Surprises are great – most of the time. We all love those unexpected moments for birthdays, anniversaries, and Valentine’s Day.

But when it comes to building or remodeling your home? The last thing you want during a custom home project is a long list of surprise charges after you’ve been given a price – also known as CHANGE ORDERS.

Unfortunately, many dishonest contractors have given Change Orders a bad rep because their modus operandi is to give their clients a low bid in order to be competitive, and then once they have the job, they “walk it up” with Change Orders. We’ve met many homeowners who were given a price for a remodel but when it was all said and done, they paid more than 75% of the original bid because of Change Orders for things the contractor had “forgotten” to include in his bid.

So how do you avoid these horror stories? There are two parts to this. Read on to find out how to avoid Change Orders on your custom home project.Continue reading