What Is a Change Order and How Does It Affect My Cost?
How changes get priced, why they cost more than they look like they should, and when to say yes anyway.
A change order is a written amendment to your contract that documents a change in scope, what it costs, and how it affects the schedule. Nothing changes without one, and nothing proceeds until you approve it. That protects you as much as it protects us.
Why a change order costs more than the thing itself
A change has four costs and buyers usually only see the first:
- The new material. The visible part.
- Removing or reworking what's already there. Demolition, re-framing, patching.
- Ripple effects. Move a wall and you may move electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, drywall and trim with it.
- Schedule. Re-sequencing trades who were booked around each other, and possibly waiting on a re-ordered item.
That fourth cost is the one that catches people, because it can push a move-in date by more than the work itself takes.
The cost curve by stage
- Design: a redraw. Cheapest possible time to change your mind.
- After pricing, before permit: re-price, possibly re-submit.
- After permit, before that trade starts: material and scheduling cost.
- After installation: everything above, plus removal.
Changes that are usually worth it
Anything that's cheap now and impossible later. Rough-in for a future bathroom or wet bar. An extra circuit or two. Blocking in walls for future grab bars. Conduit for a future EV charger or generator. Structural provisions for a future basement finish. These are small line items during framing and major projects afterward.
Changes usually not worth making mid-build
Anything cosmetic that can be done just as well in year three. Paint colors, light fixtures, mirrors, hardware. Save the budget and the schedule.
How to need fewer of them
Finalize selections on time, walk the house at framing with the plan in hand, and carry a contingency so the good ideas don't have to fight the budget. See also making changes during construction.