How to compare builder inclusions like-for-like: a new home checklist for Australia

Each of the four lists applies to one inclusions tier and one build region, and reflects a particular point in time. A like-for-like comparison therefore matches all three before it compares individual inclusions. Coral Homes offers Designer Standard Inclusions and Elegance Inclusions on the same Rochester 276Q design⁶, so a Coral Homes list is a tier of a design rather than a description of the builder.

The list can also change by region. The G.J. Gardner brochure is the Goulburn office's list, and each G.J. Gardner office publishes its own⁴. The Hotondo Sanctuary list is a national document that marks some roof tiles, bricks and wet-area tiles as region specific². It also marks its gas connection, ducted heating and solar hot water as state specific, with the heating and solar hot water lines limited to Victoria. The Coral page is switchable by build region, from Ballina to Sydney and Tweed⁵, and the Simonds booklet is the Victorian list only³.

The lists can also change over time. Between the 7 July 2026 capture and a re-read on 15 September 2026, the Coral Designer page dropped the words "Crystalline silica-free" from its benchtop line and reworded its steel frame offer, while the three PDF lists were unchanged⁵. A comparison therefore records the date of each list beside the builder's name.

Three of the four lists state the slab class allowed for in the base price. G.J. Gardner and Hotondo allow for an M class site, Simonds for a waffle slab engineered up to H1 class on a site with no more than 300 mm of fall and no existing fill. The Coral Designer page has no site works section³.

The site cost envelope also differs between lists. Hotondo and Simonds allow for a block of up to 650 m² with up to 300 mm of fall, and Simonds adds a 5 m front setback and connections to power and gas immediately adjacent to the allotment². G.J. Gardner states a 10 m run for water, power and sewer and includes a soil test, wind rating and contour survey, without a block size or fall⁴.

Three lists state insulation levels, but none gives a price. Ceiling batts are R4.0 at G.J. Gardner, R4.1 at Hotondo, or as the energy rating requires, and R6.0 at Simonds, and external wall batts R2.0, R2.5 and R2.5 respectively³. Only the Simonds list states double glazing, covering windows and sliding doors outside wet areas.

Ceiling heights range from 2,400 mm at Hotondo to 2,570 mm at G.J. Gardner and 2,590 mm at Simonds². The Coral standard page states no ceiling height, while its offers page lists 2,550 mm ceilings as an offer at no extra cost rather than a standard line⁷.

Hot water systems also vary. G.J. Gardner lists a 26 L gas instantaneous unit. Hotondo lists a Chromagen solar system with a 26 L booster in Victoria or a 26 L gas continuous-flow unit elsewhere, while Simonds lists a Rheem 280 L electric heat pump⁴.

Fifteen of the 237 line items restate a regulatory requirement, five in each of the G.J. Gardner, Hotondo and Simonds lists. These include hard-wired smoke alarms, safety switches, wet-area waterproofing and the 7-star energy rating¹. The Simonds booklet groups its 7-star energy compliance, a minimum 2 kW of photovoltaic panels and a step-free shower recess under the heading NCC 2022 Requirements³.

The National Construction Code 2022 raised the minimum thermal performance of new homes to the equivalent of 7 stars under the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme. It also introduced a whole-of-home annual energy budget covering heating, cooling, hot water, lighting, pool and spa pumps and on-site generation⁸. Under the energy-rating pathway, a house needs a whole-of-home rating of at least 60 in NatHERS software⁹. A solar or heat pump inclusion can therefore form part of how a builder meets the requirement rather than an extra above the code.

Promotional inclusions sit outside the standard list. The Coral Designer page advertised a limited-time offer of a TRUECORE steel frame and COLORBOND steel roof at no additional cost, while its standard frame line described timber⁵. Its offers page also listed 2,550 mm ceilings and 900 mm kitchen appliances as offers at no extra cost⁷. The Simonds booklet states that a customer who opts out of any promotional inclusion receives no credit or substitution³. The comparison therefore records promotions separately from standard inclusions.

Contract allowances are different. Consumer Affairs Victoria describes a prime cost item as an allowance for a fixture or fitting that has not been specifically identified and costed, such as an oven, tap or tiles. A provisional sum is an allowance for work whose cost cannot be accurately determined when the contract is signed, such as excavation¹⁰.

In Victoria, a major domestic building contract must include a detailed list of the prime cost and provisional sum items and a cost breakdown for each. The builder must give the client a copy of any invoice showing the cost¹¹. In New South Wales, prime cost items are listed in the contract with a price that covers the builder's expected cost¹². In Queensland the contract schedule must state how allowances for prime cost items or provisional sums are calculated¹³.

A builder's warranty is separate from the statutory protections that apply to residential building work. The G.J. Gardner list states a 6-year structural warranty⁴ and the Simonds list a lifetime structural guarantee with its terms on the builder's website³.

The Coral and Hotondo lists do not state a structural warranty period⁴. In New South Wales, the statutory warranties run six years for major defects and two years for other defects from completion¹². In Queensland, the Home Warranty Scheme covers structural defects for 6 years 6 months from the earlier of the premium payment, the contract or the start of work¹⁴. In Victoria, the implied warranties transfer to a new owner for up to 10 years from completion, and domestic building insurance covers structural defects for six years¹⁵.