Few words create more tension in construction than “change order.”
Homeowners hear it and think surprise charges. Contractors hear it and think risk management. Somewhere in between, trust gets strained.
The reality is simpler and less emotional than most people expect.
Change orders are not a sign that a project has gone wrong. They are a sign that decisions are being made after construction has already started.
And in construction, timing matters as much as the decision itself.
A homeowner once told us, “We didn’t change our minds — we just hadn’t decided yet.”
That distinction feels small. Operationally, it’s enormous.
Construction is a sequence. Every task builds on the one before it. When a decision is missing, the sequence either stops — or proceeds on assumptions.
Neither option is free.
If work pauses while a decision is made, labor waits, schedules slip, and costs rise. If work continues based on assumptions, rework becomes likely when the actual decision arrives.
Change orders exist to document and price that reality.
At BUSATX, we treat change orders as accounting for entropy — not as punishment.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that change orders are optional or negotiable based on goodwill. They aren’t. They are a mechanism for maintaining clarity when scope changes.
Late decisions change scope.
For example, selecting tile after waterproofing is complete changes labor. Choosing lighting after drywall is installed changes labor. Finalizing cabinetry after rough-ins are complete changes labor, materials, and schedule.
Each of those decisions could have been inexpensive early. Made late, they ripple through the project.
The cost isn’t the choice itself. It’s the disruption it causes.
Many homeowners assume contractors “build in” flexibility. They do — to a point. But no project can absorb unlimited indecision without consequence.
What often frustrates clients is that the change order price feels disproportionate to the choice.
“How can switching fixtures cost this much?”
Because the fixture isn’t the cost. The rework is.
Walls reopened. Trades rescheduled. Inspections revisited. Sequencing reworked. Momentum interrupted.
Construction pricing reflects effort and risk, not just materials.
Another source of tension is emotional timing.
Homeowners often don’t feel confident making selections early because they can’t visualize the space yet. They want to see progress before committing.
That’s understandable. But construction doesn’t wait for confidence.
The project either pauses — or proceeds on assumptions.
Change orders are how that gap is reconciled.
The most successful projects aren’t the ones with zero change orders. They’re the ones where changes are intentional, documented, and limited.
The most expensive projects are the ones where decisions drift.
At BUSATX, we spend a lot of time helping clients understand where decisions matter most early. Layout. Infrastructure. Systems. Penetrations. Rough-ins.
Finishes can evolve. Structure cannot.
We also structure projects to batch decisions where possible. Instead of reacting piecemeal, we group selections to minimize disruption.
This saves money — but only if clients engage when asked.
One of the hardest truths in construction is that “deciding later” is rarely cheaper.
Later means more constraints. More sunk work. Fewer options.
Another misconception is that change orders are signs of poor planning.
Sometimes they are. But more often, they are signs of evolving understanding. Homes are personal. Needs change. Seeing a space can reveal things drawings cannot.
Change orders accommodate that humanity.
What matters is how they are handled.
Poorly run projects treat change orders as weapons or surprises. Well-run projects treat them as transparent adjustments.
Clear pricing. Clear explanation. Clear impact on schedule.
At BUSATX, we require change orders to be written, reviewed, and approved before work proceeds. Not to slow things down — but to protect everyone.
Verbal changes lead to memory disputes. Written changes create shared reality.
Homeowners sometimes worry that approving change orders means “losing control.”
In truth, it’s the opposite.
Change orders are how control is maintained when reality shifts.
The real cost comes when changes happen informally. When trades act on casual comments. When assumptions go uncorrected. When documentation lags behind reality.
That’s when budgets drift silently — and trust erodes.
Construction rewards decisiveness — not perfection.
Clients who make timely decisions, even imperfect ones, usually spend less than those who wait for certainty.
Certainty is expensive in construction because it often arrives too late.
Understanding change orders as tools instead of threats reframes the experience entirely.
They aren’t punishments for changing your mind. They are the accounting of when that change happens.
When decisions are made early, change orders shrink.
When decisions are made late, they grow.
That’s not a contractor preference. It’s physics.
At BUSATX, our goal is not to eliminate change orders. It’s to make them predictable, transparent, and purposeful.
When clients understand that, projects feel collaborative instead of adversarial — and costs stay closer to where everyone expected them to be.
Change orders aren’t the enemy.
Late decisions are.