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What "turnkey" actually includes
 | |
| Illustrative stock image — not a depiction of any specific builder's product. | |
| Legal definition | None — it is a marketing term |
|---|---|
| Most common exclusion | Site works and connections[1] |
| Second most common | Transport beyond a set radius[1] |
| Frequently excluded | Driveway, landscaping, fencing |
| Ask for | Itemised inclusions and exclusions in writing |
Turnkey suggests a home you can walk into and start living in — turn the key and it is done. In Australian residential construction it has no legal definition, and in practice the word describes a range of quite different packages.
Some builders use it to mean a completed home including site works and connections. Others use it to mean a finished dwelling delivered to your land, with everything connecting it to that land quoted separately. Both usages are common, and neither is dishonest — but they describe very different amounts of money.
Where the line usually sits §
| Item | Usual treatment |
|---|---|
| Structure, cladding, roofing | Included |
| Internal linings, joinery, bathroom | Usually included in turnkey |
| Floor coverings, window furnishings | Varies — check specifically |
| Appliances | Varies — check the schedule |
| Soil test and engineering | Usually separate |
| Site clearing, levelling, retaining | Usually separate[1] |
| Foundations | Often separate |
| Transport beyond a set radius | Usually separate[1] |
| Crane hire | Sometimes separate[1] |
| Service connections | Usually separate |
| Approval and certification fees | Varies |
| Driveway, paths, landscaping, fencing | Almost always separate |
| Decks, stairs, skirting | Varies |
Why this makes quotes hard to compare §
Two builders can quote similar headline figures while one includes site works and the other does not. The difference is not visible in the number, and site-specific costs are exactly the ones that vary most between blocks.
Published base price tiers — small prefab homes from about A$300,000, family-sized from about A$500,000[2] — describe the build, not the delivered project. The same applies to published turnkey ranges in other categories, such as tiny houses at roughly A$101,900 to A$163,900.[3]
Questions that resolve it §
- Please define "turnkey" as used in this quote, in writing.
- What would I still need to arrange and pay for after handover to be able to move in?
- Is transport included, and to what radius? What is the rate beyond it?[1]
- Is crane hire included, and for how many hours?[1]
- Are service connections included, and from what point?
- Are approval and certification fees included?
- What site conditions has the quote assumed, and what triggers a variation?
A practical technique §
Rather than asking each builder what their price includes — which produces answers structured differently every time — send every builder the same itemised list and ask them to mark each line as included, excluded, or provisional.
The resulting comparison is meaningful in a way that headline prices are not, and the exercise tends to surface which builders are comfortable being specific.
Sent to info@modularlivingaustralia.com.au and handled by a person. See Privacy.
References §
- Built by Modify — 2026 modular cost guide — site works, transport, crane hire and connections quoted separately from the base price; transport and installation sometimes included only within a set radius of the factory; crane hire roughly A$260–$1,530 per hour; remote or complex lifts pushing delivery-day totals to roughly A$23,000–$30,600. builtbymodify.com.au/blogs/modular-home-cost
- Anchor Homes — 2026 prefab cost guide — published base price tiers for small, family-sized and bespoke prefab homes. Builder-published commercial guidance. anchorhomes.com.au/blog/how-much-does-a-prefab-home-cost-in-australia-in-2026
- Aussie Tiny Houses — 2026 tiny house cost guidance — published turnkey ranges of about A$101,900–$163,900. Builder-published commercial guidance. blog.aussietinyhouses.com.au/tiny-house-cost-in-australia/
Figures are as published by the sources above at their respective dates and are paraphrased summaries, not verbatim reproductions. Verify current pricing and rules directly with builders, lenders and planning authorities.