Every roofer knows the moment: the old shingles come off and the decking underneath is soft. What happens next decides whether that job stays profitable.
Set it up in the original quote
Put a line in your scope that says decking is inspected after tear-off and damaged sheets are replaced only with the customer's approval, at a stated price per sheet or per the change order. A homeowner who has already read that is far less likely to push back.
What a change order should include
- Change order number and date
- What the extra work is, in plain words
- Why it is needed (found during tear-off, customer request, code)
- The price
- Customer approval: signature or initials, before the work is done
Price it at the same margin
A common mistake is billing extra work at cost or with a small markup because it feels awkward. Your overhead does not shrink because the work was unexpected. Price change orders the same way as the main job:
Change order price = your cost × (1 + overhead %) ÷ (1 − target margin)In the pack
The Change Orders tab calculates the price from your cost using your Settings, tracks approved vs not approved, and feeds approved totals into the Job Cost Tracker so the extra revenue shows up in your real margin.
Price every roof for the margin you actually want. Excel + Google Sheets, instant download.
Last updated 2026-11-08. Numbers on this page are examples for illustration, not market prices.