This guide is about the document and the process — how to write, price, approve, and enforce a change order once a change comes up. (Preventing changes in the first place is a different job: see scope-creep defense.)
A usable change order is short and specific: what's changing, the priced amount (carrying your normal margin — see the change-order calculator), any schedule impact, and a signature line. Number them, date them, and keep a copy. The job file is your protection if a price is ever disputed.
The two rules that make the process hold: price and sign before the work happens, and get approval in writing even when the client says 'just do it.' A texted 'yes, approved — $X' is a record; a verbal nod across a dusty room is not. When a client disputes a change later, the signed, dated CO is the whole conversation.
Stop pricing from memory
The Contractor Authority System™ turns this into a repeatable process — burdened labor & overhead, change-order protection, and client-ready proposals. One-time $97.
FAQ
A clear description of the change, the priced amount (at your normal margin), any effect on the schedule, the date, and a signature or written approval. Keep it short, number it, and file it — it's your record if the price is ever questioned.
Yes. Confirm in writing before you proceed — even a text: 'Confirming the extra outlet, about $X, ok to proceed?' A verbal approval you can't show later is how a change becomes a dispute and then a write-off.