What Is a Change Order in Construction?

On any construction or contracting job, things change — the client wants an upgrade, a hidden problem surfaces, materials shift. A change order is the document that captures those changes in writing so you get paid for them and avoid a dispute at the end of the job.

What a change order is

A change order is a written amendment to the original contract. It records what's changing — additional work, a price adjustment, a schedule shift — and is signed by both parties before the extra work happens. It becomes part of the contract.

Why "we'll sort it out later" costs you money

The single most common way contractors lose money is doing extra work on a handshake and then fighting to get paid for it. When the client says "while you're at it, can you also…," that's a change order. Writing it up — even quickly — turns a future argument into a signed agreement. No signature, no extra work.

What a change order should include

1. Reference to the original contract.
2. Description of the change. Exactly what's being added, removed, or modified.
3. Price adjustment. The added (or reduced) cost.
4. Schedule impact. How it affects the timeline.
5. Updated contract total.
6. Signatures and date. Both parties, before the work starts.

Make change orders routine

The contractors who never have payment fights are the ones who treat change orders as normal, not confrontational. Mention up front in your scope of work that changes will be handled via written change orders. Then when one comes up, it's just process — not a fight.

Generate a change order in 30 seconds

SignedDocu's change order template references the original contract and captures the scope change, price, schedule, and updated total. Fill it in and get a signature before the extra work begins.