1. Three common levels
On the Estonian market these terms are generally used in the following sense. There is nonetheless no single definition.
| Level | What is done | What is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Shell | structure, roof, external doors and windows | services, internal finishes, heating |
| White box | plus internal partitions, insulation, often some service first fix | finishes |
| Turnkey | everything from foundations to complete internal finishes: electrics, plumbing, floors, walls, internal doors | nothing, the building is ready to occupy |
A shell is weathertight but not usable. These terms are not defined in legislation: their content is set by the contract, not by custom.
2. The size of the price difference
Ranges published by commercial sources give an idea of the order of magnitude. They do not replace a quotation.
| Completion level | Range per square metre |
|---|---|
| Shell | €900 to €1,200 |
| Turnkey | €1,600 to €2,500 |
The difference is therefore roughly twofold, and it concerns the same building, the same plot and the same design. These figures come from material published by construction companies rather than official statistics and must be read as orders of magnitude.
Practical consequence: if two quotations differ by a factor of two, the first question is the completion level, not whether the price level is justified. The real difference appears only when the scopes are compared.
3. Why intermediate levels are not standardised
Three reasons explain the confusion. The terms are commercial, not normative. Each firm defines them in its own quotation.
The content of a white box varies most. Some firms include service first fix, others do not.
Some works may be left to the client by agreement. This is common in Estonian house building and shifts the boundary further.
The same term in two quotations therefore does not mean the same content, and relying on the term is unsafe. The scope must be described point by point.
4. What to specify in the contract
Four points fix the boundary unambiguously. At which works the builder's scope ends, as a list, not as a term.
Whether services are installed or only prepared for. The difference is significant in the budget.
What level of finish applies, where finishes are included in the price. The level is described room by room.
Which works remain with the client, if any. They belong in the budget as separate lines.
The fourth point is the most often left unwritten, and it causes the most disputes at the end of construction, when both parties assume the other is doing it. It concerns external works and connections.
5. What completion level does not change
Two cost groups stay the same regardless of level. They are the site and the connections.
Foundations and ground works, covered in the article on foundations and ground conditions.
Preparation and connections, which precede construction or are independent of it.
A lower completion level does not reduce these costs, and that explains an important arithmetic error: doubling a shell price does not give a turnkey price. Part of the cost is already fully present in both.
In summary, and four practical rules
The three completion levels, shell, white box and turnkey, are not defined in legislation and their content is set by the contract. The difference between a shell at €900 to €1,200 and turnkey at €1,600 to €2,500 per square metre is roughly twofold, for the same building and the same design. Foundations, ground works, preparation and connections are independent of the level.
Four rules: ask for the completion level before the price. Require a list, not a term. Write into the contract the works remaining with the client. Do not derive one level from another by multiplication.
This article serves professional orientation at the date of checking. It is not a quotation.