Price every change and selection before the work starts

Start from the accepted estimate, with allowance lines for the cabinets, counters, tile and fixtures the homeowner picks later.

Plankbook prices each change order with the working days it adds, and shows every selection option against its allowance.

Get each change approved in writing before your crew builds it, and bill it on the next invoice.

Start the 30-day trial

Try every job tool for 30 days without a card. Add your whole team at no extra cost.

CO-002 · Doe kitchen remodelWaiting for Jane Doe

Move the sink to the islandNew drain and supply run under the slab, floor patch

Price: $1,850
Schedule impact: +3 working days
Contract now: $55,234
Contract after approval: $57,084

On approval, Cabinets and countertops ends 3 working days later, and the 3 phases after it move with it.

Sent to the portal Oct 20

Build the estimate from cost codes and allowances

Start a new project from the phase template for its type, such as kitchen, bathroom, basement, addition, deck, roofing or sauna. Each line has a cost code, quantity, unit cost and markup.

Add allowance lines for items the homeowner chooses later. The homeowner accepts in the portal by typing their name, and Plankbook freezes the price as the contract.

Estimate · Doe kitchen remodelAccepted by Jane Doe

Cabinets and countertops · 10 working days

06-400 Cabinet installation22 lf × $150 = $3,300 + 35% markup$4,455
12-350 Cabinet allowanceAllowance $14,0001 allow × $14,000 = $14,000 + 10% markup$15,400
12-360 Countertop allowanceAllowance $6,5001 allow × $6,500 = $6,500 + 10% markup$7,150

Contract price $53,194, frozen at acceptanceCost $44,090 · Margin 17.1%

Change scope only through change orders

After acceptance, every change in scope or price is a change order with a price and the working days it adds. Send it to the portal, and the homeowner approves it by typing their name.

Approval adds the price to the contract and the budget and moves every later phase by the days on the change order. Unapproved change orders never reach an invoice.

CO-002 · Move the sink to the island

Price: $1,850
Schedule: 3 working days added
Contract after approval: $57,084

Type your full name to approve

Jane Doe

Show selection prices against the allowance

List the options for each allowance with their prices. The homeowner sees how far each option lands over or under the allowance before choosing.

A choice over the allowance creates the overage change order, and the homeowner approves it in the same step.

Selection · CountertopsAllowance $6,500

Quartz, white, 3 cm$300 under the allowance$6,200
Granite, black, 3 cmMatches the allowance$6,500
Quartz, marble look, 3 cm$1,400 over the allowanceChosen$7,900

Jane Doe chose and approved CO-003 for $1,400 in one step

Bill approved changes and keep the budget current

Invoice approved change orders: Add approved change orders to the next invoice. Plankbook marks each one billed so you never bill it twice.
Keep job costing honest: Approved change orders add to the budget, so actual cost always sits next to the right number.
Print your own change order form: Upload your change order form as a Word template with merge fields, and fill it from any change order.
Show the new dates: When an approved change order moves the schedule, the homeowner sees the new phase dates in the portal.

Some states set rules for change orders. Maine requires each change order to a home construction contract in writing, signed by both parties (10 M.R.S. 1488), and Wisconsin requires changes to home improvement contracts in writing (ATCP 110.05). Sources read 2026-10-21. This is not legal advice, so check your state's rules.

Get paid for every change your homeowner asks for

Open the sample company to approve a change order and choose a countertop from the homeowner's side. The plan costs $99 per company per month after the 30-day trial.

Start the 30-day trial

Try every job tool for 30 days without a card. Add your whole team at no extra cost.