Remodeler Q&A: Understanding Change Orders and Scope Creep
Walk into any kitchen or bathroom remodel and you can feel the optimism. New tile stacked neatly in the corner, fresh wiring coiled in the studs, a carpenter laying out crisp lines on subfloor. Then the unexpected shows up: the wall you planned to move holds half the house, or the 1987 plumbing reminds you why they changed the code in 1993. That is when two phrases start to matter more than the paint color or cabinet style: change orders and scope creep.
I have run projects as a remodeler and managed them as part of a construction company in small towns and big suburbs. Whether you are a homeowner in Kanab working with a local construction company or a deck builder adding a pergola, the dynamics are the same. Change orders are the formal way to steer a project when reality or preferences shift. Scope creep is what happens when those shifts get out ahead of the budget, the schedule, or both. The difference between a smooth remodel and a bruising experience usually comes down to how both parties handle these two forces.
What a change order actually is
A change order is a written agreement that modifies the original contract. It clarifies additions, deletions, and substitutions to the scope of work, and it should include the cost and schedule impact. Think of it as the edit history of your project. If the original agreement says “install 120 square feet of floor tile in the bathroom,” and you decide to extend that tile into the closet, the change order is the official moment your project stops being one thing and becomes another.
On a practical level, the document should state the specific change in plain terms, the materials involved, who is responsible for providing them, and the revised price. It should also state whether the change affects the finish date. If your bathroom remodeler needs two extra days to coordinate a plumber and a tile setter, better to say it out loud and put it on paper than to let frustration build silently.
One more nuance that matters: a change order can go in either direction. If a homeowner chooses a less expensive vanity or decides to skip recessed lighting, the change order should reflect a credit. Credible contractors do not treat change orders as a one-way ratchet. They treat them as a ledger.
Why change orders exist in the first place
Houses are not new cars rolling off a line. They are layered artifacts. A kitchen remodeler may find balloon framing behind your drywall or undersized electrical service feeding your range. Conditions are variable, and once the walls open up, surprises are no longer hypothetical. Change orders exist to accommodate discovery.
They also exist to address preference. A client might choose an upgraded quartz edge or a custom pantry pull-out after seeing the space take shape. Or a deck builder may suggest changing post spacing to improve sightlines. The good remodelers expect these conversations and build them into the schedule. The great ones show a menu of options with prices so that clients can make a decision with clear trade-offs.
Finally, change orders exist because the cost of doing nothing can be larger than the cost of adjusting. It is expensive to keep a crew waiting while decisions wander. It is riskier to install something you do not want just to keep things moving. A written change allows crews to proceed aligned and accountable.
Scope creep, the slow leak
Scope creep sounds like a villain, and sometimes it is. It happens when incremental changes accumulate without formal acknowledgment. None of these changes are catastrophic alone. Raise the shower head by four inches. Add a second shelf in the linen closet. Wire for a future EV charger while we are here. Each makes sense, each feels small, and then the budget is 12 percent over and the finish date is two weeks late, and everyone is wondering how.
Here is what makes scope creep tricky. The work is real. The time is real. The costs are real even when the paperwork is not. A carpenter who spends an extra hour here and there cutting custom shims by hand will finish a day behind by Friday. Multiply that across trades and your timeline gets eaten from the edges.
As a homeowner, you feel blindsided when the final invoice includes dollars you did not plan for. As a remodeler, you feel squeezed when your crew has done legitimate extra work that never converted to a signed change order. The resentment is unnecessary and avoidable.
Where scopes come from and why they drift
Before the first hammer swing, a good scope of work will be detailed and unambiguous. I like to see line items for framing, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, insulation, drywall, tile, cabinets, trim, paint, and fixtures where appropriate. Each line lists square footage or quantities, material allowances, and named exclusions. An estimate for bathroom remodeling, for instance, might specify “tile floor and shower, total 180 square feet, owner selects tile at $8 per square foot material allowance,” and “frameless shower glass excluded.” The clarity sets expectations.
Drift creeps in when assumptions hide in the shadows. A homeowner might assume paint includes closets because the walls are getting repainted anyway. A contractor might assume only visible drywall gets patched, not the inside of a pantry. If you feel a twinge of uncertainty reading a scope, that is a signal. Ask questions until both sides can describe the work in the same words.
Drift also sneaks in through the allowance trap. Allowances are placeholders for materials that are not selected at contract time. If the contract includes a $2,000 allowance for appliances and you pick a $3,500 package, that difference becomes a change. No one did anything wrong. You simply used different numbers to picture the same kitchen. Allowances reduce friction at the start, but you have to treat them like estimates with clear reconciliation rules.
