The cage should be spacious and as large as you can afford. Since finches spend all their time inside caged areas, it's important that they have plenty of room to fly. They should have at least enough room to flap their wings twice in flying from one side to another. If they do not have sufficient room, they may become fat from lack of exercise, which could shorten their lives. Another thing to consider is that wider cages are better. If you get a tall aviary, make sure there is enough room for flight from side to side as well as vertical space. Arrange perches all around the cage and remember that the favorite perch will be the highest one in the cage. Birds tend to head to the highest perch, especially at night. So, if you have multiple birds, make sure you have enough perch space at the top.
Perches are one of the most important parts of your bird's cage. Since birds spend their entire lives on their feet, it's important that perches provide a variety of perching choices for them. Do not use dowels that are the same size from one end to the other. Standing on those evenly rounded perches puts pressure on the same spots on the feet. With no opportunity to change position, birds can develop pressure sores on the bottom of their feet. Instead, give them nice natural branches for perching. Many manzanita perches are available, but they tend to be rather slippery for some little birds. Try to roughen the branches with rough sandpaper before they are put into the cage.
I've used natural branches from trees and shrubs around my home. Probably the best perches I've found are grape vines of various sizes. The advantage of these vines for finches is you can thread the vine through the cage in interesting ways to give your birds a more natural environment. These vines come in such a variety of sizes that your birds will always have a variety of different areas to perch upon. You might have to cut the vines if you want to remove them later, though. If you do use natural branches, do not use any that have been sprayed with insecticides or other pesticides. Wash them thoroughly with bleach and then rinse well. I usually bake them for a while in my oven at about 250 degrees F to make sure that no insects gain entry to my house through these perches.
Other types of perches can be purchased from various vendors that offer a variety of widths. Grooming perches that are made of concrete are fine for birds. These perches have a slightly conical shape that allows the bird different diameters for perching. Do not use the sandpaper covered perches since they are uniform in diameter through their length and, like dowels, can be damaging to birds' feet.
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