Building Connections Episode 12: What NextMod's Sean Khan Wants You to Know About Modular Construction
Early in his career, Sean Khan helped deliver 398 classroom floors to San Marcos High School in six days, with the entire project complete in 60. It remains one of the largest projects of its kind in the country, and it's the kind of number that still surprises people who assume modular means slow, temporary, or a compromise.
Sean has spent 27 years in the modular industry. Hes tarted as an electrician on the factory floor in 1999 and worked his way up through framing, welding, mechanical and finish work, becoming a line supervisor, then a superintendent, then a project manager, before foundingNextMod in 2012.
In this episode of Building Connections, Sean sits down with host Randy Saunders of Twining/RADCO's modular service lines to talk through the misconceptions that still follow the industry, how factory and field inspections actually work together, why modular can look “behind” on code when it isn't, and where the industry is headed next. Here are the highlights.
Key takeaways
• Permanent modular buildings can meet or exceed the same accessibility, fire, energy and sizing standards as conventional construction. The biggest obstacle is often perception, not performance.
• Modular doesn't save money on materials. The same materials go into the building. The advantage is elsewhere: speed, and a structure engineered to be transported, craned and relocated.
• Every module carries a continuous quality record from the factory floor to the certificate of occupancy, with a coordinated handoff between the in-plant inspector and the field inspector.
• When modular projects look “behind” on code, it's typically a regulatory timing issue, not a manufacturing shortcut.
Who is Sean Khan, and what is NextMod?
Sean Khan is the founder of NextMod and has worked in the modular industry since 1999, when he started as an electrician in a manufacturing plant. He worked his way up through framing, welding, mechanicalwork and finishes, becoming a line supervisor and then a superintendent, before moving into project management at companies including William Scotsman andProfile Structures.
In 2012, Sean started his own company, initially as a consulting firm serving modular manufacturers across California. In 2015, the company became a dealer as well, and a few years later it became a manufacturer too, with its own production facility. Sean describes his focus as building a team where, in his words, “everybody's important,” comparing a manufacturing facility to an engine: every part, down to keeping the floor clean, matters to how the whole thing runs.
What are the biggest misconceptions about modular construction?
According to Sean, the most common misconceptions are that modular buildings are temporary, low quality, unattractive or limited indesign. In reality, he says, permanent modular facilities can meet or exceed the same accessibility, fire, energy and sizing standards required for conventional construction.
He traces the misconception to familiarity. People judge modular by whatever version they've seen in their own community, and that perception doesn't always reflect current capability. The fix, in his experience, is simply sitting down with clients, including school boards and end users, and showing them what's actually possible today.
Does modular construction save money?
Not on materials, Sean says directly: modular buildings use the same materials as conventional construction, nothing different. Whatclients are often really asking about is budget, and his answer starts thererather than with a sales pitch.
Where modular does have an edge, he explains, is in how the structure is engineered. Modular buildings are designed to be transportable and crane-able, and to be relocated if needed, whether they're permanent, two-story or three-story. That is not something most conventional buildings are built to do. The conversation with a new client, he says, is as much about resetting expectations and building comfort as it is about technical detail.
How do factory and field inspections work together?
Sean describes a continuous chain of quality control that starts long before a module leaves the factory. Factory inspections, which include a DSA lab review and an in-plant inspector provided by the district, verify that the module is built correctly from the framing and welding through electrical, plumbing, fire protection and interior work.
Inside the factory, Sean says the process starts with material ID, confirming that materials match the approved plan specifications, before welding begins. Every weld is inspected, and destructive testing is performed on the building to confirm it meets the specified requirements. Fromt here, an in-plant inspector checks everything from framing and insulation tothe specific screws and fasteners used, down to confirming galvanized exterior hardware and properly threaded machine screws for bonding and grounding.NextMod's own QC personnel inspect the work as well, on top of the third-party inspector.
Field inspections pick up from there, confirming the foundation, transportation connections, how modules join together, utilities, accessibility and site conditions. Sean describes an inspection card that travels with the building (he calls them the “152 cards”) so the field inspector can see exactly where the factory process left off. Together, the two stages form one continuous quality record from manufacturing through occupancy, ending with the certificate of occupancy.
Why does modular construction sometimes look “behind” on code?
Sean points to a real but often misunderstood gap: regulatory timing. DSA projects, as of this conversation, are still built to the 2022 California Building Code, with the 2025 code not taking effect for DSAwork until January 2027. Meanwhile, HCD projects are already working under the2025 code.
That lag isn't a choice manufacturers make, he's careful to point out. It reflects when each regulatory body adopts a new code cycle, and manufacturers build to whatever version is currently in force for that project type. His take on fixing it: more direct collaboration between manufacturers and the agencies writing the requirements, since modular construction is different enough from site-built work that late-stage code changes can affect designs that are already underway.
What's next for modular construction?
Sean points to a wide set of advances already shaping the industry: digital design coordination, building information modeling (BIM),robotics, automated quality tracking, mass timber and other low-carbon materials, high-performance building envelopes, smart building systems, adaptable layouts, and improved transportation and connection methods.
He also described how manufacturing process itself is evolving to catch alignment issues earlier, including a method where the entire structure is assembled as one complete unit, interior and exterior, checked for plumbing, and then disassembled for shipping. It's a quality check built into thebuild sequence itself.
One trend he's particularly excited about: plug-and-playsystems that arrive with fire alarm, data infrastructure and security systems already integrated, which he says can cut roughly half of a typical construction schedule and get clients into occupancy faster.
What advice does Sean Khan have for owners considering modular?
Sean's closing advice to clients: start with a clear educational program covering site assessment, budget, schedule and a long-term maintenance plan. Choose a team with real experience in California public schools and DSA projects. And involve the manufacturer during early design, not after the plans are already complete.
His most practical suggestion: build a side-by-side delivery plan comparing conventional and modular construction using the same scope, performance standards, total cost and schedule, so the comparison is apples to apples rather than assumption versus assumption.
Watch the full conversation with Sean Khan on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nCJjfgBwHzo
Explore more episodes of Building Connections: https://www.twininginc.com/videos
%20(11).png)
