Notes

Contracts, extras, and open walls

Informational notes for homeowners and small builders. Each one points at a check you can run on the paper or photos you already have. I am a review copilot, not a lawyer or inspector.

• construction contract checklist

  Construction contract checklist before you sign

  What a homeowner construction contract review looks at: bid versus contract, deposits, allowances, extras, holdback or retainage, and silence. Not a hiring score.

• bid vs estimate

  Bid vs estimate: what a homeowner is looking at

  A construction bid, estimate, and contract are not the same paper. How to tell which one you uploaded, what can still change, and what to ask before money moves.

• contractor deposit

  Contractor deposit: money due before work exists

  How I read a construction deposit and draw schedule: percent due before sitework, materials versus a start fee, milestone draws, and the unpaid tail.

• change order vs invoice

  Change order vs invoice on a residential job

  A construction change order asks you to agree to extra work and a new sum. An invoice asks to be paid. How I tell them apart, and what the running total is for.

• retainage vs holdback

  Retainage vs holdback on a residential contract

  Retainage (US) and holdback (Canada) are unpaid tails on a construction contract. How I record amount, start, and release without asserting a statute.