What “turnkey renovation” really means and how not to buy empty words

“Turnkey” is the most dangerous phrase in renovation, because it means nothing at all. It is neither a legal term nor a standard: every company puts its own set of works behind it, and you usually find that out in the second month of the build, when the wiring, the doors and the “small stuff” turn out to cost extra. Let’s turn an advertising slogan into a verifiable obligation.

Why “turnkey” means something different to everyone

Construction law — the Italian Merloni Law, the British RIBA Plan of Work — has no concept of “turnkey”. It has a scope of works, stages, and a deliverable for each stage. Private construction in Russia is not bound by those standards, so “turnkey” can mean anything: from “shell plus wallpaper” to full delivery with furniture. The word in a contract guarantees nothing — the list of works does.

What an honest “turnkey” must contain

Compare offers by scope, not by price per square metre. Check whether the estimate includes:

• demolition and waste removal — often billed separately;
• partition walls and screed;
• full electrical works: the panel, cable routes, sockets to the drawing rather than “four per room”;
• plumbing routes and installation of fixtures — installation, not just the supply lines;
• ventilation and air conditioning: routes are laid before the ceilings go up;
• painting works with the surface class specified;
• fitting of doors, skirting boards, final assembly;
• cleaning before handover.

Any item missing from the list is a future “extra” at a price you no longer control: halfway through the build it is too late to negotiate.

Three markers of an honest contractor

• An estimate broken down by items, not a single line. “Turnkey renovation — 3,500,000 ₽” is not an estimate. An estimate is types of work, quantities and unit rates.
• Extra works agreed in writing before they are carried out. The contract must set the procedure: extras are agreed in an addendum, with a price, before the work starts — not after.
• Stage payments upon acceptance. An advance above 20–30% at the start is a risk; payment for a stage after that stage is accepted is the norm.

How to compare two “turnkey” offers

Take the list from this article and ask each contractor to mark what is included in their price and what is not. Within half an hour the “cheap” offer usually grows by 20–40% — simply because it becomes comparable. That is the real price, and it was worth knowing before signing rather than after.

The main point

“Turnkey” is not about the price per square metre, but about the completeness of the scope and the procedure for changes. How to set up the whole process — from the brief to handover — is covered step by step in the course “Home of Your Dreams”: the contract with the construction company, the legal section and a stage-by-stage estimate template are part of the course materials.