A simple framework for change order discipline
Think of change orders in three categories. First, discoveries behind the walls or under the floor that were not reasonably visible at bid time, like rotted subfloor under a shower or an antiquated panel that cannot handle a new range circuit. Second, code upgrades required by inspectors, like GFCI protection or stair guard adjustments. Third, elective changes requested by the owner, like upgrading to inset cabinet doors or adding dimmers throughout the house.
Each category carries a different level of urgency and a different type of conversation. Discovery items often need fast decisions because the project cannot proceed until the fix is defined. Code items are non-negotiable, but there can be choices in how to comply. Elective items deserve the most deliberate conversation because the costs are voluntary. Sometimes it is smartest to park elective upgrades for a later phase, especially if the window for trade availability has already tightened.
On my jobs, we kept a simple rule: if a change costs more than the price of lunch, it gets a change order. That may sound folksy, but it ensures anything meaningful gets captured. Small shops may use a carbon-copy pad. Larger construction companies rely on project management software. The tool matters less than the habit.
What goes into a clean change order
A professional change order is short, specific, and priced. A remodeler should write in clear English instead of jargon. For example, “Install two additional 20A circuits to the kitchen island with GFCI protection, including wire, conduit as required, two outlets, and breakers. Add 6 labor hours and $160 in material. Add 1 day to schedule to coordinate electrical rough-in inspection.” That is better than “add kitchen circuits per client request.”
Pricing should show labor and materials, at least in summary. You do not have to break out the cost of every screw, but including quantities and a simple tally helps the homeowner understand how the number came to be. It is fair to include a markup on materials and labor to cover overhead. What is not fair is to leave the homeowner guessing.
Schedule impact matters as much as price. If a deck builder changes footing size to meet soil conditions, the additional concrete and cure time may push inspection by two days. Not saying so does not mean the days do not pass. Put it in writing and people plan around it.
Finally, signatures or written approval by email lock in consent. Verbal agreements breed misunderstandings, especially when emotions rise. A quick email thread with “Approved” keeps a record that both sides can reference without drama.
What change orders cost, realistically
In small residential remodels, well-run projects often experience change orders totaling 5 to 10 percent of the original contract value. Some jobs stay at zero. Some cameras-forgot-to-focus disasters crest 25 percent or more. When you approach 15 percent, it is time to pause and assess whether the project has changed in character. A kitchen that started as a cabinet swap but now involves moving plumbing stacks and relocating windows may deserve a revised contract with a new baseline.
Labor rates vary by region, but here is a realistic sense: a licensed electrician may bill between $85 and $140 per hour depending on market and company size. A skilled carpenter, perhaps $60 to $100. General conditions, such as supervision and project management, may add 8 to 15 percent. Material markups typically range from 10 to 30 percent to cover procurement, handling, and risk. If your change order price seems high, ask for a quick breakdown. Pros will give it to you without defensiveness.
As for time, most single-trade changes add one to three days. Multi-trade changes can cascade into weeks when inspections and sequencing get involved. A bathroom tile change can push a plumber, then push a glass installer, then bump paint. That domino effect is why seemingly modest changes carry punch.
The difference between a handyman task and a remodel change
Clients sometimes ask why adding a simple shelf through their handyman costs less than adding it during a larger remodel. Context drives the answer. Within a remodel, changes bump into the coordination machine. Work must align with other trades, inspections, and finish schedules. There are site protections, permits, and warranties to preserve. The same shelf on a standalone visit has less overhead. A handyman can drive over, install, and leave without stepping into the larger choreography. Neither price is a trick. They reflect different risk and coordination loads.
Similarly, a deck builder may swap a few joists on a separate day for one price, but that swap during a new build that must pass inspection before deck boards go down will carry more coordination time and therefore more cost. Understanding the context reduces frustration.
Homeowner tactics that prevent scope creep
The cleanest projects I have seen share a set of habits. The homeowner spends adequate time in design. They select most finishes before demolition starts. They plan contingencies for cost and time. They designate one decision-maker and provide timely approvals. Meetings have agendas, even if loose. When surprises surface, they ask for options and their impacts rather than giving vague direction.
Selecting finishes early gives your remodeler space to order materials with lead times. A vanity that takes six weeks to arrive cannot be conjured by wish. A clear plan lets a bathroom remodeler schedule trades in a sequence that avoids downtime. If you are working with a construction company in Kanab or a similar market with tight labor availability, those weeks matter even more.
Plan a contingency. On a kitchen or bathroom remodeling project, set aside 10 to 15 percent of the contract sum in reserve. If you do not use it, great. If you do, it will not feel like a crisis. For older homes or projects involving structural changes, consider a little more room. The reserve also gives you flexibility to say yes to an upgrade that you will appreciate every day.
Finally, insist on a single funnel for communications. Side conversations with a painter in the driveway or a carpenter in the hallway lead to mismatched expectations. Route decisions through the remodeler or project manager who owns the contract. This protects everyone, including the tradespeople who want to make you happy but do not control the budget.
