Builder Inclusions Lists vs Custom Selections: What a Price List Doesn't Tell You
Inclusions list or custom selections: what's the difference?
An inclusions list is a builder's standard range of fixtures, fittings and finishes that come with the base price. Anything outside it is priced as an upgrade. With custom selections, each tap, tile, benchtop and light is specified for your design and site, then priced before you sign. Either way, compare what the price includes, not the headline number.
- Inclusions lista standard range in the base price
- Upgradesanything outside it, priced extra
- Custom selectionsspecified for your home
- $10–120ksite works a base price may leave out
No catalogue and no standard range: selections are specified and priced before you sign. NSW contractor licence 258735C.
By Keiron Moore, Director of CKS Projects, with 25+ years building on the South Coast. Updated October 2026.
Important Disclaimer:
“This article is general guidance, not an exact price guide, guaranteed returns, or a substitute for professional advice or a formal quote. Construction costs, rental yields, and capital growth examples reflect 2025 conditions and will vary with site constraints, design, materials, and market movements. Speak with a qualified financial adviser before making investment decisions. For accurate estimates and design recommendations for your site, contact CKS Projects. We’ll provide a comprehensive consultation and a formal quote tailored to your Wollongong home.”
Government charges are as published at the date shown and change over time.
What an inclusions list covers, and how custom selections differ
| Area | With a standard inclusions list | With custom selections |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchens and joinery | A set range of cabinetry, benchtops and appliances | Layout, cabinetry, benchtops, hardware and appliances designed around how you cook and entertain |
| Bathrooms and wet areas | Set tiles, tapware and sanitaryware | Tiles, tapware, sanitaryware, niches and storage, checked for waterproofing, slip rating and coastal durability |
| Flooring | A set range by room | Timber, tile, carpet or heated polished concrete, chosen for your lifestyle and site |
| Lighting and electrical | A set number of points and fittings | Lighting design, switching, power and smart home options planned with your layout and furniture |
| Windows and glazing | The range's standard windows | Double glazing and skylights selected for light, views, thermal performance and BASIX targets |
| External finishes | The range's cladding, roofing and paint | Cladding, render, roofing and paint, including bushfire-rated products on BAL sites |
| Anything else | Priced as an upgrade | Specified from the start and priced before you sign |
The custom column is how CKS Projects tailors each area. An inclusions list isn't a bad thing: it's a known range at a known price. It's a problem when the range doesn't suit your design, site or taste, and the upgrades add up.
What a base price or price list leaves out
A price list or base price is usually for the house on a simple site with the standard range. The real budget has more in it. On Keiron Moore's figures for the Illawarra:
| Item | What to check | CKS Projects' figures |
|---|---|---|
| Site works | Is the slope, cut and fill, and access priced, or excluded? | $10,000–$20,000 flat, $40,000–$70,000 moderate slope, $80,000–$120,000 steep |
| Ground conditions | Is there a soil report, and a provisional sum for rock? | Geotech report $1,500–$2,500; rock $150–$250 per cubic metre |
| Approvals | Is a DA or CDC, and the certificates, included? | CDC path about $4,500–$7,500; DA path about $17,500–$37,500 with reports |
| Connections | Water and sewer connections priced? | $20,000–$30,000 |
| Outside the house | Landscaping, driveway and fencing? | $40,000–$70,000 |
| Upgrades | Which of your must-haves are outside the standard range? | Priced item by item |
Picture an $850,000 quote that needs another $65,000 to actually finish the home once the items it left out are added, an example from our guide to accurate building quotes. For a full budget, see what a house costs to build in NSW.
How to compare an inclusions list with a custom quote
- Match the finish level. Compare brand, range and quantity, not just "stone benchtop" or "LED downlights".
- Put the site in both. Ask for site works on your block, not a typical one.
- Count the allowances. List every prime cost item and provisional sum in each quote and add up the amounts. See prime cost items vs provisional sums.
- Price your upgrades. Add the upgrades you'd actually choose to the base price before comparing.
