New Construction Change Orders – Costly

Construction change orders | Avoid change orders with fantastic plans like this. CLICK or TAP HERE to order a PDF set of EXCELLENT PLANS that you should copy.

Construction Change Orders - Death on a Stick

Construction change orders can cause you great financial harm. Some contractors use change orders to dramatically increase their PROFIT.

How Can I Avoid Construction Change Orders?

You avoid change orders by making sure your plans are accurate and thought out. CLICK or TAP HERE to download a set of excellent plans so you can see how yours should look.

You need to make sure you can visualize your new home in 3D from a set of plans. If not, use computer-aided design to render your plans in 3D.

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from local architects that can give you 3D plans!

Change orders can be eliminated by you selecting all fixtures, materials, etc. BEFORE the drawings are made. This way the builder can't come back at you saying it will take more time to do a task. He had the chance to add that to his bid when he was reviewing your drawings.

How Big is the Home Building Process?

The new home building process is titanic in nature. You will be asked hundreds, perhaps thousands, of questions by your architect and builder. The thought of this alone scares some people to the extent they avoid building a new home.

Those that do decide to stroll down the new home building path may twist an ankle or even dislocate a hip if they begin to modify decisions that were made months earlier in the process. If you want to avoid the pain associated with injury, then by all means do whatever is necessary to avoid change orders.

Change orders in new construction are like flies at a picnic. Change orders aggravate just about everyone invited to the party. Most builders detest them, sub-contractors become frustrated and homeowners feel they are being taken advantage of. Rarely is there a winner in the change order game.

How Do I Locate a Great Builder?

It's not too hard to locate a great builder. CLICK or TAP HERE for tips.

Why are Change Orders Bad?

Construction change orders are bad because:

• they can slow down the project
• they can often add extra cost
• they can create distrust between you and your builder

Imagine you're a builder. Your project is running smoothly and you are on schedule. The finish carpenters are on the job and the painters are not far behind. You have several other customers who are anxiously awaiting you to start their jobs.

But one or more of your current customers calls you one morning to say they would love to have the family room window one foot wider. The customer says they understand there will be a cost to change it and are willing to pay for it.

How Complex is One Change Order?

One simple change order can be very complex. Consider the following situation where the customer wants a larger window. Here's what's involved in making it happen:

• You're going to have to spend hours to calculate the cost of the change and then administer it through all of the stages
• The window they want may take you six or more weeks to get to the job site
• The exterior brick must be carefully cut so as not to reveal the surgical procedure required to enlarge the opening
• The rough carpentry opening has to be enlarged
• Your electrician may have to be called in to move a wire or outlet
• Drywall repairs will be necessary

In other words, the finish date of the job will be delayed. You will be distracted taking care of this pesky change order when you should be focusing on your other jobs that this current customer knows nothing about. In other words, this change order becomes a pain in the you-know-what.

How Does A Homeowner View a Change Order?

Your view as a homeowner perspective is very different. After all, you're no expert.

You looked at the plan and saw a window opening and the view of the window on the plan elevation, but you had no idea that there would be so little glass area.

The builder tries to convince you - because he does not want to change the window - that you will get used to it. In fact, you heard him mumble, "Heck, I'll not be able to see that window from my house."

You think to yourself, "How hard can it be to change a silly window?"

After getting the written change order, you faint thinking, "What? It costs THAT much!"

What Happens With Multiple Change Orders?

Now, imagine this situation replayed 25 or even 50 times during the building process as you discover both little and big things you want to change. One of two things usually happens:

1. You break your personal bank or credit line with your self-imposed cost overruns.

2. Your builder blows one or more head gaskets and your relationship deteriorates to where neither of you speaks to one another.

Believe me, I've seen both happen. It's an ugly sight. The process of building your new home was supposed to be fun and filled with happiness. Instead, change orders turn it into a dark place full of animosity.

How Do You Avoid Change Orders?

You can avoid change orders fairly easily. Doing so will allow you to frequently stay on budget and complete the job on time. You need to open the lines of communication early in the process. Do not be embarrassed to say you do not understand how something will look. Do not hesitate to ask for a 3-dimensional printout of what each room will look like. Inexpensive computer software is readily available that will allow you to see your new home. In fact, it will even allow you to easily build a scale model of the home with all interior and exterior walls with the finishes on them!

Be sure to see actual samples of hardware, faucets, lighting fixtures, etc. Do not rely on a photograph in a catalog to make your final decision. Select all products and finishes in the planning stage, not the building phase of your job.

How would you like me to build your new home? It's probably impossible for me to fit your job into my schedule, but I will gladly share hundreds of my tricks and building secrets with you and your builder. Check out my New House Specifications.

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