PROCESS
David Chen
6 min read
Fixed Price vs. Variation Orders: What to Ask Before You Sign
"Variation orders" are the single most common way a renovation budget quietly grows after you've already signed. Here's what to ask before it happens to you.
A fixed-price quote should mean exactly what it sounds like: the number you sign is the number you pay. In practice, plenty of contracts leave room for that number to move — usually through a clause about "variations" or "change orders."
What a Variation Order Actually Is
It's a request to change the scope or price of a project after the contract is signed. Sometimes that's legitimate — you decide mid-project to upgrade a countertop. Sometimes it's a contractor recovering margin they underquoted to win the job in the first place.
Three Questions to Ask Any Contractor Before You Sign
First: what happens if you find something unexpected behind a wall? Second: will any price change be documented and agreed before work continues, or after? Third: can they show you a past project where the final invoice matched the original quote?
How We Handle It
If we find something genuinely unforeseen — old wiring, water damage, structural issues — we stop, document it, and agree a price with you in writing before we touch it. Nothing is added to your invoice without that conversation happening first.
