Change Orders

  • Selection Master: Online file cabinet

    Selection Master, a recently developed Web-based application, is designed to organize, track, and share product information. Essentially an online file cabinet, Selection Master provides a central location for storing all the loose bits of information about the products you're installing on a...

     

  • Quickbook for Contractors not favored

    QuickBooks Premier: Contractor Edition adds a handful of contractor-specific features to the 2003 Premier Edition. At $499.95 for a single user (or $379.95 for an upgrade), the software costs considerably more than the remodeler-approved QuickBooks Pro ($279.95 new, $179.95 for an upgrade).

     

  • Best way to present change orders to clients

    Even though your job is in the field, when you're working with a client, you become a salesperson for the company.Otherwise, clients may assume the change is free or won't affect the schedule.

     

  • Estimating change orders that minimize losses

    Change orders can be difficult to estimate because they involve items that are usually not apparent at the current stage of construction. Here are some rules for estimating change orders that should minimize your losses:

     

  • Benefits of Lead Carpenters writing change orders

    Here are some benefits to having lead carpenters write change orders.

     

  • Clause in subcontractor agreement: Company pays authorized work orders

    Late last year, Vince Butler, of Butler Brothers Corp., Clifton, Va., began putting together the final billing on a job. Since then, Butler has seen a 75% reduction in unauthorized change orders.

     

  • Collect change order payments up front: Collect at the end of the job

    We collect change order payments at the end of the job. For a $10,000 job, we usually have an average change order cost of $750.

     

  • Pad completion date or give exact timetable

    One of the responsibilities of our lead carpenters is to prepare a realistic schedule that we share with our customers. We add extra days to our production schedule, and we color code those days in red on the schedule.

     

  • Using Outlook to prevent costly change order mix ups

    Arnold Thompson, president of The Bottom Line Construction in Delray Beach, Fla., uses Microsoft Outlook to prevent costly mix ups. "Often the money's not a big deal," Thompson says, "but people want to know they're not getting shafted."

     

  • Ensure Customer Satisfaction with Communication

    Demonstrate all products such as appliances, locks, thermostats, and more, that require customer use. One of the best guarantees of a smooth-running project is an on-site communication center, a place where customers and lead carpenters can leave or exchange messages.

     
 
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