Redline
Free email template

Change order approval email, before the extra work.

Rotten subfloor under the old tub. A second layer of shingles nobody knew about. The customer who wants the outlet moved after the drywall's up. Get the yes in writing before you do it, or it's an argument on the final invoice.

Change order approval request

Subject: Change order [Number] for your [job type]: approval needed

Hi [Customer first name],

While [what you were doing, e.g. pulling out the old tub], we found [what you found, e.g. rotted subfloor, about 3 by 4 feet around the drain]. [Why it matters, e.g. We can't set the new tub on it.]

Here's the change: Add: [Added work, e.g. replace subfloor with 2 sheets of 3/4 inch plywood], [Price] Remove: [Removed work, if any], [Credit] Net change: [Net amount] New job total: [New total] Schedule: [Schedule impact, e.g. adds one day, tile now starts Thursday]

I took photos and can show you on site, or send them over if you'd like to see them first.

To approve, reply to this email with "Approved" and your full name. I won't start the extra work until I have that. In the meantime, we're [continuing with the rest of the job / holding at this step].

If you'd rather talk it through, call me at [Phone].

Thanks, [Your name] [Company]

Let Redline write it for you

A starting point, not legal advice. If your contract spells out how changes get approved (signed form, specific wording), follow it, and have your change order process reviewed for your state.

When to send it

  1. The day you find it

    Before the extra work, not after. Once it's done, you're asking for money instead of permission.

  2. After a quick word in person or by phone

    Nobody likes a surprise number in their inbox. Tell them what you found, then send this so it's in writing.

  3. Before the final invoice, every time

    Customer-requested changes count too: an extra outlet, a different tile, moving the vanity. Small ones add up.

What to change

  • Describe what you found the way you'd say it standing in the room, then add the trade term if it helps
  • List only the added or removed work, each with its own price. Don't restate the whole job
  • Always give the new job total, so nobody has to do the math at the end
  • Say what it does to the schedule, even when it's nothing
  • Number your change orders. "Change order 2" is easy to find later. "The plywood thing" isn't

Drafted at the job, approved by reply

Draft a change order approval to Mark Reilly. Rotted subfloor under the tub, 2 sheets of plywood, $640, adds a day
Redline

Subject: Change order 1 for your bathroom: approval needed

Hi Mark, while pulling out the old tub we found rotted subfloor around the drain, and we can't set the new tub on it. The change: replace the subfloor with 2 sheets of 3/4 inch plywood, $640. New job total: $18,890. It adds one day, so tile now starts Thursday. To approve, reply "Approved" with your full name. I won't start the extra work until I have it.

Thanks, Ana

Tap Approve & send to email it from your Gmail.

Sent. Later: Reilly approved it by email. Bump the job to $18,890
Redline

Logged: Mark Reilly approved change order 1 by email. Here's the job update: bathroom remodel, $18,250 to $18,890. Confirm?

Redline drafts the email, you approve it, it goes from your Gmail. It never texts, and job changes wait for your confirm.

Getting the yes on record

Redline can't collect a signature or an online approval, and it never reads your inbox, so the customer's "Approved" reply lands in your Gmail. Keep that email. Then tell Redline, and it logs the approval on the customer's file and updates the job value once you confirm, so the change is there when you bill. See contacts and the job pipeline.

When the job's done, the final invoice is drafted from the job, change included. Invoicing and card pay links are on Solo. See invoicing.

Questions contractors ask

Is a reply email enough to approve a change order?

It's a dated, written record, which is far better than a nod in the hallway. Whether it's enough for your contract and your state is a question for your contract, and for a lawyer if the change is big.

Can the customer sign the change order in Redline?

No. Redline doesn't have e-signatures or online approvals in the app today. The approval is the customer's reply in your Gmail, which you then log in Redline.

Do I need a paid plan?

No. Drafting and sending the email, logging the approval and updating the job all work on Free. Invoicing the finished job needs Solo.

Every change on the job, on the record.

Redline is free to start. Draft the change order email from the job, log the yes, and invoice the new total when you're done.

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