What is a change order
A change order is how any change to scope, cost, or timeline gets agreed and paid for during the build. Submit through the platform, customer pre-pays, builder starts the new work.
A change order is how any modification to the scope, cost, or timeline of your project gets agreed and paid for during the build. Submit through the platform, you pre-pay the change amount, your builder starts the new work. It's a formal process — not a verbal agreement — and that's deliberate.
When change orders happen
Renovations involve changes. Some come from you (you've decided you want a different finish, a different layout, an additional item). Some come from the builder (something has been discovered on site that wasn't visible during the quote — a structural surprise, a hidden service, a defect that needs remediation). Both go through the same change-order process.
How it works
- The change is identified. Either you or your builder spots that something needs to change.
- The builder submits a change-order proposal through the platform. The proposal describes the change, the cost (materials and labour separately), and any impact on the timeline.
- You review and approve through your dashboard. You can ask questions before approving — the change order is paused until you do.
- You pre-pay the change-order amount into the Beams Account. The funds are held the same way as the original construction fee.
- The builder starts the new work. Beams releases payment for the change-order work on completion, the same way as the construction milestones.
Why we do it this way
Most renovation disputes come from changes that weren't agreed in writing. The customer thought one thing, the builder thought another, and the bill at the end didn't match either expectation. The change-order process makes the change explicit: scope, cost, timeline, all agreed before any work happens. It protects both sides.
What if the change is small?
Small changes still go through the process. The bar isn't size — it's clarity. A change-order document for a £200 material substitution takes minutes to put together, and creates a clean record. Big changes and small changes both flow through the same path.
What about emergencies on site?
If something genuinely can't wait — for example, a structural defect that's safety-critical and needs immediate attention — your builder will act first and document second. You'll see the change order through the platform shortly after. We'd rather that than a project stalled on paperwork.
What this means for you
Don't agree changes verbally with your builder. Submit, agree, fund, then build. The article How to change something on your spec mid-project covers customer-led changes specifically; this article covers the change-order process more generally.
Related articles
- How to change something on your spec mid-project
- How construction payments work
- How quotes change after design is locked