Contractor habits that keep projects healthy
From the contractor’s side, discipline looks like thorough preconstruction, clear scopes, and consistent documentation. I ask my team to walk the house with the owner before demo and create a punch-list of potential unknowns. We pop a few exploratory holes in non-critical areas to check framing and plumbing. We take photos. We talk openly about likely discoveries. That pre-work reduces the shock later.
During the job, we post a weekly update with three parts: what we finished, what is next, and what decisions are pending. When a change request appears, we stop long enough to price it and capture approval. We do not let the crew “just go ahead and do it” to be helpful. If something must be done immediately for safety or to protect work, we note it and issue a change order as soon as possible after the fact. The goal is not bureaucracy. The goal is a clean ledger.
We also train the team to explain cause and effect. If the owner adds two pendant lights, we remind them that patch and paint will expand beyond the original plan and that the electrical inspection reschedule might nudge the cabinet install. Transparent cause and effect keeps goodwill intact.
The gray areas: when change orders feel unfair
Not every change order is obvious. Suppose we discover a rotten sill while replacing kitchen cabinets. The cause is a long-standing leak from a poorly installed exterior door. The fix is necessary, but is it a change? Yes, because the original scope did not include structural repair. Even if a remodeler could have guessed there might be rot, guessing is not pricing. If the contract clearly excludes unknown structural repair, then a change order is appropriate.
Another gray area arises with incomplete drawings or vague scopes. If a plan says “new lighting plan by owner” and the owner later selects ten recessed lights where the contractor assumed six, the difference should be priced as a change. Better drawings and scopes avoid that pinch point. A remodeling contractor should not hide behind ambiguity. Clear work descriptions protect both sides.
There are times when a contractor should eat a change. If a cabinet arrives with a manufacturer defect and a carpenter must return to adjust after replacement, that is not a client change. If a painter missed a closet in the original scope because the contractor’s site measures were sloppy, the correction should not be billed. Goodwill matters, and so does fairness.
When to pause and re-baseline
If you hit a cluster of changes that redefine the project, pushing ahead with a patchwork of change orders can create confusion. It might be wiser to issue a formal contract amendment or even a new contract. I have done this on additions that turned into whole-house reconfigurations and on basement remodels where unexpected water issues forced a drainage upgrade.
A re-baseline gives everyone a clean scoreboard. It can reset completion dates, adjust payment schedules, and align expectations. The pride of “not stopping” often costs more in the long run than the hour spent to regroup and sign a revised plan.
Payment structure and approvals
Most remodel contracts use progress payments tied to milestones. Change orders should integrate with that structure. Some companies bill change orders on the next draw. Others collect a deposit for large changes up front, then the balance at completion of the changed work. Either way, the agreement should be explicit. Surprises breed conflict.
Homeowners sometimes fear that signing a change order opens the door to runaway costs. The remedy is specificity and a cap. If the price is uncertain because the scope depends on findings, write a not-to-exceed number with a clear unit price. For example, “Replace rot in 2x6 sill as needed at $9.50 per linear foot, not to exceed $950 without additional approval.” That lets work proceed while protecting the owner.
The special case of insurance and code
Insurance-driven projects, such as water damage repairs, carry another layer. Adjusters approve a scope based on visible damage and standard pricing. When additional damage is revealed after demo, the contractor should submit supplements with documentation. The homeowner should understand that approvals take time and that some repairs may be above what insurance covers. Change orders here interface with the insurer’s process. A seasoned remodeler will help you navigate the paperwork without promising the carrier will approve every line.
Code-triggered changes can feel frustrating because the house worked, more or less, before the remodel. Still, once you open walls or move fixtures, the work must meet current code. That can mean extra blocking for grab bars, upgraded venting, added AFCI or GFCI protection, and stair guard changes if you touch that assembly. A competent remodeler or construction company explains these realities upfront to avoid the sense that code is being used as a profit lever.
A brief story from the field
Years ago, our team took on a small bathroom in a 1950s ranch. The scope was straightforward: replace tub with a tiled shower, new vanity, fresh tile floor, new lighting. On day two, we found the subfloor around the old tub had turned into compost. Not shocking for that era. We paused, priced the repair in two options: full subfloor replacement of the wet zone, or sistering joists and replacing only the compromised area. We showed costs, schedule impacts, and pros and cons. The owner chose the full replacement, which added $1,200 and two days.
A week later, she asked for a recessed niche with a solid quartz sill to match the vanity. We priced it. She approved. That change added $380 and no additional days, since we folded it into the tile schedule. By the end, the project ran three days longer and about 7 percent over the original contract. There were no hard feelings. The owner got a tighter structure and the details she wanted. We got paid for the extra work. That is what competent change management looks like.
