2022 Change Order and Extra Work Order Forms For Painting Contractors

There is no other form, other than your Contract Forms, that can have as much impact on your Painting business than Change Order forms. I did not mention Painting Extra Work Order Forms because an Extra Work Order is just a Change Order where the price can only go up so it is clear to the recipient that the document represents an INCREASE in the price.

Change orders can result in specification changes, to the Painting work, that increase the price but can also just change a specification without a price change or sometimes with even a price DECREASE. For example, you write a Painting Contract for the exterior of a home.  This contract specifies the paint manufacturer and color to be Kelly Moore Oxford Brown on the trim. When you start to apply the body color, the customer decides Oxford Brown is too dark and changes their mind to the color Eagles Nest.  Since Oxford Brown is a stock color and can be returned without penalty, you give the customer a break and tell them you will make the change without a price increase. Now, being an experienced Painting Contractor you realize how fickle customers can be about color.... so... you CYA ("Cover Your Anatomy") by having your customer sign a change order for the color change. Since there is no price increase, an Extra Work Order is not appropriate but a painting Change Order like the CO1... is!

Now, when the customer is unhappy with the new color and insists... "That's not the color I chose", ... your "anatomy" is covered because you pull out the customer signed Painting Change Order showing the color change that they approved and that you applied at her/his/their direction!