Turnkey Homes Melbourne: What You Need to Know Before You Build

Thinking about a turnkey home in Melbourne? You're not alone. The promise of turning a key and walking straight into your finished home sounds pretty appealing, especially if you're time-poor or want to avoid the complexity of a custom build.

As a Yarraville builder, we get asked about turnkey homes regularly – usually by people weighing up whether to buy a turnkey package in the outer suburbs or build something custom closer to the inner west. While we specialise in custom new homes where you get exactly what you want, we reckon it's worth understanding all your options. Let's talk straight about what turnkey homes actually are, where you'll find them, and when a custom approach in the inner west might serve you better.

What Exactly Are Turnkey Homes?

A turnkey home is move-in ready – you literally turn the key and start living. Unlike standard house and land packages where you might still need to add landscaping, fencing, or final finishes, turnkey properties come fully completed with all connections, landscaping, and fixtures included.

The name says it all really. Everything's done, everything's included, and you just move in with your furniture. No waiting for final trades, no coordinating landscapers, no surprises about what's included and what costs extra.

In Melbourne, turnkey homes appear almost exclusively in new housing estates on the city's fringe – suburbs like Werribee, Point Cook, Tarneit, Rockbank, Deanside, and Manor Lakes. The builder or developer handles everything from securing the land to final completion, delivering you a finished product on a set timeline.

What's Actually Included in Turnkey Homes?

This is where you need to pay attention, because different builders include different features. A proper turnkey home should include:

• All standard fixtures and fittings – kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, everything functional
• Floor coverings – carpet, tiles, or timber throughout
• Window treatments – blinds or curtains fitted and ready
• Landscaping – front and back yards completed with turf, gardens, paths
• Fencing – full boundary fencing where required
• Driveway and paths – all concreting and paving finished
• All connections – power, water, gas, sewerage, NBN all connected and working
• The little things – letterbox, clothesline, external taps

Always check what's actually included so there's no surprises – some builders market homes as "turnkey" but still leave you to arrange fencing or landscaping.

Who Are Turnkey Homes Actually For?

Turnkey homes suit specific situations and buyer types. They're particularly popular with:

First-Home Buyers on Tight Budgets

If you've scraped together your deposit and can't afford any extras after settlement, turnkey packages provide predictable costs and fixed pricing. You know exactly what you're paying upfront, and there's no risk of budget blowouts from variations or unexpected costs.

The trade-off is you're typically buying in outer suburbs like Tarneit or Point Cook rather than established areas closer to the city.

Property Investors

Investors looking for passive income with minimum effort often choose turnkey properties in new estates. You can buy, wait for completion, then start earning rental income immediately without coordinating any additional work. New homes also offer tax benefits through depreciation.

Time-Poor Buyers

If you're working long hours, living interstate, or just don't have the time or interest to be involved in building decisions, turnkey homes offer convenience and simplicity. Someone else makes all the design decisions, and you just show up when it's finished.

Downsizers Seeking Simplicity

Older buyers moving from established suburbs to something smaller and more manageable sometimes choose turnkey properties in new estates. You're not starting from scratch or dealing with complex choices – you're just moving into a finished, modern home.

The Trade-Offs with Turnkey Homes

Now for the straight talk. Turnkey homes aren't perfect for everyone, and they come with some real compromises:

Location is Fixed

This is the big one. Turnkey homes are only available in new housing estates on Melbourne's fringe. If you want to live in established suburbs – Yarraville, Footscray, Seddon, Maribyrnong, Essendon, Moonee Ponds – turnkey isn't an option.

You're trading location for convenience and price. Suburbs like Werribee and Point Cook offer newer homes and bigger blocks, but you're further from the city, public transport is less convenient, and established amenities take time to develop.

Limited Personalisation

Unlike custom builds, turnkey packages have predefined designs and standard features. You might get to pick from a few colour schemes or minor variations, but the fundamental design, layout, and materials are set.

Good taste is free, but you can't exercise it much with a turnkey package where most decisions are already locked in.

One-Size-Fits-All Design

Turnkey homes work because they're standardised and built in volume. That's great for keeping costs down, but not so great if you have specific needs, unusual lifestyle requirements, or just don't love the standard layouts and finishes.

Not Always Cheaper Overall

While turnkey homes can be competitively priced per square metre, consider the total picture. You're buying further out where land is cheaper, but you're also:

• Commuting longer distances
• Potentially needing an extra car
• Waiting years for established amenities and services
• Accepting standard inclusions you might not have chosen

Where Turnkey Homes Actually Exist in Melbourne

Let's be clear about geography. If you're looking at turnkey homes in Melbourne, you're looking at the city's growth corridors and outer suburbs:

Western Growth Corridor:

• Werribee and Werribee South
• Point Cook
• Tarneit and Truganina
• Rockbank
• Deanside and Fraser Rise
• Manor Lakes

These areas offer new estates with turnkey packages because there's available land and volume building makes economic sense for developers.

