Work Orders

When the customer accepts your estimate, the estimate now becomes a work order.  Be very clear and concise when scheduling the job.  You work orders should have notations for change orders.  Sometimes a customer will want to add work to the job or they may want to take something off the list.  You definitely need to account for these changes with a change order.  When the customer requests additional work you should reflect the increased cost in labor and materials in the change order and have the customer sign and approve the new amount to protect yourself before you begin that work.

You should also have language that protects you from hidden damages.  If you removed drywall from a wall and find that the framework has been deteriorated by water damage, mold, and or termites and needs to be repaired before the new drywall can be installed then you will need a change order to account for these findings.  Language related to hidden damages should be included in your original estimate to your customer.

Don’t cover up this work.  If a customer states, just cover it up because I am selling the house then you could be held liable down the road.  Especially if they don’t put it in the seller’s disclosure.  Don’t compromise yourself or your company. 

If you find mold, make sure that the customer has the mold remedied before you continue the work.  You don’t want to put yourself or your employees in harms way.  Mold can be very deadly.

There are other things to consider such as identifying bad framing, bad plumbing, bad wiring, etc.  These things need to be discussed with the customer and a plan of action should be developed before work can be continued. Change orders are your best friend. They are crucial to saving your ass financially.