You change your mind; the contract changes. I have never seen a change order result in a lower price once construction is underway. I'm not saying it can't happen, I just haven't seen it.

But look at it from the contractor's point of view: The contract was signed, his workers are working, they get paid by the hour, the project manager has to do extra work each time you change your mind. Change orders result in lost productivity in the field. This costs money for the contractor, and it is not their fault. As the customer, you have the right to stop, delay, or change the project from the original contract, but you must realize that the contract changes as soon as you do that. If the contract has a performance deadline, and you stop or delay work, the deadline is void. A smart contractor will send the workers to another job and wait for you to make up your mind. And when can you expect those workers to return?

The time to save money is before they start building. It sounds like you signed a contract a bit hastily. It pays to do your research and negotiate these things before signing the release to start work. I think you could have saved at least $500 if you researched everything and beforehand; if you knew then what you know now. But at this point you really do not have any leverage in the negotiation.

Hi Aiden,

I think you have misread my original post. My question was whether it was more expensive/labor intensive to install screen tight than to install glass. That is what the project manager told us. I also wanted to upgrade the lattice which I knew would be more expensive. The answer from the project manager was that it would be a wash to upgrade the lattice. He was saying that the $800.00 originally quoted for the glass would be equivalent to upgrading the lattice and installing the screening.

None of this would slow the project down since neither the glass nor the lattice have been ordered.

Yes, screen is more labor intensive.

How much? It doesn't matter at this point. You already signed a contract. You can stick with the original contract or sign the change order. The time to negotiate is before you sign a contract, when you are soliciting competitive bids from different companies.

Contractors must make money on change orders. That is how they stay solvent. If you have a contractor who can allow you to change your mind at no cost throughout the project, he is either charging you too much from the start or going bankrupt in the end.

"Business is business, time is money, what sticks to the bee makes the honey."
-John Hyatt-

Imagine if the situation was reversed: The contractor purposely leaves something out of the contract in order to lower the bid. Say he doesn't even include the screen OR glass in the bid, but through conversation you have discussed these details and thought it was part of the written contract. Then the contractor tells you that because the screen or glass was your option, it is a separate bid! How steamed would you be? You thought you were signing something and it turned out to be a trick!

That is how ANY contractor feels when a client starts trying to get a lower price after signing the original contract. Why did you sign a contract for $9,000 and then try to get the price down to $8,500? That is not a forthright way to conduct business. If you really think that the changed scope of work should save you some money, go ahead and tell the contractor how much he should take off the bid, and just watch his reaction.

If you want quality work, don't push it. If you cause a contractor to lose money on your job, you will end up with something ugly that barely passes inspection.

To the OP, if you have concerns about the price difference surely your contractor will provide you with a breakdown of the charges. Please keep in mind that although the materials may not be as expensive, the labor to install the replacement materials and the costs for the change order itself may indeed cause the change to be a wash. Consider also which would add more value to your home. If the costs are the same, go with whichever will add more value.

Any contractor who would purposefully do a poor job as retribution for asking questions about the work being done on your home isn't someone who I would allow to set foot on my property. If this is the type of response you are getting, or if the work is done subpar make sure you protect yourself and document document document everything including anything on their advertisements and websites with testimonials attesting to the great work they do. You probably wont need it but in light of aiden's advice to you it appears to be possible a contractor would stoop to that level.

Just keep in mind that your contract probably does allow for charges for a change order and those charges can be steep. If you haven't already changed you may just want to stick with the original job if you don't think the $ is worth it for the changes.

One way to further understand.

Say a Plumber contracts for a new house turn key. He gets a small amount up frount half when the rough in is done. Then the other end of that contract calls him off after the rough in saying they will finish up.

That means the plumber did all the hard stuff but wont get paid for the fixtures,tub/shower hose bibs, all the things where his profit was. The wallet thinks its fair because the contract seems to say they paid for what he did. I have seen this happen first hand.

Hard fast long term Enemies have come about doing " business " this way.
J.

I think some of the people answering your original posts must be.... contractors! I totally agree with you, Aidan.

Isabel, that was 6 years ago........................