Construction
Home Improvement Change Order
Record a change to work already contracted — what changes, what it costs, and what it does to the completion date.
Available product levels
Customized Agreements
$29.99Guided questions and tailored clauses for agreements that need specific protections.
When to use this document
- Adding work not in the original scope
- Removing work and adjusting the price down
- Substituting materials or a different approach
- Recording a delay and a revised completion date
Information you will need
- Owner, contractor, and the property
- The original contract date and scope reference
- Exactly what is changing
- The price adjustment and the revised contract total
- The effect on the schedule and any revised completion date
- The reason for the change
What you receive
- A Home Improvement Change Order
- Signature blocks for owner and contractor
- Completion instructions
- PDF and editable DOCX export
Special situations
- Sign it before the work is done. A change order agreed after the fact is a negotiation, not an authorisation, and it is the most common source of a disputed final bill.
- Only the work described is authorised. Vague descriptions turn one change into a series of assumed ones.
- State the schedule effect explicitly, even if it is none. Changed work almost always touches the timeline, and silence is what supports a later delay claim.
- The revised contract total must reconcile with the adjustment. A total that does not add up undermines everything else in the document.
- Several change orders on one job is a signal worth noticing — either the original scope was inadequate or the project has moved beyond it.
Jurisdiction
Home improvement contracts and their amendment are regulated in many states, including requirements for written changes and limits on price escalation. This change order states no jurisdiction-specific requirement.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need a written change order for a small change?
Yes, and small changes are exactly where this goes wrong. A verbal agreement about a minor addition becomes a line on the final invoice that nobody remembers approving. Write it down whatever the size.
When should it be signed?
Before the work is performed. A change order signed afterwards is a negotiation about work already done, which is a much weaker position for whichever side is unhappy.
What if the change does not affect the schedule?
Say so explicitly. Stating that the completion date is unchanged closes off a later delay claim, and it takes one line.
Can the contractor refuse to do the changed work?
Generally yes, unless the original contract obliges them. A change order is a new agreement, and both sides have to agree to it — including on the price and the timing.
How many change orders is too many?
There is no rule, but several on one job usually means the original scope was not detailed enough. If it keeps happening, the conversation to have is about scope, not about the next change.
Related documents and guides
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Last reviewed July 29, 2026.