Last reviewed: August 2026
Turnkey should mean the granny flat is finished to the point where you can unlock the door and move in, with nothing left to arrange or pay for. In practice the word is not regulated and builders apply it differently. Two turnkey quotes for the same building can sit $30,000 apart purely because of what each one leaves out.
This is the checklist to run both quotes against.
The test for a genuine turnkey price
Ask one question: on handover day, is there anything I still have to buy, arrange or pay for before someone can live here?
If the answer includes floor coverings, a driveway, a clothesline or a connection fee, it is not turnkey. It is a build price with a turnkey label.
What should be in the price
The building itself
| Item | Should be included |
| Engineered slab and footings | Yes, designed to your soil classification |
| Frame, roof and external cladding | Yes |
| Windows and external doors, including locks | Yes |
| Insulation to walls and ceiling | Yes, to BASIX requirements |
| Internal walls, doors and skirting | Yes |
| Painting, internal and external | Yes |
Kitchen and bathroom
| Item | Should be included |
| Kitchen cabinetry and benchtop | Yes |
| Oven, cooktop and rangehood | Yes |
| Sink and tapware | Yes |
| Bathroom fit-out, including vanity, toilet, shower | Yes |
| Wall and floor tiling to wet areas | Yes |
| Hot water system | Yes |
| Laundry tub and washing machine connections | Yes |
The parts most often missing
This is the list worth going through line by line, because these are where quotes diverge.
| Item | Frequently excluded | Why it matters |
| Floor coverings throughout | Yes | Carpet and flooring across 60m² is a real cost |
| Window furnishings | Yes | Blinds throughout add up quickly |
| Driveway and pathways | Yes | Often several thousand dollars |
| Fencing and gates | Yes | Especially separating the two dwellings |
| Clothesline and letterbox | Yes | Small, but required for a rental to be liveable |
| Landscaping and turf | Yes | Also affects your landscaped area compliance |
| Air conditioning | Yes | Often quoted as an upgrade |
| Insect screens | Yes | Commonly an add-on |
| Site costs and excavation | Yes | The single biggest variable |
| Utility connection fees | Yes | Water, sewer, power and NBN |
| Council or certifier fees | Sometimes | Depends whether approval is in scope |
Approvals and paperwork
Some builders quote the build only and leave you to organise approval. Others manage the whole thing. Neither is wrong, but you cannot compare the two on price until you know which model you are looking at.
A complete approvals scope includes the survey, soil test, engineering, BASIX certificate, drafting, the certifier or council application, and the fees. BlueGum manages both CDC and DA approvals in-house.
Site costs deserve their own conversation
Site costs are the most common reason a fixed price stops being fixed.
A builder cannot price excavation, rock removal, retaining or service runs properly without inspecting your block. So a quote issued before a site inspection has either estimated those items, or excluded them, or capped them with a provisional sum that gets adjusted later.
Ask directly: has a site inspection been done, and are site costs fixed or provisional? A provisional sum is not dishonest, but you need to know it is there.
How to compare two quotes fairly
Put them side by side and normalise them before you look at the totals.
- List every item from the tables above
- Mark each one included, excluded or provisional on both quotes
- Price the excluded items on the cheaper quote at market rates
- Add that to the cheaper quote’s total
The quote that looked $25,000 cheaper often is not, once floor coverings, driveway, fencing and connections go back in. Sometimes it genuinely is cheaper, and now you know that too.
The questions that settle it
- Is this price fixed, and what specifically can change it?
- Has someone inspected my block before this number was produced?
- Which items are provisional sums, and what happens if they are exceeded?
- Are approval fees inside or outside this price?
- What is the full list of exclusions, in writing?
That last question matters more than any other. A builder who will put the exclusion list in writing is telling you they have nothing to hide. One who will not has answered you anyway.
Frequently asked questions
Is turnkey a legally defined term?
No. There is no regulated definition, which is exactly why the inclusion list matters more than the label. Two builders can both accurately call their product turnkey and deliver very different scopes.
Should floor coverings be included in a turnkey price?
In a genuine turnkey price, yes. A home without flooring is not ready to move into. It is one of the most commonly excluded items, so check it specifically rather than assuming.
What is a provisional sum?
An allowance for work that cannot be priced exactly until it starts, most commonly excavation and site works. If the actual cost comes in higher, you pay the difference. It is a legitimate tool, but a quote heavy with provisional sums is not really a fixed price.
Are utility connections usually included?
Often not. Connecting water, sewer, power and NBN carries authority fees, and if a main needs upgrading the cost can be significant. Ask whether connections are included and whether any upgrade cost is capped.
Do I need to pay for approvals on top?
It depends entirely on the builder’s model. Ask whether the quote includes the survey, soil test, engineering, BASIX, drafting and the certifier or council fees, or whether those sit with you.
Get an inclusion list you can actually check
The fastest way to tell a real turnkey price from a labelled one is to read the inclusions and the exclusions together.
See what BlueGum includes as standard, or call 1300 060 651 to talk through your block.
BlueGum Granny Flats is a licensed NSW builder, licence number 247388C, and a member of the Housing Industry Association. This article is general guidance on comparing quotes and is not a quote or a statement of any particular builder’s scope.