- Check what's outside the house. Approvals, connections, landscaping, driveway and fencing.
- Check the contract. Is it a fixed price, and when are selections locked? See fixed price vs cost plus.
Why selections matter more on the Illawarra coast
On the coast and the escarpment, a selection has to perform, not just look right. CKS Projects checks each one with that in mind:
- a tile is checked against the waterproofing system, slip rating and grout compatibility;
- a tapware finish is confirmed for corrosion resistance on the coast;
- glazing is chosen for light, views, thermal performance and BASIX targets;
- cladding and external products are bushfire-rated where the site has a BAL rating;
- every selection is checked for NCC and BASIX compliance before it's locked in.
More on coastal home building and BASIX certificates.
Which approach suits you?
| If you... | Look at |
|---|---|
| Have a flat, regular block and like a design and range you've seen in a display home | A standard inclusions list can give you a known range at a known price |
| Have a sloping, coastal, bushfire-prone or view-facing block | Custom selections, checked for the site: see sloping block builders |
| Already know you want items outside a standard range | Custom selections, so they're specified and priced from the start, not swapped in as upgrades |
| Want design help with finishes | A builder with a guided selections process and interior design support |
For the bigger choice between a spec, project or custom home, see spec home vs custom home.
How CKS Projects runs selections
There's no catalogue to choose from and no standard range to work around. You're not tied to one supplier: if it suits your home and your budget, it can be sourced.
Selection kickoff
Style direction, budget allowances and a deadline for every category are mapped.
Curated shortlists
Pre-vetted options for each category, matched to your style, budget and the coastal conditions.
Showroom and sampling
Coordinated visits to trade suppliers across the Illawarra and Sydney to see and touch the options.
Portal logging and pricing
Each selection is logged in the Wunderbuild client portal with itemised pricing; any change from your allowance is priced immediately.
Final sign-off
Your specification is locked into the fixed-price contract before a trade starts on site.
Interior design support is available too: see architect, building designer or design and construct. More on design selections and custom home builders in Wollongong.
Inclusions and selections FAQs
What is a builder's inclusions list?
A list of the fixtures, fittings and finishes included in a builder's base price, from tapware and tiles to benchtops, appliances and lighting. Anything outside that standard range is usually priced as an upgrade.
What are standard inclusions in a new home?
It varies by builder and by range. Inclusions lists generally cover kitchens and joinery, bathrooms and wet areas, flooring, lighting and electrical, windows, external finishes and sometimes energy items such as solar. Compare lists item by item, including brand, range and quantity, not just the headings.
What does a builder's base price usually leave out?
Often the site. On CKS Projects' figures, site works run about $10,000–$20,000 on a flat block, $40,000–$70,000 on a moderate slope and $80,000–$120,000 on a steep one. Approvals, water and sewer connections, landscaping, driveways, fencing and upgrades can also sit outside a base price.
Are upgrades worth it?
Some are. The question is whether you're paying to swap an item out of a base list or specifying the right item once. On a coastal or sloping site, performance items such as glazing, cladding, tapware finish and waterproofing matter as much as how things look.
Does CKS Projects have a standard inclusions list?
No. There is no catalogue and no standard range. Every inclusion is specified for your design and budget through a selections process, and your detailed specification and fixed-price quote are prepared before you sign a contract.
Do I have to use particular suppliers?
Not with CKS Projects. It isn't tied to a single supplier range: options are shortlisted from trade suppliers across the Illawarra and Sydney, and products you've found yourself can be considered.
How do I compare a custom quote with a project home price?
Line them up on the same basis: the same floor area and finish level, site costs included, approvals and connections included, and the size of every prime cost and provisional sum allowance. A lower headline price with more left out isn't a lower price.
When are selections finalised with CKS Projects?
Before construction begins. Your specification schedule is locked into the fixed-price contract and build program, so trades are never waiting on decisions.
Specify it once, price it before you sign
Tell us about your block and the home you want. We'll talk it through for free, guide your selections and give you a detailed fixed-price quote before you sign.
