Two offers for the same house can differ widely partly because the words "shell", "holodom" and "turnkey" have no fixed content. The price gap then may not be a gap in efficiency, but in what you buy.
This article is not about prices, which are covered in the piece on what a house costs per m2. It deals with the question that should come first: what sits behind these words, and how to put it into the contract.
Do the terms shell, holodom and turnkey have a legal definition?
No. None of them appears in the Building Act (25/2025 Coll.), the Civil Code, the Commercial Code, the public procurement act or decree 60/2025 Coll. They are market words.
The law uses other words. The act defines construction of a building as the set of works that create the building as a whole. This covers all parts and structures, the designed equipment and the related adjustments (§ 26 ods. 1 of the Building Act). A building enters the cadastre when perimeter walls and a roof structure enclose it (§ 46 ods. 2 of Act 162/1995 Coll.). That is a rule for registering ownership, not a definition of a delivery.
The contract for work and its schedule decide, because the schedule lists the scope item by item. The Civil Code requires the written confirmation of an order to state the subject, scope, quality, price and time of the work (§ 632). If an offer contains only the word "holodom" and one sum, you do not hold an offer. You hold a heading.
What do these words usually mean, and what must you agree?
The table shows how the words are commonly understood in the market. It is not a definition and no law backs it.
| Term | Common market meaning | What the contract schedule must settle |
|---|---|---|
| Shell | Load-bearing structure and roof structure built, finishing work not started | Earthworks, substructure insulation, chimney, partitions, roof covering, windows |
| Holodom | Weathertight building with services and rough surfaces, without final surfaces | Heat source, facade, sills, distribution board, ventilation, state of surfaces at handover |
| Turnkey | A house ready to live in | Kitchen, lighting, floors, tiling, sanitary ware, landscaping, fencing, connections |
If you receive two offers for a holodom, do not start by comparing the sums. Lay the scopes side by side.
What if you finish a holodom yourself or with your own tradespeople?
The Building Act says this about it. If you arrange construction yourself, the builder coordinates the work and signs contracts with the individual suppliers. The builder answers in full for the duties under the act (§ 26 ods. 4). For a simple building, a person authorised for construction supervision must lead the work (§ 26 ods. 3). Simple buildings include a residential building with at most three flats, up to 300 m2 built-up area and two floors above ground (§ 2). You must also keep the construction diary. Make sure that the people who do the work have the qualifications the law requires (§ 30 ods. 6 písm. b and g, § 27 ods. 3). Section 26 does not say how the act treats a house split between a firm and you. Check this with the building office or your designer before you sign. Also describe the exact state at handover, including tolerances and prepared outlets.
What should you check inside a turnkey price?
Every item that can start an argument needs its own line in the contract. The table shows what to ask about each one.
| Item | What to check and why |
|---|---|
| Utility connections for water, sewer, electricity, gas | Who builds and pays for them. The act lists them as small buildings (§ 2). The person who built a water or sewer connection at their own cost owns it (§ 4 ods. 6 of Act 442/2002 Coll.). |
| Landscaping and paved areas | Whether backfill, rough grading and a path to the entrance are included. |
| Fencing and gate | Who provides them, and whether they are part of the work or a separate supply. |
| Kitchen, sanitary ware, lighting | Which specific product or what allowance per piece is included, where delivery ends, and whether outlets are prepared for the specific kitchen. |
| Documents for kolaudácia | Who supplies them. The act lists the attachments to the proposal for kolaudácia (§ 66 ods. 2), but the contract should say who provides each one. |
Can you live in a holodom, and what must be finished for kolaudácia?
A completed building may be put into permanent use only after kolaudácia (§ 66 ods. 1). At the final inspection the office checks the building against the verified project. It must be complete and fit for safe use (§ 66 ods. 4 písm. a). If it is not, the office interrupts kolaudácia and stops it if the defects are not removed in time (§ 66 ods. 5 and 6). A holodom therefore does not pass kolaudácia.
The builder files the proposal for kolaudácia. The attachments depend on the building type. They include the construction diary, the documentation of actual execution, the handover record and the survey of the completed building (§ 66 ods. 2). From 1 January 2027 Act 243/2026 Coll. changes § 66, including the list of attachments (Art. I points 149 to 158), and moves the rule on use only after kolaudácia to § 67 ods. 1 (point 159).
How do you compare two offers when each describes a different house?
A price per square metre does not show what is in the sum. Offers become comparable when everyone prices the same list of work. How such a list is prepared is covered in the article on why budget prices differ. In short:
- Give everyone the same basis. Ideally a bill of quantities derived from the design, with measured quantities.
- Ask for an itemised budget. One sum for a holodom cannot be checked. A breakdown into items shows where the offers differ.
