Choosing a turnkey builder
A turnkey builder needs strength in two areas: sound structural work and tidy finishing. Some teams are excellent at one and average at the other. Visit one house they are building and one they have finished.
Ask how they source materials, who does the woodwork and electrical work, and whether those teams are their own or subcontracted. Ask, too, how they handle requests to upgrade a fitting halfway through.
Ask, too, how the builder handles the society side of things. A turnkey team that already knows the inspection stages and completion requirements in your society will save you trips and paperwork.
- A running site and a completed home to inspect
- Clarity on in-house and subcontracted trades
- Experience with your plot size and society
- A defined process for upgrades and changes
Specifications, contracts and payments
The specification sheet is the heart of a turnkey contract. It should list grades and types for every major item: tiles, sanitary ware, kitchen counters, door wood, wiring, switches and paint. Where you have not chosen a product yet, agree an allowance and how any difference will be settled.
Link payments to stages such as foundations, each slab, brickwork, plaster, flooring and final fittings. Keep a modest amount until the snag list is cleared.
Watching quality without being on site daily
With one contractor responsible for everything, independent checks become more important. Ask your architect or a site engineer to visit at key points: before slab pours, before plaster closes the walls and before flooring goes down.
Request regular photos and short videos. Check that materials delivered match the specification sheet. Before handover, test every tap, switch, door and window.
Keep a simple log of every visit, photo set and payment. If something goes wrong later, a clear record of who approved what, and when, makes it far easier to resolve.
