How to stop losing money on change orders

Scope creep isn't always the customer being difficult. Most of the time it's a reasonable request met with a nod instead of a document. The money problem is real. But the relationship problem is worse — resentment builds on both sides when what's on the invoice doesn't match what was said on the job site.

When you agree in the hallway to "add a couple more home runs" or "swap to dimmers throughout," you've moved the contract without moving the paper. You do the work, eat the material, and hope to get paid for it. The customer assumes it was included — or was a favor.

That mismatch explodes at invoice time. Even if you collect something, you've trained them that scope is fuzzy. And you've trained your crew that the paperwork doesn't matter.

Pressure. The GC is behind schedule. The homeowner is standing right there. You don't want to feel difficult mid-rough-in.

The fix isn't to be a robot about it. It's to have a lightweight default: every extra gets a short written note before the crew leaves or before the next billable day. If that feels like a lot, compare it to one disputed change order you ate because there was nothing in writing.

Keep it simple and repeatable:

• Scope in plain English — what's being added, removed, or changed, and where on the job.
• Price — a lump sum if the work is small; time-and-materials only if the client signs a not-to-exceed number.
• Approval — a signature, a click, or an email reply with "approved" on the total. Match what your contract says.

If any of those three is missing, you have a favor. Not a change order.

Frame it as protecting them as much as you. "I want to make sure we're aligned on the cost before my guys keep going" is neutral. Send a one-paragraph scope summary with a price the same day. Silence is not approval — and your contract should say that.

For GCs who push back on paperwork, offer a standing allowance they can draw down, or agree on a simple template they'll actually sign. You want a path of least resistance — not zero resistance.

Teach your lead guy: not "the office needs a signature" (sounds like you're passing the buck), but "our contract requires this before we continue" — firm, professional, no drama.

You're left with your original contract, memory, and bad options: eat it, fight it, or split it. None of those fixes the relationship. Small claims and lien conversations burn time you could spend on signed work.

Daily logs, photos, and timestamped texts help after the fact. But the real fix is approval before the extra work ships — not evidence after the fight starts.

A link the client can open on their phone — scope, price, tap to approve — beats a PDF lost in email. You get a timestamp. They get clarity. Fewer "I never agreed to that" moments.

Paper works on some sites, but photos of signed tickets need to hit the job folder the same day. A signed note in a truck notebook that stays in the truck until Thursday is almost as bad as a verbal.

Fieldwright is built around this workflow: capture the change, send approval, keep it attached to the job so billing and the field stay aligned.