- List the exclusions. Write down what each offer explicitly leaves out, and only then add up the missing parts.
- Compare the standard, not the item name. For windows, roof covering, insulation and the heat source, ask for a type or parameters, not the word "standard".
- Read the terms, not just the sum. Deadline, payments, retention and warranty have value outside the sum.
Choosing a firm this way is a small tender. It need not be formal. The public procurement act does not apply to a private person building with their own money (§ 7 ods. 1 and § 8 ods. 1 of Act 343/2015 Coll.).
What must the contract for work name?
What you buy is set by the contract for work and its schedules. Under the Civil Code the contractor undertakes to carry out the work for the agreed price at their own risk (§ 631). The Commercial Code always treats the construction of a building or a part of it as a work (§ 536 ods. 2). Delivery in stages is therefore also a work. The Commercial Code governs obligations between entrepreneurs in the course of their business (§ 261 ods. 1). A household that builds for itself usually falls under the Civil Code (a conclusion from § 261 ods. 1).
You can sign with one general contractor or with several firms stage by stage. These points should be in the contract:
- Scope of work as a schedule. It names the verified project, which sets the scope of works (§ 27 ods. 2), a priced bill of quantities and a list of excluded work.
- Deadlines for the start, the stages and completion. The contractor must carry out the work in the agreed time (Civil Code § 633 ods. 1, Commercial Code § 537 ods. 1).
- Payment schedule. Under the Civil Code the price is paid after the work is finished unless agreed otherwise. For work in parts or with considerable costs the contractor may ask for reasonable advances (§ 634 ods. 2). Under the Commercial Code payment is due at the agreed time (§ 548 ods. 1). Tie payments to finished and accepted stages.
- Retention. Neither code regulates it for a contract for work. If you want to hold back part of the price until defects are removed, the amount and the release conditions must be in the contract.
- Changes during construction. With a price set by a budget, the contractor can bill work not in it only after your written approval. A later written order has the same effect (Civil Code § 635 ods. 1). Agree each change in writing before it is carried out, with its price and deadline.
- Handover. When the contractor calls, the builder inspects the completed building and takes it over (§ 30 ods. 4 písm. b of the Building Act). A record of handover is made at the request of either party (Commercial Code § 554 ods. 6). Write the defects and unfinished items into it with a deadline for removal. Until handover the contractor bears the risk of damage to the building (Civil Code § 647, Commercial Code § 554 ods. 5).
- Warranty and defects. Under the Civil Code a building has a three-year warranty period from the day the client should have taken it over. A regulation may set a shorter period for some parts of buildings, at least 18 months (§ 646 ods. 3). Under the Commercial Code the warranty period runs from handover. The period agreed in the contract applies (§ 563 ods. 1 and 2, § 429 ods. 2). Notify defects without undue delay, or the court will not grant the rights from defects (§ 562 ods. 2). More in the entry on the warranty period.
What should you check when taking over a shell?
The act knows the takeover of a finished building: the builder inspects it and takes it over when the contractor asks (§ 30 ods. 4 písm. b). Handing over a shell as a stage is a matter for the contract, so state in it what is checked and handed over. The contractor answers for the building matching the verified project (§ 32 ods. 1), so compare the building with the project. Check:
- the construction diary with the agreed changes to the project recorded (§ 32 ods. 3),
- the records of suitability of building products that the site manager keeps (§ 37 ods. 3 písm. g),
- the survey of underground pipes and other underground parts, done before they were covered (§ 32 ods. 2 písm. o),
- the handover record with the defects and the date for fixing them.
On a reserved structure the construction supervisor also checks the parts that will be covered later (§ 36 ods. 2 písm. c). Report defects without undue delay, or a court will not grant the right arising from them (Commercial Code § 562 ods. 2).
Where do the design and supervision of construction reduce risk?
Most of the problems above start when a firm prices a house that is not described well enough. The execution project is the detailed elaboration of the verified project for the purpose of building works (§ 9 ods. 5). The act requires it only for a reserved building. Under annex 18 of decree 60/2025 Coll. it refines the project to a level of detail that defines structures, products and materials. For another house, ask your designer whether you need it.
During construction, supervision helps. The builder must ensure designer's supervision of the construction (§ 30 ods. 4 písm. d). The author of the architectural work has the right to author supervision (§ 35 ods. 10). The construction supervisor watches the progress of work against the project. The supervisor also checks that building products are suitable (§ 36 ods. 1 písm. a and c). On a reserved building and on a self-build the supervisor is mandatory (§ 30 ods. 5 písm. a, ods. 6 písm. a). How supervision is billed is covered in the overview of what an architect costs.