No project survives first contact with reality. The owner adds a request, a hidden condition turns up, a product is back-ordered. None of that has to cause a fight — but it usually does when the change happens before the paperwork does.
What a change order is
A change order is a written, signed agreement that modifies the contract — its scope, its price, its schedule, or all three — after work has begun. It's how a project stays contractually clean while it evolves. The keyword is signed: a verbal 'go ahead' is not a change order, it's a future argument.
Price it the way you priced the job
A credible change order is priced the same way the original estimate was: the cost of the added work, plus the same overhead-and-profit markup. When the added scope is priced consistently with the base contract, nobody feels ambushed. When it's priced off the cuff, everybody does.
- Describe the change in plain language — what's being added, removed, or altered.
- Price it on the same basis as the contract, not a one-off guess.
- State the schedule impact, if any — added scope often adds days.
- Get it signed before the work happens, not after.
The discipline that protects everyone
Change orders feel like friction in the moment. They're actually the opposite — they're what lets a contractor say yes to a change without eating the cost, and what lets an owner approve one knowing exactly what it costs. The paper trail protects both sides equally.
The most expensive words on a job site are 'we'll sort it out later.' Write the change down, price it the same way, sign it, then build it.