Contrast that with a kitchen where the owner asked the crew to “just shift” the island by a foot after cabinets were set. No change order, just a friendly ask in the moment. The shift cost us a day of a two-person trim crew, reset the electrician’s rough, and required new flooring patches. We learned the hard way. Now the team answers those requests with, “Happy to, let me get that priced and documented so we stay on the same page.”
Kitchen, bath, and deck specifics
Kitchen remodels are allowance-heavy and sequence-dependent. Cabinet lead times can swing from two to twelve weeks. Electrical and plumbing rough-ins depend on cabinet layout. Changing a refrigerator location late can ripple through framing, electrical, water supply, and final trim. Get that layout locked early, and if you must change it, brace for a multi-trade change order.
Bathroom remodeling lives and dies by waterproofing and pitch. A small change in shower size or drain location affects slope, drain kit choice, and tile cuts. Midstream changes here are harder to hide. Expect legitimate cost for rework if tile is already in. Do not pressure a tile setter to rush waterproofing. The money you think you save can be dwarfed by a leak later.
Decks seem simple, then soil has opinions. If an inspector requires deeper footings or a different connector due to corrosion resistance, you are in change order territory. Lumber pricing fluctuates, and a deck builder may include a material escalation clause. If the contract has one, read it and ask how it interacts with change orders. Clear terms avoid surprises when the market jumps.
Working with local companies
A construction company in Kanab might operate with a leaner team than a metro-area firm. That can be a strength. Decisions move faster and you talk to the owner, not a chain of coordinators. It also means lead times for specialized trades can stretch if a plumber is booked for a ranch out on Johnson Canyon Road. Building change orders around local trade availability is part of the reality. A good local remodeler will be honest about it and build a schedule that breathes.
Handyman work, custom carpentry, specialized bathroom remodeler skills, and a general remodeler’s project management all intersect in real jobs. The company that owns the contract sets the rules of engagement, but each specialist brings a viewpoint and schedule. The more you respect that the puzzle only works when pieces fit, the easier the ride.
Two short checklists you can use
Homeowner checklist for managing changes:
- Before demo, select as many finishes as possible and confirm allowances for the rest. Set a contingency of 10 to 15 percent and agree on a written change order process. Route all change requests through the project manager in writing and ask for cost and schedule impacts before approving. If a price is uncertain, request unit pricing and a not-to-exceed cap. Keep a running log of approved changes and updated completion dates.
Contractor checklist for clean documentation:
- Pre-walk and photo-document likely unknowns, and note exclusions clearly in the scope. Use a simple, consistent change order template with description, price, and schedule impact. Price changes promptly, get written approval, and do not proceed on anything substantive without it. Update the project schedule weekly and call out dependencies affected by changes. Re-baseline if cumulative changes exceed roughly 15 percent or materially alter the scope.
The mindset that prevents friction
The best remodels feel like a collaboration. Change orders are not a tax or a trick, and scope creep is not a moral failing. They are just the shape of reality when people reshape space. As a homeowner, expect a few changes and maintain a reserve. As a contractor, respect the client’s budget and time, and help them make informed choices. Write things down. Speak candidly. Leave room for the house to surprise you and for the plan to adapt without drama.
A remodel always includes a few moments where you decide what kind of project you are running. The wall is open, the truth is visible, and the next step is yours. Say yes or no with clarity. If it is yes, write a change order that reads like a promise. If it is no, own the boundary and move on. That discipline turns a complex process into something satisfying, and it invites everyone back for the next job, whether it is a small handyman fix, a full kitchen overhaul, or a deck that frames a new season of life.
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Name: Dave's Professional Home and Building Repair
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Popular Questions About Dave's Professional Home and Building Repair
What types of remodeling do you offer in the Kanab, UT area?
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Landmarks Near Kanab, UT
- Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park — Explore the dunes and enjoy a classic Southern Utah day trip. GEO | LANDMARK
- Best Friends Animal Sanctuary — Visit one of Kanab’s most iconic destinations and support lifesaving work. GEO | LANDMARK
- Zion National Park — World-famous hikes, canyon views, and scenic drives (easy day trip from Kanab). GEO | LANDMARK
- Bryce Canyon National Park — Hoodoos, viewpoints, and unforgettable sunrises. GEO | LANDMARK
- Moqui Cave — A fun museum stop with artifacts and local history right on US-89. GEO | LANDMARK
- Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon (BLM) — A stunning slot-canyon hike and photo spot near Kanab. GEO | LANDMARK
- Kanab Sand Caves — A quick hike to unique man-made caverns just off Highway 89. GEO | LANDMARK
- Gunsmoke Movie Set (Johnson Canyon) — A classic Western-film location near Kanab. GEO | LANDMARK
