For homeowners
Your contractor just asked for more money. Here is how to read it.
Partway through the job, your contractor tells you they have found something, or that the thing you asked for this morning costs extra. This is normal and it is not, by itself, a warning sign - on remodels especially, opening a wall reveals things nobody could have quoted for. What matters is whether the request is documented, specific, and made before the work happens rather than after.
Direct answer
A change order is a written record of work being added to your job and what it costs, agreed before the work is done. Expect one for anything outside the original quote. Ask for the price in writing, ask what happens to the schedule, and approve it in writing too - a text reply is enough for small items.
01Workflow
What to do when one arrives
- 1
Ask what specifically changed, and if it is a discovery, ask to see it.
- 2
Get the price in writing before the work starts, not a verbal figure.
- 3
Ask what it does to the completion date, not only the cost.
- 4
Ask whether it can wait or be done separately, if the amount is uncomfortable.
- 5
Reply in writing - a text saying yes to a specific number is a real approval.
02Practical notes
What matters in the field.
Discoveries are genuinely common on older homes.
Rot behind a shower, wiring that is not what the panel suggested, a subfloor that has been wet for years. None of this is visible at quote time, and a contractor who finds it and tells you is doing the right thing. The question to ask is not whether it is real but whether you can see it, and most will happily show you or send a photo.
Before is the only safe time.
The strongest protection you have is insisting that added costs are agreed before the work is done. Once it is finished you are negotiating about something already in your house. Homeowners are commonly advised to write exactly this into the agreement up front: any change to the work needs a written change order first.
'Just add it to the bill' is not doing you a favour.
It feels efficient and it removes your ability to decide. Asking for the number before the work happens is not distrust - it is how you keep the choice. Plenty of add-ons turn out not to be worth their price once the price exists, and that is a decision you are entitled to make.
What a fair change order looks like.
It names the specific work, gives a price or a clear not-to-exceed figure, states that the work is outside the original quote, and says what happens to the schedule. It does not need to be a formal document - a text containing those things is a real record. What should concern you is a request with no number, or a number with no description.
Approving by text is fine, and worth doing carefully.
You do not need to sign anything for small items. What helps both sides is replying to the message that contains the price, so the agreement and the amount sit together. A standalone 'go ahead' with nothing attached is exactly as ambiguous for you as it is for them.
03Checklist
Before you approve extra work
You know specifically what work is being added
You have seen the problem, or a photo of it, if it is a discovery
There is a price or a clear not-to-exceed figure, in writing
You know what it does to the completion date
You know whether it could wait or be done separately
Your approval is in writing, attached to the message with the price
Example
Questions worth asking
'Can you send me a photo of what you found, and the price in writing before you start?'
'Does this push the finish date, or does it fit in the time we already planned?'
'Is this something that has to happen now, or can we handle it separately later?'
04FAQ
Common questions.
Is it rude to ask for everything in writing?
No, and most contractors prefer it. Written approvals protect them from disputes as much as they protect you from surprises. Contractors who work this way consistently report that customers respond well to it, precisely because it removes uncertainty on both sides.
The contractor already did the work without asking. Do I have to pay?
It depends on your contract, your state, and the circumstances, so this is a point to get specific advice on if the amount is significant. As a practical matter, ask to see the work, ask why it was not raised beforehand, and be willing to reach a fair number - but you are entitled to expect that future changes are agreed first.
How much of a change order should I expect on a remodel?
Older properties produce more surprises than newer ones, and opened walls produce more than surface work. Many homeowners set aside a contingency for this before starting. A contractor who identifies problems early and prices them clearly is usually saving you money compared to one who discovers everything at the end.
See what the approval record looks like.
Open the sample PDF first, then download SiteTicket AI if this is close to how you handle added work, customer approval, and invoice backup.
Related guides
Change order with signature: what to capture before extra work starts.
When a contractor needs a signed change order, what to include, when to collect the signature, and how to keep a clean approval record.
Extra work approval text: wording to send before continuing.
Copy-ready wording contractors can send when a customer asks for extra work while the job is already underway.
Contractor change order template for small extra work.
A practical contractor change order template for extra work, added cost, customer approval, and invoice handoff.