Why change orders protect your margin

Every contractor has been there. The client asks for one more thing. You say yes on site. Weeks later, the invoice does not match what they expected—and your margin takes the hit.

Scope creep costs real money

Without a written change order, extra work becomes free work. A change order documents what changed, what it costs, and who approved it.

What a good change order includes

Description of the change, price impact, schedule impact if any, and a dated approval from the client. Keep it simple and send it before the work starts.

Connect change orders to your budget

When a change order is approved, it should update the live job budget automatically. That way you always know what the job is actually making.