A turnkey home is a home that’s fully finished when handover happens: the builder hands you the keys, and you move in without needing to arrange anything else yourself. That’s the theory. In practice, what counts as “finished” is different from one builder to the next, and that difference can catch people out.
What Is a Turnkey Home, Exactly?
The term comes from the idea of turning a key in your own front door on the day you get the keys, rather than moving into a shell that still needs work. It’s used across the building industry to describe a home that’s ready for everyday living: connected to power, water and sewerage, with the kitchen, bathrooms, flooring and painting all finished.
“Turnkey” isn’t a regulated term. Two builders can both call their homes turnkey and mean quite different things by it. The only way to know what you’re actually getting is to read the inclusions list line by line.
What's Commonly Included, and What Often Costs Extra
Across the industry, a typical turnkey build usually covers:
- Kitchen and bathroom fit-out, including cabinetry and tapware
- Flooring and internal painting Plumbing, electrical and basic heating and cooling
- Connection to power, water and sewerage
What often sits outside the base price, even on homes marketed as turnkey, includes:
- Landscaping and garden establishment
- Driveways and paths
- Fencing and gates
- Window coverings, such as blinds or curtains
It’s how most builders structure their quotes, treating these as optional extras priced separately once you’ve signed. The best way to avoid surprises is to ask exactly what’s included before you sign, not after.
What's Included in Every BuildTec Home
At BuildTec Homes, driveways are included in the base price of every home we build, not offered as an optional extra once you’ve committed. If you’d like to add landscaping or window coverings as well, those are available as upgrades you choose, rather than costs that appear later in the process.
We set our inclusions out across three collections, Classic, Prestige and Platinum, so you can see exactly what’s covered before you compare us against another builder. You can view the full breakdown on our inclusions page.
How to Compare Turnkey Quotes Like-for-Like
Two turnkey quotes can look similar on the cover page and still be very different builds. Before you compare price against price, check each quote covers the same ground:
- Level of finishes. Are tapware, cabinetry and flooring the same grade, or has one quote used a cheaper standard range to hit a lower number?
- Site cost allowances. Every block is different, and site costs (excavation, retaining, drainage) can vary significantly depending on slope and soil. Ask whether the quoted site allowance is a genuine estimate for your block or a generic placeholder.
- Appliances and electrical inclusions. Check what brands and how many power points, downlights and data points are actually included, rather than assumed.
- What’s covered under BASIX and site costs. These compliance and site requirements are built into our tenders with provisional allowances, so ask directly whether they’re covered in the number you’ve been quoted or added afterwards.
If a quote looks noticeably cheaper than the others you’re comparing, this is usually where the difference is hiding. Our building process walks through how we scope a build from your first meeting through to your HIA contract, so there’s nothing left to interpret once you sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers to the questions we hear most before a build begins.
Is a turnkey home the same as a fixed-price home?
Not necessarily. Some builders market turnkey homes alongside fixed-price language, but the two terms aren’t automatically the same thing. What matters is what’s written into your specific contract, so it’s worth checking the details rather than relying on the label.
Are driveways included in a BuildTec turnkey home?
Yes. Driveways are included in the base price across our Classic, Prestige and Platinum inclusion collections, not added as an optional extra.
Can I add extras like landscaping after signing?
Yes. Landscaping and window coverings are available as optional upgrades you can choose to add, so you’re deciding what goes in rather than discovering it’s missing at handover.
If you’re comparing builders and want to see exactly what’s included in a BuildTec home, our inclusions page is a good next stop, or reach out, and we’ll talk you through your options directly.
