Change orders are not inherently a problem. Some are unavoidable and some are entirely your choice. What matters is which category a given one falls into, and whether the pattern suggests the original bid was ever real.
Legitimate: you changed your mind
You add a room, upgrade a finish, move a wall after seeing it framed. That is a scope change you requested, and it should be priced and approved in writing before the work proceeds. Nobody should be building it while the paperwork catches up.
Legitimate: something was genuinely hidden
Failed plumbing behind a wall, mould, a structural condition nobody could see. Every honest scope excludes hidden conditions by default, precisely because they cannot be priced from a walk-through. The test is whether it was truly invisible before demo.
Legitimate: the permit triggered an obligation
Accessibility upgrades and code corrections unrelated to your scope but required once a permit is pulled. A good contractor flags the risk before demo rather than presenting it as a discovery afterwards.
Warning sign: the scope was thin on purpose
If the change order covers something any competent contractor would have anticipated from the walk-through, the original number was not a price, it was a way to win the job. Undersized electrical service on a scope full of new equipment. A flooring allowance that never matched the finish discussed. Fire and life safety work on a layout that obviously changed egress.
One of these is bad luck. A pattern of them is a business model.
Written Scope
Planning this type of project?
Tell us your space, city, and timeline. We return a written scope with lump-sum pricing, no obligation.
Warning sign: no price before the work
A change order presented after the work is done is an invoice, not a change order. You have lost the ability to say no, choose differently, or get a second opinion. The sequence matters more than the amount.
How to keep them rare
- Have the space walked by whoever will build it, before signature
- Insist on named exclusions rather than exclusions by omission
- Compare allowances between bids as carefully as rates
- Agree in writing that changes are priced and approved before work proceeds
- Treat a suspiciously low bid as a forecast of change orders, because it usually is
Our scopes are itemised at signing and the price is locked. Change orders happen only when you request a scope change, and they are priced and approved in writing first. Hidden conditions are excluded by default and surfaced with a price rather than appearing on the final invoice.
Get a scope that holds
Itemised at signing, locked price, changes only when you ask for them. Call (469) 721-0146. Response within 1 business day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this topic from DFW tenants, landlords, and business owners.
Are change orders normal?
Some are. Scope changes you request and genuinely hidden conditions are both legitimate. What is not normal is a pattern of change orders covering things any competent contractor should have anticipated from the walk-through.
Should a change order be priced before the work?
Always. A change order presented afterwards is an invoice. Pricing and approving in writing first is what preserves your ability to say no or choose differently.
What is a red flag in a low bid?
Thin exclusions and low allowances. If the bid does not name what it excludes, and the allowances do not match the finish you described, the gap will arrive later as change orders.
Who pays for permit-triggered code corrections?
Normally the tenant, because they attach to the building rather than the contractor. A good contractor flags the risk before demo so it is a known possibility rather than a surprise.
Can a price really be locked?
Yes, when the scope is itemised and both parties agree changes only follow a written request. That is how ours work: no category of overrun quietly absorbed into the final invoice.
About the author
Yelp
General contractor, Royse City, TX
Commercial tenant improvement, build-out and renovation, and residential outdoor living, fencing, additions and high-end kitchens and baths across Dallas-Fort Worth and East Texas.