What "Turnkey" Actually Means When You Build on Your Land in Indiana

Every dealer in Indiana says "turnkey." I've heard it used to mean everything from "we'll drop the house off" to "you can sleep in it Friday."

So here's what it actually means when we say it, and just as important, what it doesn't.

What our turnkey price includes

When GS Courtyard quotes a turnkey price, it covers the home, the foundation with a 40-inch crawl space, gutters, HVAC, the setup, sales tax, the interior and exterior finish work, steps, all the utility hookups (gas, electric, water, sewer) and a meter pedestal.

The way I explain it to people at the lot is pretty simple. If you have the land, and you get utilities to the foundation, the price we give you is set so you can live in it.

That's the whole point. No second invoice for the steps. No surprise "oh, the HVAC was extra." We've all heard those stories, and honestly a lot of the stigma around manufactured housing comes from people who got burned by exactly that.

What it costs right now

On recent projects in the 1,200 to 1,600 square foot range, inside our core area (roughly 90 miles around Bedford):

• Manufactured homes have landed between about $145,000 and $185,000 turnkey.
• Modular homes have landed between about $160,000 and $200,000 turnkey.

Bigger builds, 2,400 square feet and up, with septic, wells, dirt work, garage pads and driveways, are a different animal. We treat those as full custom site builds and they cost considerably more.

And we build anywhere in Indiana. Farther out than that 90 miles, it usually costs somewhat more, because managing and servicing contractors from a distance is harder. [$5k-10k: a rule of thumb for the out-of-radius premium, or a line to use instead of a number.]

What turnkey does NOT include

This is the part I want people to actually read. Because this is where buyers get blindsided, and it's where a lot of "build vs. buy" math online is just wrong.

The land. Obviously. But people forget it when they compare our price to a house on Zillow. That house came with a lot. Ours didn't.

Septic and well, if you're not on city utilities. Recent customers have spent about $15,000 to $20,000 on average for each.

Water and sewer taps, if you are on city utilities. Roughly $0 to $2,500 depending on the municipality, and sometimes more.

Electric service to the site. This one is usually good news. Many electric companies will pay to run service to the site, because they're gaining a customer. Call yours early anyway, depending on where you're located you may insure some cost here.

Why we price it this way

I'd rather give you a bigger number that's real than a small number that grows.

A cheap "home only" price looks great in an ad. Then you add the foundation, then the setup crew, then the HVAC, then the steps, then the sales tax, and by the end you're way past what you planned and mad at everybody. I can't even begin to count the number of people who've come in trying to compare another retail dealer to us, and they had no idea all they were given was a home only price.

Turnkey flips that. You know the house number. Then the only open questions are the ones that depend on your dirt: land, septic and well, taps.

That's honest. And it makes the rest of the planning a lot less scary.

Know these 3 things before you call any dealer

1. Do you own the land yet, or are you still shopping?
2. What's already at the road? City water and sewer, or will you need a well and septic? Are gas and electric there?
3. Is the dealer actually turnkey? Ask exactly what's in their price, so you're comparing apples to apples.

The first two tell you what your dirt is going to cost. The third tells you whether the number you're quoted is the real total, or just the start of one.

We're a southern Indiana builder, and we build anywhere in Indiana. If you've got land, or you're looking at some, we'll walk you through a turnkey number for your spot. No pressure. Just the real price.