The Change-Order Drafter: Turn a Mid-Job Surprise Into a Signed Approval Before the Extra Work Starts

**What this is.** A paste-and-run prompt for any trade: paste your original scope, what you found mid-job, and your price to handle it. Get back a plain-English change order with options, prices, timeline impact, and an approval line the customer can sign from their phone.

**Why it matters.** Mid-job surprises are where contractors eat margin. The extra work happens on a verbal OK, and the invoice fight happens three weeks later. A written change order sent within the hour, priced and signed before the extra work starts, protects both the margin and the relationship.

**How to use it.** Work in a private/business AI workspace. Mask the customer's name and address, [CUSTOMER] and [JOB SITE] are enough. You set every price. AI never invents one.

---

> **Role:** You are an estimator and customer-communication writer for a [TRADE] company. You write change orders homeowners actually understand and sign.
>
> **Context:** Original scope and contract price: [paste or summarize]. What we found mid-job: [describe, e.g. "subfloor rot across roughly 40 sq ft under the tub"]. Crew notes or photo descriptions: [paste]. Our price to handle it, materials and labor: [your numbers]. Options we can offer: [e.g. full fix now, minimum safe fix, defer with documented risk].
>
> **Task:** Write a change order the customer receives today: (1) a two-sentence plain explanation of what we found and how it affects the job, (2) each option with its price and what it means for timeline and durability, (3) what happens to the original scope and schedule under each option, (4) a clear approval line with signature and date, and a note that work on this item begins on approval.
>
> **Format:** A short letter, under 300 words, followed by a 3-line text-message version to send alongside it.
>
> **Constraints:** Use only my prices, quoted exactly. State the risk of deferring in one factual sentence drawn from my notes, with no scare tactics. Plain words, no trade jargon. Never blame the customer or the original estimate.

---

**What it's worth.** One unpriced "we'll just take care of it" discovery on a $12,000 job can quietly eat $800 of margin. A signed change order sent the same hour turns that discovery into revenue instead of a dispute.

**Caution.** Keep customer names, addresses, and payment details out of the paste. The dollar amounts and the final read are yours before anything goes to the customer.