Interior Fit-Out: Developer Scope Versus Your Scope

Disappointment at handover usually traces to a boundary nobody drew clearly. Establishing developer fit out scope vs owner scope before booking tells you what the house actually arrives with, what you will be arranging yourself, and how much capital sits between keys and comfortable occupation.

Developer scope here covers the built fabric and its finishes. Italian marble runs through living, dining, family room and primary suite as flooring and wall cladding, with Italian marble or premium engineered timber in bedrooms and premium homogeneous tiles in utility, staff room, staff toilet and kitchen. Joinery uses oak veneer, gypsum false ceilings carry concealed lighting design, and glazing is heat-strengthened laminated glass in aluminium frames. Countertops come in engineered marble or natural stone, with CP fittings from the Grohe, Kohler and Hansgrohe selection and sanitaryware in the Kohler, TOTO and Grohe band.

Provisioning is the word to watch, because it means readiness rather than installation. Home automation is specified as provisioning for lighting, climate, security and entertainment — the cabling, conduits and capacity are prepared, with the system itself settled during design development. EV charging is provisioned within covered parking. A private home lift is provisioned in each multi-level residence. Ask in each case what provisioning includes and what remains to be supplied, since the gap is where budgets get missed.

Owner scope typically covers everything loose and much that is soft. Furniture, window treatments, decorative lighting beyond the base design, wardrobes and storage joinery beyond what is specified, appliances, and the automation platform itself if you want more than the provisioning supports. On a house of 7,000 sft or more, that is not a modest line — buyers moving from a fully furnished smaller home consistently underestimate it.

Two suggestions. Request the specification pack and go through it line by line marking what you consider included, then confirm that reading with our team in writing rather than assuming alignment. And note that final specification sheets issue at formal launch, so anything reviewed beforehand is indicative and worth re-checking. Reviewing the the full specification pack will get you the current pack.

Related reading: Choosing Finishes: A Sequence and When to Decide.

FAQs

1. What does the developer provide?
   The built fabric and its finishes — flooring, cladding, joinery, ceilings, glazing, countertops, CP fittings and sanitaryware to the specified standards.

2. What does provisioning mean?
   Readiness rather than installation. Cabling, conduits and capacity are prepared for automation, EV charging and the home lift, with specifics settled during design development.

3. What will I need to arrange?
   Furniture, window treatments, decorative lighting beyond the base, additional storage joinery, appliances, and the automation platform itself.