How To Create And Send A Change Order
Change orders capture work that wasn’t in the original scope — rotten decking, an unexpected repair, an addition the homeowner asked for mid-job. Exterio builds the change order, sends it for e-signature, and collects payment if you’re requiring one.
When would I use this?
- The crew finds rotten wood once the old roof is off
- A homeowner adds work after the job has started
- An unforeseen condition changes the scope
- You’ve already gotten verbal approval and need the cost tracked
Before you start
Several defaults come from your change order settings — your default pricing method, terms and conditions, and which notices and acknowledgements are available. Payment methods come from your account payment settings.
Where do I create a change order?
Two paths, both opening the same modal.
From the Actions button
Open the project, click Actions in the top right, and select Create Change Order.
From the Change Orders tab
Open the project’s Change Orders tab and click New Change Order. The tab’s position depends on your project tab settings — it may sit under a More section.
This tab also lists your existing change orders, where you can view them, copy the customer link, or view the signed receipt depending on status.
What are the two pricing methods?
One is selected by default in your change order settings.
| Method | How you build the price |
|---|---|
| Line item services | Add fully grossed-up service prices directly |
| Cost plus margin | Add costs, then apply gross margin to reach your sales price |
How do I build a line item services change order?
- Enter a change order name.
- Select line item services.
- Choose a service configured in your settings and enter the quantity — a per-square rate for rotten wood, for example.
- For anything not in your service list, click Add Custom Service and enter the name, optional description, price point, and quantity.
How do I build a cost plus margin change order?
- Enter a change order name.
- Select cost plus margin.
- Add items from your catalog, or add custom items that aren’t in it.
- Set your gross margin on top of expected costs to reach the sales price.
- Add fees — preset fees from your account settings, or custom fees.
- Enter what service is being done and a description. This step is required here and doesn’t exist on line item change orders, because materials and labor alone don’t describe the work.
- Choose whether to show materials and labor items to the customer or keep them hidden.
What options apply to both pricing methods?
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sales tax | Whether to collect sales tax on the service |
| Down payment | None, partial, or full payment on authorization |
| Payment methods | Which methods to accept, drawn from your payment settings — you can turn specific ones off for this change order |
| Point of contact | The person the customer contacts with questions, from the project |
| Why this change order is needed | Optional explanation for the homeowner |
| Photos | Attach from your device or select existing project photos, each with an optional description |
What are my options once the change order is built?
| Option | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Continue to send | You need the homeowner’s authorization |
| Mark as approved | You already have authorization and just need the cost tracked |
| Save and continue later | Not ready yet |
What happens when I continue to send?
Step 1 — Review terms and notices
Make any final edits to your terms and conditions, notices, and acknowledgements. Defaults come from your change order settings.
Step 2 — Choose the format
| Format | What the customer gets |
|---|---|
| Web link | An interactive experience where they can e-sign and pay |
| A PDF attached to the email |
Preview either with the Preview button.
Step 3 — Choose delivery
Email, text message, or both. Edit the default email or text content from your template before sending.
Step 4 — Attach files
Select project files to include, or upload new ones from your device.
Step 5 — Set recipients
The primary contact on the project is pre-filled. You can change them by searching your CRM, and add CC and BCC contacts.
You can also copy the approval link to send outside Exterio.
Step 6 — Send
Click Send for Approval. Your selected delivery methods go out automatically.
What does the customer see?
A branded experience in your company’s colors, showing:
- Who their point of contact is
- The services required, with descriptions and pricing
- Materials and labor line items, if you chose to show them
- Why the change order is needed
- Documentation photos
When they’re ready, they authorize the service. They’ll see an e-signature acknowledgement with the notices and terms you required, sign, and confirm.
Afterward they can download the receipt. If you required payment, they continue to payment and pay using the methods you offered.
When is a change order marked as sold?
Two ways:
- The customer signs it — signing marks the change order as sold automatically
- You mark it as approved — when you already had authorization and didn’t send it for signature
Either way, the change order is recorded as sold and ready to flow into your job costing.
Can a signed change order trigger an automation?
Yes. Change Order Signed is available as a workflow trigger and can drive any action available in Workflows — updating the project, creating tasks, or notifying your team.
Tips and gotchas
-
Attach the photos. This is the difference between a change order that gets approved and one that gets argued about. A homeowner who can see the rotten decking understands the charge. A line item saying “wood replacement — $840” invites a phone call.
-
Explain why. The optional “why is this needed” field isn’t optional in practice. A change order arrives as an unexpected bill. Two sentences explaining what the crew found and what happens if it isn’t addressed does more for approval than anything else on the page.
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Send it the day it’s found, not at the end of the job. Change orders presented during the work read as professional. The same charges presented at final invoice read as a surprise bill, and that’s where disputes start.
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Mark as approved only when you genuinely have authorization. Both paths mark the change order sold, but only one produces a signature. Marking as approved skips the documented record of the customer’s agreement. If there’s any chance of a dispute, send it for signature instead.
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Decide deliberately whether to show materials and labor. On cost plus margin change orders, showing line items reads as transparent on a documented repair. It also exposes your cost structure. Pick based on the customer and the situation, not by habit.
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Collect a down payment on larger change orders. The payment options exist for a reason. Work you’ve already committed materials to is work you want partly funded before it’s finished.
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Use the web link, not the PDF, when you want it signed. The web experience lets them sign and pay in one sitting. A PDF requires a separate conversation about how to approve it.
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CC the other decision-maker. If a spouse or property manager is involved in spending decisions, CC them at send time rather than fielding a call about why they weren’t told.