Standard Inclusions in a New Home: What Costs Extra? (2026)

Two builders advertise the same four-bedroom home at the same price. One hands you keys to a home with flooring, a dishwasher, and ducted air conditioning. The other hands you a home with none of those — and a driveway you still have to pay someone to pour.

Same price. Tens of thousands of dollars apart. The difference lives in a document most buyers skim: the standard inclusions list for a new home.

We hold current inclusions documents for Australia's volume builders on file — so rather than repeat the usual generic advice, we compared 15 current packages from 8 builders (2025–2026 brochure editions) line by line. Here's what's genuinely standard in 2026, what almost always costs extra, and the contract fine print that state regulators warn about.

TL;DR: Standard inclusions are what a builder's advertised price actually buys. Our comparison of 15 current packages from 8 Australian builders found window coverings excluded from 14, driveways from 12, and air conditioning from 11 — while stone benchtops are now standard in 13. Compare the written inclusions list, never the display home.

What Are Standard Inclusions?

Standard inclusions are every item a builder supplies as part of their advertised base price — the specification the contract price actually commits to. Consumer Affairs Victoria's advice is blunt: lock in the make, model, and colour of items before signing, so "the building cost is final" (Consumer Affairs Victoria, updated July 2025).

Builders organise inclusions into roughly seven categories, and a complete list covers all of them:

• General — structural guarantee, maintenance period, energy rating, site cost allowances

• Kitchen — benchtops, cabinetry, appliances, splashback, sink and tapware

• Bathroom — vanities, shower screens, bath, toilet suites, wall tiling height

• Internal — ceiling height, flooring, doors, paint system, robes

• Electrical — lighting type, power points, hot water system, cooling

• External — roof, facade, frame, garage door, termite protection

• Site — driveway, landscaping, fencing, external taps

Why does the category view matter? Because builders rarely skimp everywhere at once. A package with a generous kitchen can still exclude flooring entirely. Reading by category is how you catch it — and it's exactly how our side-by-side comparison tool lays out any two builders' packages.

What's Standard in 2026 Has Quietly Changed

The baseline is better than it was five years ago. Since NCC 2022 took effect, new homes must meet a 7-star NatHERS rating plus a whole-of-home energy budget (ABCB). CSIRO reports new builds now average around 7 stars — versus 1.8 for older housing stock (CSIRO, December 2025).

Our finding: The 7-star rules have pushed items that were upgrades five years ago into standard specs. Across our 15-package dataset, heat pump hot water systems are now near-universal, and every current package we hold advertises 7-star or NCC-compliant energy performance. Regulation, not generosity, upgraded the baseline — the compliance cost of the 6-to-7-star move averaged just $1,704 per detached home (RMIT analysis of the ABCB RIS, 2022).

Stone kitchen benchtops have made the same journey: 13 of the 15 packages we compared include stone as standard, with only two entry ranges still on laminate. There's a regulatory story here too — engineered stone was banned from July 2024 (imports from January 2025) over silicosis risks (Safe Work Australia), which is why current brochures now specify "silica-free" or "desilicated" stone. If a builder's inclusions document still says "engineered stone", it's out of date — ask for the current edition.

What's Usually NOT Included in a Base Price?

Here's the original data. We counted how often each everyday item was excluded (or not specified) across the 15 current packages:

Homebuilds.com.au original analysis of 15 current inclusion packages from 8 Australian volume builders (2025–2026 brochure editions). "Excluded" includes items listed as not included, not specified, or provision-only.

The pattern is consistent: the closer an item sits to "finishing the block" rather than "finishing the house," the less likely it's included. Window coverings, landscaping, and fencing are effectively never in the base price. Driveways almost never. Air conditioning is the big-ticket surprise — 11 of 15 packages supply ceiling fans at best.

What do the missing items cost? Industry cost guides typically quote $1,500–$3,500 for a standard concrete driveway, $3,000–$10,000 for whole-home flooring, and $10,000–$16,000 for ducted air conditioning in a single storey. Treat those as indicative only, and get itemised quotes for your actual design. Add landscaping and fencing and the gap between "base price" and "move-in ready" routinely passes $30,000. That's before the hidden costs of building like site works — covered in our site costs guide.

What Does "Provision Only" Mean?

"Provision only" means the builder supplies the space, plumbing, or wiring for an item — but not the item itself. A dishwasher provision is an empty cavity with a water point. In our dataset, 7 of 15 packages treat the dishwasher as provision-only or exclude it outright.

It's a small phrase with a real cost. A provision-only dishwasher, microwave, and cooling package means three post-handover purchases plus installation — often at retail prices, without the builder's trade rates. When you read an inclusions list, mentally translate every "provision" to "not included" and re-total the comparison.

The other phrase worth translating: "Not Specified." Silence in an inclusions document isn't a promise. If the brochure doesn't name it, the contract doesn't include it — ask, and get the answer in writing.

How Do the Big Builders' Base Packages Compare?

Even at entry level, the differences are bigger than the advertising suggests. Here's a snapshot from our dataset — base-tier packages, current editions:

Our finding: No builder wins every column. Brighton's Studio package is the only base tier in our dataset with ducted air conditioning as standard — but it has 2440mm ceilings and a provision-only dishwasher. DARE includes flooring and blinds — rare — but no cooling. Ceiling heights alone span 2400mm to 2550mm at base level, a difference you can't retrofit. The "best inclusions" depends entirely on which items you'd otherwise pay to add.

Every figure above comes from the builders' current published inclusions documents, but specifications change with each brochure edition and vary by state and design. Use it as a starting map, then verify against the document your contract will reference — and run your own line-by-line comparison of any designs you're considering with our comparison tool.

