ᐅ What can you expect from a "turnkey" home?

Created on: 9 Feb 2015 11:26
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Rachdens
What can I expect when a house is built "turnkey" – what has been your experience with this?

When a company promises that the house "is completely turnkey, so you only need to move in your furniture" (for example, on the homepage), I generally expect the house to be ready to move into, including floors, painting, a fitted kitchen, etc. Am I correct in this assumption, or could I be disappointed?
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toxicmolotof
9 Feb 2015 14:28
In this area, there is a developer who offers turnkey homes (including flooring, wallpaper, and painting) with an 8,000 EUR (approximately 8,000 USD) voucher for a kitchen at the furniture store around the corner.

Of course, you pay for the kitchen as well, but with a total of 30 housing units, that is quite a nice order volume for a furniture store.
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willWohnen
9 Feb 2015 22:10
M.W., the term "turnkey" is not legally or otherwise clearly defined or protected anywhere. Each provider can interpret it as they wish. You can only be sure by carefully reading the complete scope of work description. The term "ready for occupancy" would be better; if it were stated in the contract, you could legally insist on many things. But "turnkey" is really just a marketing term. It may represent a meaningful package with the respective provider, but it does not have to.
K1300S10 Feb 2015 08:52
In my experience, the term "turnkey" most often refers to a completed house without furniture, wall and floor coverings (and certainly without landscaping, site development, utilities, etc.), unless the coverings are tiles. "Move-in ready" would then be the full package.
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torsan
10 Feb 2015 09:05
Hello!

During the quotation phase, I came across two options:
1. All-inclusive (flooring, painting, wallpapering)
2. Partially inclusive (tiles here and there)

In the end, what matters is what is agreed upon in writing!

We have chosen a builder with option 2. The remaining work will either be done by ourselves or contracted out.

Best regards, torsan
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DerBjoern
10 Feb 2015 11:02
Rachdens schrieb:
Am I correct or could I be disappointed?

I’m afraid you will be disappointed, yes. Included is only what is contractually specified, for example in the scope of work description. Anything not explicitly stated will be missing.
K1300S10 Feb 2015 11:36
... and no layperson in the world can estimate in advance what might be missing. 😉