Put change orders in writing before extra work

Recognize a change before describing it

A request can sound small and still change the work you agreed to do. A homeowner asks for another wall, a different tile pattern or a fixture moved after the estimate was accepted. Start by finding the original scope. Check whether the item was included, excluded or left undecided. Do not rely on the crew's memory of a conversation. The original document gives both the owner and the person writing the update a common reference. If the paperwork is unclear, mark that uncertainty rather than quietly calling the request an extra.

CrewBuddy can compare your supplied notes with the original scope and prepare a plain summary. You identify the actual work and decide the price. This is an administrative writing task. It does not establish contract rights or tell you whether a text message meets the requirements for your job.

Describe what the customer is choosing

Name the room, surface or equipment involved. Say what will be added, removed or replaced. For a painter, specify the walls and preparation. For a flooring installer, separate product changes from extra removal or preparation work. For a cleaner, name the added tasks rather than saying deep clean everything. A photo label helps explain location, but it should not replace the written description. Two photos of the same room can show different areas, so make the reference explicit and keep the images with the draft.

Write observations separately from guesses. A stain in a picture is visible; its cause may not be. Leave diagnosis to the qualified person on site. CrewBuddy should preserve the difference between customer reported, crew observed and still to inspect so the note does not become more certain each time someone forwards it.

Keep the price and schedule visible

Use the added price you have checked, with a clear description of what it covers. If a choice is not priced yet, label it awaiting price. Never let a polished draft fill that gap with an invented allowance. Record whether the change affects the next visit, material lead time or a completion date. A half-day of labor and a one-week delay waiting for stock are different effects. Write them separately so the person accepting the change can understand what is being discussed.

If your own supplier quote expires or stock is unconfirmed, put that limitation beside the proposed price. Do not turn an estimated delivery into a promised arrival. The draft can list the person checking availability and the date they will report back without suggesting the change is already ready to start.

Use your existing approval process

Keep the change in the document or system your business already uses for customer decisions. If you use Docusign, start from the document your business has chosen and verify recipients and signing order. If you use a vendor's estimate revision process, check how the revised version relates to the old one. CrewBuddy can help prepare the wording and organize the record. The owner remains responsible for choosing the right process and getting professional help with contract terms when needed.

A document that was sent is not necessarily signed. A signature request opened by one person may still be waiting for another. Use the actual status from the source system and save the response with the exact version it covers. Never mark approval based only on a draft message saying please approve.

Tell the crew what is actually approved

The crew needs a short work note after the decision is recorded. Include the job number, location, approved change and any start condition. Keep a proposed change out of the day's work list until the person responsible says it can proceed. If you send a Spanish crew note, preserve measurements, product names and status labels. Ask the lead to read back the changed item and any unclear detail. A translation that changes proposed into approved can create a practical problem before anyone notices the wording.

Keep pricing out of a broad crew message when the crew does not need it. Share the working scope and the person to call with questions. Store customer approval and the commercial details in the private job record, where the owner or office can find them later.

Keep a version trail that a person can follow

Use one change number and a date. Preserve the original estimate, the proposed revision, the customer's response and the final work note. If the customer changes a choice again, create a clearly labeled revision instead of silently overwriting the accepted copy. A simple job folder is enough. The important part is that someone returning to the job can see what was proposed, what was decided and what the crew was told. Do not delete the earlier context just to make the folder look tidy.

At closeout, compare completed changes with the invoice and open-task list. Flag differences for the owner; do not silently add charges or mark unpaid items settled. CrewBuddy can prepare that comparison from the documents you provide. The result is a review list, not a decision about what a customer owes.

Walk a trim change through review

A remodeler removes a vanity and sees damaged trim that was excluded from the estimate. The crew takes a labeled photo from a safe position and reports the observation. The owner chooses a proposed replacement scope, supplies a price and checks the schedule effect. CrewBuddy prepares the note with those inputs and the unknown finish. Before the customer sees it, the owner checks that the original estimate number is right and that the added price is not presented as part of the old total. The status stays proposed.

If the customer selects a finish but has not accepted the price, record only that selection. Update the proposal and use the business's chosen approval process. Once a decision is actually recorded, send the crew the reviewed work note and save it beside the accepted version. At invoicing, compare the completed change with the document. This sequence keeps a material choice, a price decision and an instruction to the crew from being confused with each other, while preserving a small, readable record.

Related recipes: photo change record, written change draft, Spanish crew scope. Connections: Docusign, Google Drive, Jobber.