Owners often ask, "will there be change orders." The honest answer is: probably yes on any job over two weeks. Framing gets revealed. A code requirement surfaces. The client decides they want the pot filler after all. Change is not the failure. Hiding it is.
The three legitimate sources of change
1. Concealed conditions. The wall opens and there is knob-and-tube. There is water damage behind the vanity. The subfloor is not level. These are real. A good contractor flags them the same day, with a written price and a schedule impact.
2. Client-driven changes. The client upgrades the counter, adds a can light, moves the outlet. These are welcome, and they should be priced and signed off before the work happens — not slipped into the final invoice.
3. Code or inspection findings. An inspector requires a modification. This is not optional. It should come with a clear line item and evidence of the requirement.
The one illegitimate source
Scope the contractor should have priced originally. If the quote missed something obvious — a permit fee, a required outlet, standard flashing — that is not a change order. That is a mistake, and the contractor should absorb it. Legitimate contractors do. The others turn every miss into a change order and hope you do not push back.
What a fair change order looks like
- Written before the work is done, not after.
- Names the change, the cost, and the schedule impact.
- Signed by both sides.
- Referenced against the original scope so you can see what changed and why.
Our position
We write every change order the day the condition is discovered or the request is made. If we missed something in the original scope, we say so and we absorb it. The client never learns about a cost increase at final invoice.