What About the Inner West?

Established inner west suburbs like Yarraville, Footscray, Seddon, West Footscray, Maribyrnong, and Ascot Vale don't have turnkey developments. The land's already built on, blocks are individually owned, and when people build, they're doing custom new homes or knockdown rebuilds on their own blocks.

That's where builders like us come in.

Custom Builds in the Inner West: A Different Approach

If you've got your own block in an established suburb, or you're considering buying closer to the city rather than heading to the fringe, custom building is your path forward.

Why People Choose Inner West Over Outer Suburbs

Location and Lifestyle

The inner west offers proximity to the CBD, established public transport, cafes, schools, and community amenities that take decades to develop in new estates. Suburbs like Yarraville and Footscray have character, history, and established neighbourhoods.

Land in Established Areas

While land costs more in the inner west than in places like Tarneit or Manor Lakes, you're buying into established areas with proven value. Many people prefer owning less land closer to where they want to live rather than a bigger block 40km from the city.

Custom Design for Your Block

Inner west blocks come in all shapes and sizes. Some are wide, some narrow, some slope, some have heritage overlays. Custom building means designing specifically for your site's opportunities and constraints rather than accepting a standardised design.

Our Approach: Custom Builds for Inner West Blocks

At Infinity Built, we specialise in custom new homes throughout Melbourne's inner west. We don't do volume turnkey homes in new estates – we build individual homes on individual blocks for people who want something designed specifically for their site and their needs.

Site-Specific Design – Every block we build on gets a design that maximises its specific advantages while working within its constraints.

Quality You Choose – Rather than standard turnkey inclusions, you select the fixtures, finishes, and features that matter to you, putting budget where it counts.

Transparent Pricing – Like turnkey homes, we provide clear, upfront pricing. Unlike turnkey packages, that pricing is based on what you actually want, not what someone else decided.

Local Knowledge – We understand Maribyrnong Council requirements, know what works in different inner west suburbs, and have relationships with trades who know the area.

Fixed-Price Custom Builds

You can get the certainty of turnkey pricing with the flexibility of custom design. We provide fixed-price contracts that lock in costs upfront, so you get budget certainty without sacrificing personalisation.

The difference is you're choosing what's included rather than accepting someone else's standard package. If you'd rather spend money on quality kitchen appliances than expensive landscaping, you can. If you want to save on fancy fixtures but invest in better insulation and windows, that's your choice.

Good taste is free, and so is the ability to put your building budget exactly where you value it most.

Turnkey vs Custom: Making the Right Choice

So should you choose a turnkey home in the outer suburbs or build custom in the inner west? Here's how to think about it:

Choose Turnkey If:

• You're happy living in new estates like Point Cook or Tarneit
• Commuting distance isn't a major concern
• You want absolute simplicity and don't care about personalisation
• You're an investor focused purely on returns and speed
• You need to move in immediately with zero additional work
• Budget is tight and you need the lowest possible entry point

Choose Custom If:

• You want to live in established suburbs closer to the city
• You value neighbourhood character and established amenities
• You own a block (or want to buy in) the inner west
• Your block has unique characteristics that need specific design
• You want a home designed specifically for your lifestyle
• You care about maximising your site's potential
• Location matters more than having a bigger, cheaper house further out

The Real Question: Location vs Convenience

Ultimately, the turnkey vs custom decision is really about location. Turnkey homes offer convenience and fixed pricing, but only in outer suburbs. Custom builds require more involvement but let you build where you actually want to live.

Many people we work with in Yarraville and the inner west have looked at turnkey options in places like Manor Lakes or Rockbank. The numbers can look appealing on paper – bigger homes, bigger blocks, lower prices. But when they factor in commute times, lifestyle preferences, and the value of established neighbourhoods, custom building closer to the city makes more sense.

Starting Your Building Journey

If you're considering building in Melbourne, the first question isn't really turnkey vs custom – it's where you want to live.

If outer suburbs with new estates work for your lifestyle and budget, turnkey homes offer a straightforward path to homeownership. If you prefer established suburbs with character and convenience, custom building is your option.

As a Yarraville builder who knows the inner west intimately, we're here to help you figure out what makes sense for your situation. If you're weighing up a turnkey package in Tarneit against building custom in Footscray or Yarraville, we can walk you through the real costs, trade-offs, and what you'd actually get for your budget in different scenarios.

Good taste is free, and good advice costs nothing. If you're thinking about building in Melbourne's inner west – or trying to decide between inner west custom builds and outer suburb turnkey packages – give us a call. We'll give you honest advice about options and costs, with no pressure and no sales pitch. Just straight talk from local builders who've done this plenty of times before.

Weighing up turnkey homes vs custom builds in Melbourne? Contact Infinity Built for honest advice from experienced Yarraville builders. We'll help you understand your real options and costs for building in the inner west.