If you have an accepted proposal, this working agreement sits alongside it and is how we run the job day to day: we lock scope, track allowances and selections, and put every change in writing before it hits the field. If anything in the accepted proposal and these terms collide, we will stop and confirm in writing what we are both expecting before we keep moving.
Scope of work
We will perform the new home build exactly to the agreed scope lock summary, allowance schedule, and build schedule, and we will manage sitework, foundations, subcontractor start dates, inspections, and closeout from there. The items listed below are what you can expect us to produce and maintain during the project so cost, timing, and decisions stay visible.
Anything not shown in the scope lock summary, not covered by an allowance, or not required to deliver the agreed inspections and handover is outside scope until we write it up as a change order and you approve it.
* Scope lock summary * Allowance schedule * Build schedule * Permit and inspection plan * Change order log * Handover package
Payment
To book the work and put the project into our calendar, you pay 30% of the agreed price when you sign the proposal. The remaining 70% is due when we hand over the finished work, along with the handover package and our walk-through.
We send invoices as the project moves, and each invoice is due within 14 days of its date. If a payment is late, we will tell you what is overdue and what it affects. Work may pause, including scheduling trades and inspections, until the account is brought current, because we cannot keep committing labor and materials without payment.
Changes
Before we break ground, we include one round of revisions to the scope lock summary and allowance schedule based on your comments from bid set review. A revision round means you give us one consolidated set of notes, we update the documents once, and we confirm the updated version with you.
After scope lock is approved, any change to scope, specifications, or allowances runs through the change order log. We will write the price change and any schedule shift and get your approval in writing before we direct trades, order materials, or start the changed work. If a concealed condition shows up once we open things up, we document it and treat the fix the same way.
Who owns what
Once you have paid in full, you own the finished work we hand over for this project, including the scope lock summary, allowance schedule, build schedule, permit and inspection plan, change order log, and handover package, for use on this home.
What we keep is how we build: our internal templates, checklists, estimating tools, trade coverage plans, and any working files we use to produce the finished documents. If you want us to release something that is not part of the handover package, ask. If it is reasonable to share and does not expose our internal tools or a subcontractor’s confidential pricing, we will confirm what we can provide and in what format.
Portfolio use
We may photograph the finished home and use photos, a short description of the project, and general location (for example, “outside town”) in our portfolio, on our website, and in proposals, because that is how future clients understand our work.
If you want the project kept private, tell us in writing at any time before handover. We will still take photos we need for inspections, warranty, and closeout records, but we will not publish them. If you ask for privacy after we have already published, we will remove future use and take down what we control within a reasonable time.
Problems and limits
We are responsible for managing the project to the agreed scope lock, schedule, and approved change orders, and for coordinating permits and inspections as set out in the permit and inspection plan. We are not responsible for delays or costs caused by things outside our control, like weather shut-downs, material shortages, utility company timing, or an inspector’s availability, but we will keep you updated and adjust the build schedule as we learn new dates.
We are also not responsible for issues that come from plans, surveys, engineering, or owner-provided selections you supply, unless we could reasonably catch the problem during bid set review. If we see a conflict, we will flag it and ask for a decision before it becomes field work.
Ending the project
Either of us can end the project by giving written notice. Because the job is scheduled around trade start dates, permit steps, and inspections, we will agree the notice period with you in writing so it matches where we are in the build schedule.
If the project ends, you pay for work completed and costs we have committed to up to the end date, including approved change orders and non-cancelable orders already placed for your home. We will hand over what we have completed and been paid for to that point, including the current change order log and any permit and inspection records we hold. If there is a safe way to leave the site, we will also document what is needed to secure it.
Signature
