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Change order draft — opened a wall, found a problem

Turn 'we found something' into a clean change order: scope, labor, materials, time impact, and a customer-friendly explanation that doesn't sound like a shakedown.

Updated May 2, 2026 · Works with ChatGPT, Claude ·
change-orderscopecustomer

The prompt

We're working on [PROJECT — e.g. "the Bergen kitchen reno"] and opened a wall / dug a trench / pulled a fixture and found [WHAT YOU FOUND — be specific].

Original scope of work this affects: [WHAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO DO]
Why this changes the job: [ONE LINE — e.g. "rotted sill plate has to be replaced before drywall can go back up"]
What it would cost to ignore it / leave it: [SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES]

Draft a change order with these sections:

**1. New scope** — 2–4 plain-English bullets describing the additional work.

**2. Line items** — labor hours [LH], materials [M], equipment [E], subs [S]. Use bracketed placeholders for prices — I'll fill in real numbers from my system.

**3. Time impact** — how many days this adds, and what dependent work gets pushed.

**4. Customer-friendly explanation** — one paragraph the homeowner will read. Explain what we found, why it has to be addressed now, and what happens if we skip it. Don't make it sound like an upsell. Don't apologize. Don't use the phrase "unfortunately."

**5. Two questions to confirm with the customer before they sign.**

Tone: matter-of-fact, professional, no drama. We didn't cause the problem — we found it. Document it like a pro.

What this is for

Change orders are where shops lose money two ways: (1) they undercount the actual work because they’re scrambling, and (2) the customer reads it as a hustle and pushes back. This prompt forces the line items to be complete AND writes the customer paragraph in the right tone — so the conversation lands as “here’s what we found” instead of “here’s what we’re charging you extra for.”

How to use it

  1. The minute you find the problem, take photos. Lots of them.
  2. Open the prompt. Fill the brackets — be specific about what you found (the AI’s customer paragraph is only as good as your description).
  3. Send the draft to your office for pricing on the bracketed placeholders.
  4. Send the change order to the customer same day. Speed kills the suspicion that you’re padding.

Pro move

Save the customer-friendly paragraph in a notes app, organized by problem type (rot, asbestos, old wiring, knob-and-tube, no header, undersized supply, etc.). Next time the same surprise comes up on a different job, you’ve already got the right tone — just swap the project name.

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