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Free construction change order template and builder.
Separate the approved baseline from the proposed change, state the user-entered price and schedule effect, identify supporting evidence, and create a contractor-review draft without uploading project information.
A useful change order says what approved scope is affected, exactly what changes, what it adds or credits, how time is affected, what evidence supports it, and who must review it. A generated draft is not proof of notice or authorization.
Use the tool now
Create a contractor-review change order from four focused sections.
Enter only facts supported by the current project record. The result stays in this browser tab and can be copied or printed. It does not calculate price, revise a schedule, modify a contract, or send anything to a client.
Four focused sections
Create a change-order draft for contractor review.
Identify the approved baseline, describe only the proposed change, and state the user-entered price and schedule impact without implying that the work is authorized.
The draft is generated in your browser. Project details and entered text are not uploaded or saved. With consent, analytics receives only tool usage and the number of impact categories—not names, descriptions, references, amounts, or days.
Start with the document’s job
Confirm that the issue is a proposed change before pricing it as one.
Not every field question is added work. Compare the request or condition with the accepted proposal, scope, drawings, selections, allowances, clarifications, and governing agreement before deciding which process applies.
Possible scope change
A client request, design revision, documented condition, deletion, or substitution may change an approved responsibility, result, price, or time.
Question or clarification
An unresolved detail may need a request for information or documented direction before anyone can determine whether the approved baseline changes.
Correction or included work
Work already required by the accepted documents may need correction, not a new client price. Review responsibility before labeling it as extra work.
Complete review structure
Keep scope, evidence, money, time, and authorization visible together.
Change-control workflow
Move from a request to an exact, reviewable project record.
Capture the request or condition
Record who raised it, when it surfaced, where it applies, and which current photo, drawing, selection, field record, or instruction supports review.
Compare it with the approved baseline
Identify the exact scope item and responsibility that would change. Do not price the same work twice or treat a correction as added scope without review.
Define the changed work
State additions, deletions, substitutions, boundaries, dependencies, exclusions, and an observable completion condition in project-specific language.
Review cost and time
Price the actual change through the company’s estimating process and evaluate the affected sequence, procurement, access, inspection, and milestone consequences.
Issue, decide, and retain
Use the notice and authorization process required for the project, then retain the exact issued version, decision, and approved project updates together.
Illustrative remodel example
Show the baseline and changed work instead of writing “owner upgrade.”
Assume an accepted kitchen scope keeps the range and hood in their existing general locations. The client later requests a new location after cabinetry coordination. This example demonstrates document structure only; it is not a price or schedule benchmark.
A detailed scope does not validate the price. Keep internal estimating support and the client-facing net effect consistent without exposing private cost logic by accident.
Before issue or changed work
Complete the construction change-order review.
Check the draft against current project evidence and the company’s approved process. The boxes below are a browser checklist only and are not retained.
Use with judgment
This builder organizes entered facts; it does not authorize a change.
The output does not inspect the site, compare drawings, determine entitlement, calculate costs, reconcile billing, analyze delay, update milestones, identify the authorized decision maker, deliver notice, collect a signature, or prove acceptance. Those actions remain part of the contractor’s project-specific process.
This resource is operational guidance, not legal, design, engineering, accounting, tax, code, licensing, insurance, or delay-analysis advice. Agreement language and requirements vary by project and jurisdiction.
Connect the baseline and the change
Start with a clear scope, then preserve every reviewed revision.
Use the general, kitchen, or bathroom scope resource before pricing the original proposal. When project facts change later, carry the exact description, evidence, price effect, schedule effect, and decision into the controlled project record.
Frequently asked questions
Construction change-order questions.
What is a construction change order?
A construction change order is a project record used to describe a proposed or approved modification to an existing scope, price, schedule, or related responsibility. Its effect depends on the governing agreement, the parties’ authorization, applicable requirements, and the project-specific facts.
What should a construction change order include?
A useful change order identifies the project and original document, gives the change a unique number, states the reason, distinguishes the original scope from the proposed work, records assumptions and exclusions, identifies supporting evidence, states price and schedule impact, and makes the required review or approval action clear.
What is the difference between a change request and a change order?
A request records that someone wants or may need a change. A change order records the reviewed change and its consequences through the authorization process required for that project. Names and stages vary, so the company should use the terminology and procedure established by its governing documents.
Can a change order be a credit or have no price change?
Yes, depending on the project facts and agreement. A documented change may add price, reduce price through a credit, or state no price change. The contractor should confirm the exact net effect and how it reconciles with prior approved changes, billing, and the current project total.
Should a change order state schedule impact?
State the reviewed schedule effect explicitly, including zero impact when that is the supported conclusion. Added or reduced calendar days alone may not explain which activities, deliveries, decisions, or milestones move, so the operating schedule still requires project-specific review.
Who should approve a construction change order?
The authorized decision maker depends on the governing agreement, company authority, project structure, and applicable requirements. Identify the correct person and required notice or authorization method instead of assuming that any conversation or field direction is sufficient.
Does this template calculate a construction change-order price?
No. The tool formats the price impact entered by the user. It does not calculate labor, material, equipment, subcontractor, overhead, profit, tax, allowance, credit, or cumulative project values and does not validate whether the amount is appropriate.
Is this change-order template a contract or legal advice?
No. It is an operational drafting and review aid. It does not amend an agreement, prove notice or acceptance, or determine legal rights. Have the company’s change procedure and project documents reviewed for the actual project and jurisdiction.