How to Choose a Turnkey Construction Contractor: 12 Questions to Ask

Building a house is one of the biggest spends of your life. When you hand the whole project to one contractor – design, material buying, labour, finishing – that is called a turnkey contract. It is convenient, but it also means you must trust the contractor with a lot of money. So before you sign anything, ask questions. This article lists twelve of them, plus simple checks on payments, contracts and materials.

Aarna Constructions & Interiors has been working in Greater Noida, Noida, Noida Extension, Jewar and along the Yamuna Expressway since 2017. We handle house construction, renovation and interior work, and we believe a customer who asks sharp questions gets a better house. So here is a fair, honest guide – even if you do not hire us.

Lump sum vs per sq ft rate – which is safer

There are two common ways to price a turnkey house contract:

• Lump sum: one fixed price for the whole house. Good if the drawings are final. Risky if drawings are still changing, because every change starts a fresh argument about extra cost.
• Per sq ft rate: you pay a fixed rate multiplied by the built-up area. For example, our grey structure rate including materials (RCC frame, brickwork, plaster and concealed piping) starts from Rs 1,100 per sq ft, with basements at Rs 1,500 per sq ft, and our full turnkey package with finishing starts from Rs 1,650 per sq ft (Basic). This is easier to compare between contractors.

Per sq ft is usually safer for a full house, if the contractor writes down exactly what that rate includes. A rate with everything listed is far better than a lower rate with half the items “extra later”. Always ask what is inside the rate and what is outside it.

One more thing: whether lump sum or per sq ft, clarify if GST is extra. It usually is. And remember that the rate applies to a defined scope – if you add a room or change the kitchen layout, that is a change order, and it should be priced in writing before the work is done, not after.

12 questions to ask at the first meeting

Questions about price and scope

1. Is your rate per sq ft of built-up area or covered area? The two numbers are different. Built-up includes walls and balcony space. Agree on one definition and write it in the contract.
2. What exactly does the rate include? Ask for an item-by-item list: foundation, RCC frame, brickwork, plaster, flooring, painting, doors, windows, plumbing, electrical, false ceiling, finishing. Anything not listed is a future “extra”.
3. What is excluded? Common exclusions are GST, government fees, water and electricity connections, and sometimes premium items like lifts or special tiles. Know these on day one.
4. What grade of materials are included? Which cement? Which steel? Which tile price band? “Best quality” means nothing. Brand names and grades mean everything.

Questions about the contract and payments

5. Can you give me a written contract with a payment schedule? If a contractor refuses to put things in writing, that alone tells you a lot.
6. How do you handle changes and extra work? Ask that every change be quoted in writing and approved by you before it is done.
7. What is the completion timeline, and what happens if it slips? A fair contractor will accept a delay clause, for example a small reduction per week of unexplained delay.

Questions about the work itself

8. Who will be on site daily? A site supervisor or the contractor’s own engineer should visit regularly. A contractor who only appears on payment days is a problem.
9. Do you do the work with your own team or subcontract it? Both are common and both can be fine. But you should know who is answerable when something goes wrong.
10. What is included in the finishing items? Doors, windows, kitchen platform, wardrobes, paint, switches – ask what make and grade, and what counts as “delivered finished”.
11. How do you handle waterproofing and plumbing? These cause the most expensive complaints later. Ask what areas are waterproofed and what method is used.
12. What happens after handover if something fails? Ask about the service process for defects – how you report, how fast they respond. Read the written warranty policy if the contractor has one.

Checking past sites and client references

Do not judge a contractor only by photos. Photos show the best corner of the best house. Ask for:

• Two or three completed sites you can visit – within Greater Noida or Noida if possible, so travel is easy.
• One ongoing site – this shows how the team actually works: is material stacked properly, is the site clean, are workers present, is curing being done on time?
• Phone numbers of two past clients – ask them simple questions. Did the final bill match the quote? Was the timeline kept? Did the contractor come back after handover for small fixes?

A contractor who happily shares references is usually confident in his work. One who says “clients do not like calls” about every single project is hiding something. You can also look through a contractor’s completed projects online before the meeting.

What a written contract must include

Never start a turnkey job on a verbal understanding. The contract should have:

• Your name, the contractor’s name and address, and the site address.
• Total area and the agreed rate, with a clear item list of what is included.
• Clear exclusions – GST, connections, government charges, premium items.
• A bar chart or stage plan showing the order of work.
• The payment schedule, linked to completed stages.
• A clause that changes and extras are priced in writing before execution.
• Timeline with a start date, completion date and a delay clause.
• Defect responsibility period and how defects will be fixed after handover.

Payment milestone best practices

Pay against finished work, not against promises. A typical stage-wise schedule looks like this:

Keep the advance small and always hold back the final 5 to 10 percent until the snag list is cleared. Never pay a large share for “material purchase” without material actually reaching your site. If money flow stays ahead of work progress, you lose control of the project.

Material quality checks during construction

In a turnkey contract, the contractor buys the material, so you must check what arrives on site. Simple checks anyone can do:

• Cement: check the brand and grade against the contract. Lumpy or old stock cement should be rejected.
• Steel: look at the brand marking on the bars. Count bundles against the bill when they arrive.
• Concrete: if ready-mix is used, check the grade (M20, M25 and so on) on the slip. If mixed on site, check the ratio being used.
• Bricks and blocks: broken, under-burnt bricks mean weak walls.
• Tiles: check boxes for the agreed brand and batch. Mixed batches give colour difference. Buy about 30 percent extra quantity for wastage and future repairs – that is the norm we follow too.
• Curing: slab, columns and plaster need water curing for at least the first week. Ask your supervisor about it openly.
• Waterproofing: for terraces and washrooms, be present when it is done. This is the one item where redoing costs far more than doing.

Visit the site at least weekly, or ask a family member to. Even a 15-minute walk catches wrong material and skipped steps early. If you cannot visit often, a professional home inspection at key stages is money well spent.

Red flags to walk away from

• A big advance demand on day one – a large “booking amount” before any work or material.
• No written contract or item list – only a total figure on a visiting card.
• Vague answers on brands and grades – “sab accha lagwa denge” is not a specification.
• No references or site visits offered – or only photos on a phone.
• Pressure on you to decide fast – discounts valid “only today”.
• Rate far below every other quote – the money comes back later as extras or cheap material. Compare methods and materials, not just final numbers.
• Reluctance to put the delay clause or defect period in writing.

Any one of these alone may have an innocent explanation. Three or more together means walk away, however friendly the person seems.

Getting your own numbers

Before you compare contractors, get a rough idea of what your house should cost. Use our free home construction cost calculator for an item-by-item estimate. If your project is a washroom renovation instead, try the washroom renovation cost calculator. Remember, these tools give an estimate – the final quotation comes after a site visit, and GST is extra.

Our own turnkey construction service in Greater Noida lists exactly what the rate includes and excludes. If you are building a house and want to talk it through, call or WhatsApp us at +91 95825 81238. We are happy to answer these twelve questions ourselves, on paper. You can also see our construction work in Greater Noida before you decide.