Buyer guides · Engineering evidence · 6 min
What is actually inside a modular cabin BOM
Most quotations are a lump sum. Here is what a real bill of materials looks like — and why six levels matter.
Published by AeroPodHomes · Updated 30 August 2026
What one number leaves out
A lump-sum cabin price tells you nothing about what arrives in the container. A working BOM resolves the building into levels: building → modules → panels → members → connections → fasteners. On our live Missouri project that means a 69-panel kit, 1,154 positioned steel members and 1,426 engineered connections — each line traceable to a drawing and a check.
The six levels, in buyer terms
The levels run from what ships (modules, kits, crates) down to named steel sections and per-connection fastener schedules. The full structure — and how it maps to your quotation — is walked through under NDA during project review.
Reconciliation is the useful test
A generated BOM becomes useful when it is reconciled against the project material schedule line by line. Differences should be listed, assigned and closed before release rather than hidden inside a total.
What to ask before you sign
Ask how many levels the BOM resolves to, how it reconciles against your own material list, and when the full BOM is issued. A quotation that cannot answer these is pricing an image, not a building.
Common questions
Why does BOM depth matter to a developer?
Because change orders, customs declarations, damage claims and site inspections all resolve to BOM lines. Without line-level traceability, every question becomes a lookup instead of a debate.
Do all AeroPodHomes projects get a six-level BOM?
Yes — the BOM is generated from the project model, not written by hand, so depth does not depend on project size.
Can we see a sample before ordering?
Sample BOM extracts are walked through during project review, against your own project's scope.