Three home builders. Three quotes. Three different houses. That's the trap with comparing prices side by side — the document looks the same on the front page, but underneath, two of them are quoting a different home to the one you think you're getting.
The thing that fixes this is the inclusions schedule. It's the boring-looking list at the back that tells you, in detail, exactly what's going into the build. Brand of oven. Style of tap. Type of insulation. Floor coverings. Driveway, fencing, landscaping — included or excluded. Hot water system. Garage door. Splashback. The lot.
When I'm helping someone compare quotes for a custom new home on the MidCoast, the first thing we do is line the inclusions schedules up next to each other and walk through them. Almost every time, you'll find one builder has allowed five thousand for tiles where another's allowed fifteen. One's included full landscaping, another hasn't put a blade of grass down. One assumes a basic rainwater tank, the other's allowed for the pump, slab and charged stormwater system that the council will actually require.
Here's the test. If you find a difference, ring the cheaper builder and ask about it. "Builder A allowed twelve thousand for kitchen joinery. You've got four. Same kitchen?" If they squirm, you've found the gap. Usually it's not malice. It's a builder who's quietly assumed you'll choose cheap finishes and then sells you the upgrades later as variations.
A best practice MidCoast builder writes the inclusions schedule so you can read it without a builder's ticket. Plain English. Specific products. No mystery. And then they get it included in the contract — because anything not in the contract isn't promised, no matter what was said over coffee.
A lifestyle focused coastal style home is built out of hundreds of small choices. The schedule is where those choices live, and where a careful home builder shows their working.
If you'd like a hand walking through the inclusions on quotes you've already got, head to inh.com.au/MidCoast and we'll happily talk you through them.
