Used by GCs, builders, remodelers, and subcontractors across the US and Canada. Professional layout, all the fields you need, no email signup required for the PDF. Or skip the template entirely — send the same change order in 30 seconds with ChangeOrdersPro Free.
Choose your format. Each one has all the fields below — line items, schedule impact, contract update, signature blocks.
Want the Word and Excel versions emailed to you?
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Custom millwork — kitchen | $8,400.00 |
| Butler's pantry custom build | $6,200.00 |
| Quartz upgrade Level 1 → 3 | $3,850.00 |
| Under-cabinet LED rough-in | $640.00 |
| Total Change | $19,090.00 |
Built around the way US contractors actually work. Skip the generic legal-template fields you'll never fill in. Use the ones that matter.
Project name, location, original contract value, contractor and homeowner details. The header that proves this is a real document.
Line-by-line costs. Materials, labor, subcontractor fees broken out. Subtotals, overhead and profit, sales tax — all the math.
Days added, new completion date, the reason. Most templates skip this. Skip this and you'll fight about it later.
Original contract + this change order = new contract total. The number that matters most. Big and clear.
Signature lines for both contractor and homeowner. Date fields. Printed name. The legal record of agreement.
Free-text section for context — why this change was needed, what discussions led to it. The paper trail when memory fails.
If you only do a few change orders a year, the template is fine. If you're doing a few a month — or a few a week — you're losing hours filling these in. Here's the same thing, digital.
Same fields. Same professional output. 30 seconds instead of 15 minutes. The client gets a branded email, signs from their phone, the contract updates automatically. You get the signed PDF emailed back. Done.
Quick reference for contractors who want to make sure they're handling change orders properly. Bookmark this — you'll use it more than you think.
A change order is a written agreement between a contractor and a homeowner (or a subcontractor and a GC) that modifies the original contract. It documents what's changing, what it costs, how it affects the schedule, and gets signed by both parties.
Without a signed change order, you have no legal basis to bill for additional work. Verbal agreements get forgotten. Email chains get disputed. The change order is the document that keeps you paid.
Any time the scope of work changes from what's in the original contract. Common triggers:
Most US construction contracts (and the AIA standard contracts especially) require change orders to be in writing and signed before the additional work begins. Verbal change orders are generally unenforceable and a primary source of payment disputes.
Most builders use the same overhead and profit percentage they use on the base contract — typically 15-25%. Add sales tax on materials per state requirements. Be specific about what's included (rework? cleanup? final inspection?) and what's not.
Time-and-materials change orders should specify the hourly rate, the markup on materials, and whether you'll cap the total. Subs especially: write the cap.
The single biggest predictor of whether a change order gets signed is how quickly you send it after the conversation. Send within 24 hours of the verbal agreement and the approval rate is 95%+. Send a week later and it drops to 60%.
This is exactly why we built ChangeOrdersPro. The template takes 15 minutes — so it gets postponed. The digital version takes 30 seconds — so it gets sent now. Send-now beats send-later, every time.
The template will save you a few minutes versus starting from scratch. ChangeOrdersPro will save you 15 minutes every single time. Free for your first 3 a month, forever.
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