Keep change orders
under 5% of contract.
Industry data puts Puget Sound residential change orders at 12–18% of contract value. On the last 41 Golden State permits, we held cumulative COs to under 5%. This checklist is exactly how — 5 phases, 32 items, with the contract language and RCW citations we use in the field.
Pre-design — kill surprises before they cost real money
70% of change-order dollars on a residential remodel trace back to something the contractor or owner didn't verify before design started. Spend 2 weeks here to save 6 weeks in the field.
- 01Saves $2,500–$8,000
Order an as-built measure-up
Independent of design — laser measure every existing wall, ceiling height, and rough opening. Catches the 1" out-of-square that breaks the cabinet layout three months later.
- 02Saves $6,000–$22,000
CCTV the side sewer
Required reading for any house >40 years old before a remodel that adds fixtures. Bellies, root intrusions, and clay-to-PVC transitions are the #1 surprise on Seattle remodels.
- 03Saves $4,500–$12,000
Pull the electrical load calc
NEC 220 calculation against actual panel capacity. A 100A panel with an existing 60A heat pump and induction range is already maxed — discovering it during rough-in costs a full panel upgrade plus drywall repair.
- 04Saves $3,000–$25,000
Moisture / dry-rot inspection
Probe all penetrations, deck ledgers, window flashings, and below-grade walls. The Pacific Northwest punishes contractors who skip this.
- 05Saves $5,000–$15,000
Pre-1980 asbestos & lead survey
Required by WAC 296-62-077 for any disturbance of suspect materials. Catching ACM at design = $1,200 abatement. Catching it at demo = $8,000 plus a 2-week stop-work.
- 06Saves $0–entire project
Title + easement review
Re-pull title before design. Easements migrate, utilities get added, recorded covenants get amended. A drainage easement no one knew about can void the entire site plan.
Design — every drawing answers a question before the field asks it
Field-asked questions become change orders. Design-answered questions stay in the contract price. The discipline is to draw the boring stuff.
- 01
Build a complete spec book
Not just an inspiration board. Model numbers, SKUs, finishes, mounting heights, hardware backsets — locked before contract signing. Every TBD on a spec sheet is a change order in waiting.
- 02
Draw interior elevations for every wall with cabinetry, tile, or trim
Plan views hide the trim conflict at the soffit, the outlet that lands behind the range hood, and the tile course that ends in a 1" sliver.
- 03
Reflected ceiling plan with every fixture, vent, and detector
Force the conversation about can-light spacing, smoke/CO placement, and HVAC supply locations before drywall. Required by Seattle SDCI on most remodels anyway.
- 04
MEP coordination overlay
Layer plumbing, mechanical, and electrical onto one sheet. A 4" sanitary vent that conflicts with a structural beam costs a day of framing rework — or a $3,200 PE redesign.
- 05
Detail every transition
Tile-to-wood, exterior-cladding-to-window-flange, roof-to-wall step flashing, deck-ledger-to-rim. Generic details create field-improvised assemblies and warranty risk.
- 06
Itemize allowances with real per-unit numbers
Bad: 'Tile allowance $8,000'. Good: 'Floor tile $9/sf, wall tile $14/sf, accent tile $32/sf for 22 sf, setting materials $4/sf, labor $14/sf for 220 sf total'. Lump-sum allowances are change-order machines.
Contract — write the change-order rules before you need them
Every contract gets renegotiated mid-project. The only question is whether the rules are pre-written or invented under pressure.
- 01
Scope of Work — exclusion list as long as the inclusion list
Most disputes come from what the contract doesn't say. State explicitly what's excluded: appliance moves, alarm reprogramming, exterior touch-up paint, dump fees for owner-supplied items.
- 02
Written change-order process with a 48-hour clock
Every CO must be in writing, signed by both parties, before the work proceeds. RCW 18.27.114 protects the owner from contractors who back-bill at closeout — but only if the contract is explicit.
- 03
Allowance reconciliation rule
State exactly how over/under runs against allowances: dollar-for-dollar at unit-cost rate, with a written notice before exceeding 110% of any allowance line.
- 04
Schedule of values + payment milestones tied to inspection sign-offs
Not calendar dates. 'Foundation passed inspection' is verifiable; 'end of Week 4' is negotiable. Cities post inspection results publicly — use that as the trigger.
- 05
Retainage clause — 5% held until punch list complete
The single biggest tool an owner has to compel finish-quality completion. RCW 60.04 governs lien rights; clear retainage language is your enforcement mechanism.
- 06
Conditional + unconditional lien releases at every draw
Don't pay a draw without a signed conditional release from the GC for that draw, and unconditional releases for the prior draw from the GC + every sub paid through it. Otherwise you're paying twice when a sub doesn't get paid.
- 07
Written warranty matching WA implied warranty (RCW 64.50)
Most cities require minimum 1-year workmanship + 10-year structural. State the warranty term, claim process, and the named warrantor (the corporate entity, not the salesperson).
Field — discipline that keeps small problems small
By the time framing is up, every undocumented decision becomes a future dispute. Field discipline is unsexy and entirely how projects stay on budget.
- 01
Pre-construction meeting with the full sub list
Walk the drawings with every sub trade in one room. Catches the conflict between the plumber's routing and the framer's blocking before either of them shows up to start work.
- 02
Owner walks demo with the GC before drywall removal
Photograph everything. The 'we found rot, here's a change order' conversation works only when the owner saw the rot themselves.
- 03
Written RFI log, not text-message decisions
Every field question goes in a numbered log with the question, the answer, the date, and who decided. Text-message decisions evaporate at closeout.
- 04
Approve material samples before bulk orders
Cabinet door sample, tile box, paint draw-down on actual substrate. 'It looked different in the showroom' is a $4,000 change order; 'we approved this exact sample' is not.
- 05
Mock-up code-critical assemblies in place
Curbless shower waterproofing, exterior cladding transition, roof-to-wall flashing. One day of mock-up saves a warranty failure 18 months in.
- 06
Pre-drywall walkthrough — owner, GC, electrician, plumber, HVAC
Last realistic moment to relocate a switch, add a circuit, or move a vent. After drywall it's a $1,400 cut-and-patch instead of a $40 nail change.
- 07
Running punch list — not a closeout dump
Track punch items as they appear. Closeout-only punch lists explode in the last week and stall final payment.
- 08
Red-line as-built drawings during construction
GC red-lines every routing deviation on the spot. Owner gets the marked-up set at closeout — invaluable on the next remodel, sale, or repair.
- 09
Hard CO cap before re-design trigger
Set a contract clause: cumulative COs >10% of base contract trigger a written project re-baseline, not silent drift.
Owner discipline — the half no checklist usually mentions
Half of change-order dollars come from owner-driven scope changes. The fix is structural, not motivational.
- 01
Selection deadlines with consequences
State in the contract: any selection not provided by the published deadline triggers a schedule extension at $X/day + GC standby cost. Removes the 'we're still deciding' tax.
- 02
Single owner-side decision-maker
Two spouses pulling in different directions doubles the change-order count. Name one decision-maker on the contract; the other reviews but doesn't approve.
- 03
No verbal direction to subs
Owner instructions go through the GC only. A homeowner asking the tile setter to 'just adjust' the layout becomes a warranty exclusion and a billing dispute.
- 04
Standing weekly owner-GC meeting
Same day, same time, every week. 30 minutes. Catches drift before it becomes a CO.
Statute & verification references
Use this next
Hire the discipline, not just the crew.
Every Golden State contract uses the controls on this page. Fixed-scope, real allowances, written change-order rules, conditional lien releases at every draw. No surprises at closeout.