great. This is why

AMB agreed to help Expandiy Customers.

Before we had the opportunity to install your building, you engaged solicitors in

relation to the matter against Expandify. Not AMB

At that stage, a progress payment was also due under advice from Expandify. This

progress payment was to pay for a portion of installation.

As a result, Expandify was not in a position to pay us for the installation works.

We therefore withdrew our services from your project.I gave you fair warning that

this would happen in advance andon the day of cancellation.

We sub contracted to the main contractor Expandify

We cannot reasonably be expectedtocarry out installation works where payment for

those works cannot be made by main contractor.

We have also notbeen paid monies owed to us by Expandify for other install support

we offered and are separately seeking advice regarding that matter.

We strongly reject any suggestion that we are responsible for the circumstances

surrounding your dealings with Expandify.

Publicly shaming my personal name and my company is unprofessional. Your a

business owner and a marketer. You know better then this.

Given the public statements now being made concerning me and my company,

on multiple platforms this is called malicious and wilful harm.

Another Important fact. I think should be mentioned.

We actually have a 4.5 star rating.

Every project in 6 years delivered

800+building approvals

75 fulltime staff

4-5 turnkey installations a week

Every construction company has delays. It's a hard industry and business to operate.

Especially in this market. While other builders close we are still open and there is

good reason for that, Innovating, working hard.

So l encourage everyone reading through this to read between the lines.

My team works extremely hard and so do I.

This is an overexagerated situation that started off as good intentions to help finalise

your project that Expandify couldn't

You didn't pay there claim, they couldn't pay us.You engaged solicitors after AMB

successfully helped you get a building approval and proved our worth.

You also left outthe partwherewhen yourmum got upset andstarted crying!

apologised for upsetting her.

Iwas merely trying to explain the severity of us not being able to do the install now

that solicitors where engaged and payment wasn't being made because you emailed

AMB stating that!

Tim Austin

Affordable Modular Buildings

1d Like Reply

Reply to Tim Austin

Alex

Hi Tim Austin, in response to your latest comment:

First, Ihave not deleted and reposted anything. I shared the post across several

Facebook groups. Some require admin approval, which is why it appeared at different

times, and one group removed the original post, which is likely why replies on it

disappeared.

Confirming I received yourcease and desist letter. My solicitor will provide yours with

a formal response in due course.

A cease and desist does not make the underlying facts disappear. I stand by the

substance of what has been published, and as it stands today,I will not be retracting

anything.

I have been consistent from the outset. My dispute with you is not about your

building work or capability. It is about ethical professional conduct and accountability.

As I tried to explain on our final call, when you told me you "didn't need" my

feedback, you are dealing with people who may have their life savings tied up in

housing they depend on. That requires boundaries, emotional restraint and handling

disputes without pressuring vulnerable customers.

And that is the point I want to clarify for the record. You've now publicly accused me

of being unprofessional, so I would genuinely like to understand how you reconcile

that with your own actions:

1. Calling my mother despite being told in writing to direct communications to me

because of her health concerns.

- Those health concerns were, and remain, serious. I should not have had to provide

you with private medical detail for that request to be respected.

- Whether you apologised for upsetting her, which she maintains you did not, does

not answer the question of why you chose to call her instead of me in the first place.

-Ihad already been dealing with you directly, had responded to you the night before,

had offered to speak, and was actively waiting for you to come back to me that

afternoon.

2. Pressuring us to pull back from our solicitor and QBCC process, while tying that to

whether my mother'sproject would move forward and be completed.

- Forthe record, our solicitor was first engaged after Expandify asked my mother to

sign a new contract when her home was already more than two months overdue.

-Expandifythen failed tosubstantivelyengage with either us or our solicitor about

the issues we raised.

-Had Expandifysimplyengaged with us, addressed the contractual issues and

provided some basic project certainty, there would have been no reason for the

matter to escalate in the first place.

- Until you called my mother, neither our solicitor's involvement nor the QBCC

complaint was directed at you or AMB. You nevertheless chose to involve yourself

and pressure us to pullback from both.

3. Pressuring my mother, and then me as her authorised representative, to make an

almost $70,000 payment before the contractual "Arrival in Australia" milestone had

occurred.

- Even if you did not realisethe invoice was not contractually due when you first sent

it,I madethe contractual position explicit in writing that night.

-Ialso madeitclearthat my motherwas not refusing to meet her payment

obligations.

-Irepeated the same point throughout our call the followingday.

Your latest public explanation now raises a further question about why AMB withdrew

from my mother's project.

At the time, you said you had "had a gutful", that you did not have time for the

"nonsense" or repeated back and forth, and that customers questioning you was an

"instant slap in the face". You then said AMB had "completely pulled the pin".

My understanding at the time was that your primary reason for pulling out was the

difficulty you said you were having with certain Expandify customers.

In fact, you expressly linked the withdrawal to my failure to pull back the QBCC

process and our solicitor, telling me: "That's not my fault. That's your fault."

You are now publicly giving a much more specific explanation:

You said Expandify "was not in a position to pay us for the installation works" and

that, as a result, "we therefore withdrew our services from your project". You also

said you gave me "fair warning" this would happen.

You then made the link to our payment even more explicit:

"You didn't pay there claim, they couldn't pay us"

And later said you were trying to explain why AMB could no longer install because

solicitors were involved and payment was not being made "because you emailed

AMB stating that".

But that is not what I told you.

My email said:

"The signed agreement states that the next 30% payment falls due upon arrival at

the intended Australian port. INV-0278 is due on 14 August, despite stating an

expected arrival date of 21 August. The carrier's current estimated arrival date is 26

August. The contractual milestone has therefore not occurred, and we do not accept

that the invoice is presently due."

Then:

"To be clear, Kay is not refusing to meet her payment obligations. We dispute the 14

August due date because the agreed arrival milestone has not occurred."

And when you contacted me about the QBCC matter, my written response was:

"The QBCC EDR request concerns unresolved issues relating to our contract with

Expander Dwellings Pty Ltd and the delivery of the project. It's not a personal

complaint about you or your entorts. Ine contractis with expander Dwellings PtyLta.

I didn't nominate you or Affordable Modular Buildings as the respondent, so l can't

explain how you were included in QBCC's correspondence."

We were not refusing to pay and expecting you to work for nothing. We were saying

we would pay when the contract said the payment was due.

So l want to make sure l understand your position correctly:

Are yousaying that, had weagreedto pay almost $70,000 before the contractual

milestone had occurred, AMB would have remained on my mother's project and

completed the installation?

We could have had a reasonable conversation about the payment and the project.

But thatwas impossiblewhen you refused to acknowledge the payment schedule.

The payment was expected to fall due only around 9 to 14 days later.

And that had real consequences. Your withdrawal removed that installation pathway

at a critical point, leaving my mother still without a home.

11h Like Reply Edited

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