Variation or change order? Same extra, different name
In Ireland and the UK it’s a variation. In the US and plenty of other places, a change order. What both mean — and what matters more than the name.
· 4 min read
If you work in Ireland or the UK, you probably call it a variation. In the US, Canada, Australia and plenty of other places it’s a change order. On site, most people just call it an extra.
They all mean the same thing.
What a variation is
A variation is any change to the work after the original quote was agreed: something added, something taken away, or something done differently. The extra socket. The upgraded tap. Moving a radiator. Fixing what the last person left behind once the wall is opened up.
The word comes from construction contracts, where the original price “varies” because the work did.
What a change order is
Exactly the same thing, named after the document rather than the change: the written order that changes the scope and price of the job. If you’ve been searching for change order software or a change order form, what you’re after is a way to get that change agreed in writing.
Big contracts versus a kitchen refit
On large commercial jobs, variations run through a formal process — written instructions, quantity surveyors, valuations. That’s not what most residential work looks like. On a bathroom or a kitchen, the variation is usually a conversation: the customer asks, you give a price, they nod.
That informality is exactly why residential extras go wrong. There’s no paperwork by default, so unless you create some, there’s nothing to point to later.
What matters more than the name
Whatever you call it, the extra is only safe when:
- it’s agreed before you do the work, not after;
- the price is clear, including whether VAT is on top;
- the customer’s yes is in writing, with a name and a date;
- and the record stays with the job, where you can find it.
Our five-point checklist covers what to write down, and this guide covers how to ask for the yes without it feeling awkward.
Which word to use with customers
“Variation” can sound formal to a homeowner. “Extra” is friendlier and means the same thing — use whichever fits how you talk to your customers. What matters is that the record you keep is clear, whatever it’s called.
Variation Vault is built around that one moment: capture the extra, send the customer a link, get their yes on record. Call it a variation, a change order or an extra — the approval works the same way.
