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.
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.
This is the list worth going through line by line, because these are where quotes diverge.
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 2 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 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.
Put them side by side and normalise them before you look at the totals.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Or call our team on 1300 060 651
Building granny flats since
Since 2012
Builder licence
247388C, verifiable through NSW Fair Trading
Industry body
Housing Industry Association member
MBA NSW Excellence in Housing Awards
Winner 2021, Winner 2023, Finalist 2020
Completed granny flats documented on this site
70+
Approvals
CDC and DA, both managed in-house
Pricing
Fixed price after a site assessment, 2-bedroom from $134,990
Building granny flats since
Since 2012
Builder licence
247388C, verifiable through NSW Fair Trading
Industry body
Housing Industry Association member
MBA NSW Excellence in Housing Awards
Winner 2021, Winner 2023, Finalist 2020
Completed granny flats documented on this site
70+
Approvals
CDC and DA, both managed in-house
Pricing
Fixed price after a site assessment, 2-bedroom from $134,990
