Somewhere in the middle of almost every remodel, a homeowner hears four words that make their stomach drop: "we need a change order." Sometimes that request is completely fair. Sometimes it is a sign the original bid was never honest to begin with. Most homeowners cannot tell the difference in the moment, and that is exactly when they end up overpaying or getting pressured into signing something they should have questioned.
I am Daniil Akulov, founder and master carpenter at ProBrothers. I have been doing hands-on carpentry for over 20 years and running this company since 2009, working almost entirely in Delaware County and the Main Line. I have written change orders that were completely justified, and I have walked homeowners through why a competitor's change order pattern on their previous project was a warning sign, not bad luck. The difference usually comes down to where the change order actually originated.
A change order is a written amendment to your original contract that documents a change in scope, price, or timeline. It should always be in writing and signed by both parties before any work on that change begins. If a contractor tells you they will "do it now and settle up later," that is the moment to stop and ask questions, because once the work is done you have no leverage left to dispute the cost.
The existence of a change order is not, by itself, a red flag. What matters is why it exists.
I walk every homeowner through the same mental test when a change comes up mid-project, and it is worth doing yourself before you agree to sign anything. Ask where this change order actually came from.
Origin one: a discovered condition. This is something nobody could have seen until the walls, floors, or cabinets came out. Old houses in Delaware County hide a lot behind their finishes, and no contractor can quote for a problem they cannot see during a walkthrough. This is the most legitimate category of change order, and a contractor who never finds anything unexpected on an older home is either not looking closely or not telling you.
Origin two: an owner-directed change. This is you. You saw the space with the old cabinets gone and decided you want a window moved, or you picked a more expensive countertop than what was in the original scope. These change orders are fair by definition, because you are the one requesting more than what you originally agreed to pay for.
Origin three: an estimate gap. This is the one to watch for. It happens when a bid intentionally excluded scope, used vague line items, or left out a trade entirely in order to win the job with a lower number, with the plan to recover that margin later through change orders you cannot easily dispute once the project is underway. A pattern of frequent, unexpected change orders on a single project is itself a warning sign that the original estimate was built this way.Origins one and two are normal parts of remodeling. Origin three is the one that turns a fair-looking bid into an expensive project.
This is a documented ProBrothers project, not a hypothetical. On a full home remodel in Media, PA that involved removing two load-bearing walls and converting an unfinished basement into a bedroom suite, we found an unmanaged water intrusion issue in the basement that had been patched multiple times without ever addressing the source. We remediated it before framing began, because finishing that basement without fixing the underlying issue would have failed within two to three years.
On a separate bathroom gut-and-rebuild project, demolition revealed extensive water damage to the subfloor and framing around the shower pan, the result of a mid-century bathroom that had never had a proper shower liner installed. We replaced the damaged framing and installed a correct waterproof membrane before any new tile went in. The homeowner later told us that a previous contractor had bid the same job without a demo-day inspection, which means that contractor would have tiled directly over the damage without ever knowing it was there.
Both of these were legitimate change orders under origin one. Neither one could have been priced accurately from a walkthrough alone, and both would have caused real problems years down the road if we had skipped them to protect the original number.
Myth 1: any change order means the contractor lowballed you. Not necessarily. A contractor who finds and flags a real problem behind your walls is doing their job correctly. The concern is frequency and pattern, not the existence of a single well-documented change order.
Myth 2: you have to accept a change order to keep the project moving. You do not. A legitimate change order should be presented in writing, with the cost and schedule impact clearly laid out, before any work on it begins. You are allowed to ask questions, request a second opinion, or push back on the price before you sign.
Myth 3: a lower bid is simply a better deal. A bid that comes in more than 20 percent below the others in your comparison set often means missing scope, uninsured subcontractors, or planned material substitutions, not genuine savings. That gap frequently reappears later as change orders.
Myth 4: verbal agreements to "figure it out as we go" are harmless. They remove your ability to dispute a cost after the fact. Every change, even one the contractor suggests casually on-site, should become a signed document before work starts.
| Signal | Legitimate Change Order | Bid-Padding Change Order |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | Surfaces once walls, floors, or cabinets are opened | Surfaces early and repeatedly across many small items |
| Documentation | Written, itemized, signed before work begins | Verbal, "we'll settle up later," or after work is already done |
| Original Bid | Detailed and itemized by trade | Vague line items, missing trades, unusually low total |
| Explanation | Tied to a specific discovered condition or owner request | Vague justification, or none offered |
| Pattern | One or two over the life of a project | Frequent and unexpected throughout |
If you ask me directly, a good contractor should be able to explain every change order in one sentence: either "we found this once we opened the wall" or "you asked for this instead of what we originally scoped." If the answer is longer than that, or vague, that is worth slowing down for. I tell every homeowner the same thing before we start a project: define your scope as clearly as you can before you ever call a contractor, because a defined scope produces a reliable bid, and a vague scope produces a number that grows later, not because anyone is padding it, but because the undefined pieces get resolved at change-order rates instead of upfront ones. The homeowners who ask the most questions before signing are, without exception, the ones who end up happiest with the final number.
1. What has to be included in a change order under Pennsylvania law?
Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires a written contract for any project over 500 dollars, and any change to that contract should follow the same standard: written, itemized, and signed by both parties before the additional work begins.
2. Is a verbal change order enforceable in Pennsylvania?
An oral agreement can technically be enforceable, but it is nearly impossible to prove the exact terms once a dispute arises. Insist on a written, signed change order every time, no matter how small the change seems.
3. How can I tell if a bid is likely to generate change orders later?
Compare at least three itemized bids. A bid more than 20 percent below the others usually signals missing scope, uninsured subs, or planned substitutions, any of which tends to resurface later as a change order.
4. Does ProBrothers use change orders on its projects?
Yes, when they are warranted, such as a discovered condition behind an old wall or a homeowner-requested upgrade mid-project. Every change order we issue is written, itemized, and signed before the related work begins.
5. Can I refuse a change order?
Yes. A change order is a proposed amendment, not a demand. You can ask for a clearer explanation, request pricing detail, or decline the change and keep the original scope.
6. What is the best way to prevent unnecessary change orders before a project starts?
Define your project scope in as much detail as possible before requesting bids, including materials, brand and grade where relevant, and any structural changes. A well-defined scope produces a more accurate original bid and fewer surprises once work begins.
If you are planning a remodel in Media, PA or anywhere across Delaware County and the Main Line, we will walk your project scope with you before writing a single number, and every change we propose along the way will be in writing, before the work starts. Call (484) 745-4097 or request a free, no-obligation quote.