What's Actually Included When You Buy a New Development?

Understanding what's included buying a new development South Africa developers offer starts with one document you should never skip past, the specification schedule. This is the official list of exactly what finishes, fittings, and materials come standard with your home, and it's the single best way to avoid an unpleasant surprise after you've already signed.

What a Specification Schedule Actually Covers

A specification schedule sets out, room by room, exactly what your new home includes. This typically covers:

• Flooring, whether tiled, vinyl, or another finish, including the specific size and type

• Kitchen cupboards and worktop surfaces

• Bathroom fittings, tiling, and sanitaryware

• Wall finishes, ceiling type, and paint colours

• Door types, window frames, and hardware like handles and locks

• Roofing material and external wall finishes

Developers are generally entitled to substitute a similar quality item if a specific product becomes unavailable, so don't be alarmed if the exact brand shown on a sample board changes slightly by the time you move in, the specification schedule usually protects you by requiring an equivalent standard.

Understanding a PC Amount Allowance

You'll often see something called a PC amount allowance in your specification schedule, particularly for items like extractor fans, light fittings, or certain finishes. PC stands for prime cost, and it means the developer has allocated a fixed budget for that item. If you want something more expensive than the allowance covers, you pay the difference yourself. If you're happy with what the allowance covers, there's no extra cost to you at all.

Standard Finishes vs Upgrades: What's Actually Not Included

This is where most buyers get caught off guard. A few things are almost always excluded from the standard build and treated as your own responsibility or a paid upgrade:

1. Curtain rails and blinds are typically not included at all, and are for the buyer's own account

2. Built-in wardrobes beyond a basic rail and shelf are often an optional upgrade

3. Garden landscaping beyond basic levelling is usually left to the homeowner

4. Additional driveway paving or boundary walling can be extra, depending on the development

5. Premium appliance brands beyond what's specified are always a paid upgrade if you want them

Knowing this upfront means you can budget for these extras separately, rather than assuming they're bundled into your purchase price.

New Home Extras Cost: What to Budget For

Once you've moved in, a realistic new home extras cost to plan for includes curtains or blinds, any additional storage or built-in cupboards you want beyond the standard, garden setup, and possibly a few finishing touches the standard specification doesn't cover. These costs vary significantly by development, so ask directly during your sales consultation exactly what's excluded, rather than assuming.

Questions to Ask Before You Sign

Before committing to a specific unit, ask the developer directly:

• Can I see the full specification schedule in writing, not just a sample board?

• What exactly does the PC amount allowance cover for each item?

• What happens if I want to upgrade a specific finish, and how is that priced?

• Is landscaping, paving, or fencing included, or is that a separate cost?

If you're also considering the risk of construction timelines slipping, it's worth reading our guide on what happens if a new development is delayed alongside this one.

Remember too that buying off-plan directly from a developer still means no transfer duty applies, which helps offset any extras you choose to add on top of the standard specification.

Want to see what you'd qualify for on a new development? Try our free two-minute pre-approval quiz and get a real number to work with.