How to write a change order for a home improvement project
Scope changes mid-project are fine. Doing the extra work before the client signs isn't. Here's how to write a change order that protects you and moves fast.
The homeowner is standing next to you in the kitchen. You're there to replace the countertop. She points at the backsplash tile and says, 'While you're here, can you just replace a few of those too?' You say sure, no problem. Two days later you hand her the invoice. She's surprised by the extra $600. 'I didn't think it would be that much,' she says. 'We didn't discuss a price.' Now you're in a conversation nobody wins. She thinks she's being overcharged. You think you're being stiffed for work you did. You're both right, because nothing was agreed in writing.
Verbal agreements on extra work are where margins disappear. Not because clients are dishonest, but because people hear what they wanted to hear. The client heard 'sure, no problem' and didn't think about cost. You thought the price was clear given what materials and labor run. Three weeks later when the invoice arrives, you have two different memories of the same conversation and no document to settle it. A scope dispute with no paper behind it is a coin flip. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you eat the cost.
A change order breaks that cycle. It documents the extra work in writing, puts a price on it, and gets the client's signature before a nail gets pulled. The client knows what they're approving. You know you're covered. Here's how to write one.