What Does Upgrading a Tier Actually Get You?

Most volume builders sell two or three inclusion tiers, and the jumps follow a pattern. Using one builder's current three-tier range from our dataset as a case study: moving from the base to the mid tier adds a dishwasher, a 90cm cooktop, a split-system air conditioner, a 40m² driveway, and proper robe fit-outs. The top tier adds 2740mm ceilings, full-height doors, a 40mm benchtop, ducted zoned air conditioning, a frameless shower screen, and floor-to-ceiling ensuite tiling.

Notice what that pattern means: the mid tier mostly buys back the everyday items the base price excluded, while the top tier buys genuine spec upgrades. That's typical across brands — which is why comparing two builders' base tiers can be misleading if one builder's mid tier is priced at the other's base.

The tier question to ask every builder: "What would it cost to add just the items I'd actually use from the next tier?" Sometimes the à la carte price beats the package jump; sometimes the package is clearly better value. You won't know until both numbers are on paper.

Prime Cost Items and Provisional Sums: The Fine Print That Moves Prices

Even a "fixed price" contract can move if it contains prime cost items or provisional sums — allowances for items or works not finally decided when you sign. Consumer Affairs Victoria's guidance is direct: "Where possible, do not agree to provisional sum items as they can make your final cost higher" (Consumer Affairs Victoria, July 2025).

The regulators' rules are worth knowing by state:

• Queensland — In contracts over $20,000, prime cost and provisional sum allowances must be calculated "with reasonable care and skill" and itemised, and the contract must carry a price-change warning on page one (QBCC guidance statement, 2024).

• NSW — Builders must give you the Consumer Building Guide before signing any contract over $5,000, with a comprehensive contract and checklist mandatory over $20,000 (NSW Government, updated February 2026).

• Cost-plus contracts — QBCC warns final costs "are often considerably higher at 50% to 100% greater" than anticipated, and Queensland's Home Warranty Scheme non-completion cover doesn't apply to them (QBCC).

The practical defence is simple: before contract, push every allowance you can into a fixed, specified line — named brand, model, colour, quantity. A site cost allowance is the most common provisional sum of all, which is why a fixed-price site cost guarantee after the soil test is worth genuine money. Progress payments should then match completed stages exactly — our stages of building guide shows the standard payment schedule.

Display Homes Are Not the Standard Product

Consumer Affairs Victoria puts it plainly: "the display home you visit may not be the standard model," and it can be expensive to change plans or add extras after signing (Consumer Affairs Victoria, June 2025). Display homes are built to showcase the upgrade catalogue — higher ceilings, premium facades, feature lighting, landscaped yards.

Walking through a display village is still the best way to judge a builder's build quality — just walk through with the standard inclusions list in hand. Three questions that keep the visit honest:

1. "Which features in this room are standard in the package I'd be buying?"

2. "Can I see the standard version of this benchtop, tapware, and flooring?"

3. "What did this display home cost to build, as displayed?"

Our finding: When we visit display villages, we ask sales consultants that third question. The gap between the advertised series price and the as-displayed cost is regularly $100,000 or more once premium facades, ceilings, joinery, and landscaping are counted. Consultants will usually tell you if you ask directly — almost nobody asks.

Find a display village near you and pressure-test any package you're considering in person.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is included in a standard new home build?

Structural essentials (slab, frame, roof, termite protection), a kitchen with oven and cooktop, bathroom fittings, internal doors and paint, basic electrical, and a hot water system. In our 15-package comparison, stone benchtops were standard in 13, and 7-star energy compliance was universal — but finishing items routinely weren't included.

What is usually excluded from a builder's base price?

The move-in items: window coverings (excluded in 14 of the 15 current packages we analysed), landscaping and fencing (14), driveways (12), and air conditioning (11). Dishwashers were provision-only or excluded in 7 of 15. Budget these separately unless your package is explicitly turnkey.

What does "provision only" mean in a building contract?

It means the builder supplies the space, wiring, or plumbing for an item — not the item itself. A dishwasher provision is an empty cavity with a water point; you buy and install the appliance after handover. Treat every "provision only" line as "not included" when comparing builder quotes.

Are inclusions negotiable?

Often, yes — particularly during promotions or quiet sales periods. Home building activity is running almost 30% below the national 240,000-homes-per-year target (HIA, July 2026), and builders competing for signatures frequently bundle upgrade credits. Ask for inclusions rather than price cuts — builders protect their advertised price points.

How do I compare inclusions between builders?

Get each builder's full written inclusions document — not the brochure summary — and compare category by category: kitchen, bathroom, internal, electrical, external, site. Translate "provision only" and "not specified" to "not included." Our free comparison tool puts up to three designs and their packages side by side.

Conclusion

The advertised price tells you almost nothing; the inclusions list tells you almost everything. Across 15 current packages from 8 builders, we found the same new home base price can include — or exclude — flooring, cooling, appliances, and a driveway, moving the real cost by $30,000 or more.

Key takeaways:

• Window coverings, landscaping, fencing (14 of 15), and driveways (12 of 15) are almost never in the base price — budget them from day one

• "Provision only" and "not specified" both mean not included

• 7-star energy rules have genuinely lifted the standard baseline — heat pumps and better glazing are no longer upgrades

• No builder wins every category: match the package to the items you'd otherwise pay for

• Fix every prime cost and provisional sum you can before signing — your state regulator says the same

Ready to see the differences for yourself? Put any two or three designs head-to-head with our inclusions comparison tool, then check what the build itself will cost with our cost to build guide.