How to get a change order signed on site

Stop before the work, not after

Pausing the crew for five minutes feels slow. Doing extra work on a verbal OK is slower when the invoice gets disputed, and in some states it can cost you the right to collect. California's home improvement rules, for one, won't enforce a change order against the homeowner unless it's in writing with the scope, the price change and the effect on the schedule. A verbal agreement is hard to prove; a signed page isn't.

What to put on a field change order

• What changes and why, in one or two sentences: "Replace 12 ft of rotted sill plate found behind the kitchen wall." Say whether the owner asked for it or the job revealed it.
• How it's priced. A fixed price when you can see the whole job. For hidden damage, time and materials with a not-to-exceed figure, so the owner knows the worst case.
• The schedule. Days added, or "no change." It matters as much as the money if there's a completion date in the contract.
• The new contract total, worked out once, carefully. It's the number the owner signs.
• When it's paid: with the next draw, on completion, or up front for special-order materials.

On site, step by step

1. 1

   Take the photos first

   Shoot the problem from far and close before anyone touches it. They show why the change was needed long after the wall is closed up.

2. 2

   Start the change order

   In the SignMaster app, tap Send for signature and pick your change order template. Working from a carbon pad? Choose Scan paper and scan the handwritten form instead.

3. 3

   Fill in your numbers

   Type the description, price, days and new total into the boxes you set up on the template, so they print on the page and the owner signs them as written. To put the photos in the document, add them as pages: when scanning in the app, tap Add pages, then Photos; in the web editor, use Insert pages after in a page's menu.

4. 4

   Add the owner and yourself

   Owner first, you second. Pick the owner from your contacts; they're probably there from the original contract. Two owners on the deed? Add both.

5. 5

   Hand over the phone or iPad

   Send it, then choose Sign in person. The owner accepts the e-signature consent and signs, field by field. Signing mode fills the screen and only your Face ID, Touch ID or passcode ends it, then the app takes you straight to your own signature.

When both signatures are in, everyone gets the signed PDF by email with a certificate of completion noting it was signed in person. The owner leaves with a copy before the saw starts, which heads off most later arguments.

When the owner isn't there

Send the same envelope by email and call them while it's fresh. SignMaster emails the link, and you can Copy link from the envelope to text it as well; they sign on their phone at work. Put an Approve and a Decline button on the form so a no comes back with a reason instead of silence. If they won't sign at all, hold the extra work and read what to do when a customer won't sign a change order.