How to Record Extra Building Work Before It Starts

Separate a correction from an additional request

A correction addresses an issue with the work already requested. An additional request changes or extends that work. The distinction can depend on the parties’ actual agreement, so discuss it rather than assuming every new message is chargeable extra work.

For example, touching up a missed area within an agreed painting task may be a correction. Asking for another room to be painted is a separate scope. When responsibility is disputed, a task entry should describe the question; it should not present an unagreed charge as settled.

Write down what is different

Identify the original task, the new location or quantity and any effect on the existing work. Be specific about whether the new request replaces an instruction or adds to it. Keep the first instruction available so both sides can understand the sequence.

Discuss the price, materials, timing and any other dependencies directly. If those details are unresolved, label them as unresolved in your own record. Do not confuse creating a task with the other party agreeing to its terms.

Extra-work discussion template

RELATED ORIGINAL TASK:
ADDITIONAL WORK REQUESTED:
LOCATION / QUANTITY:
WHAT REMAINS IN THE ORIGINAL SCOPE:
PROPOSED PRICE AND CURRENCY:
MATERIALS / OTHER COSTS TO CLARIFY:
POSSIBLE EFFECT ON TIMING:
QUESTIONS STILL OPEN:
AGREEMENT RECORDED SEPARATELY:
COMPLETION EVIDENCE REQUIRED:

Example: adding sockets to an existing job

The example records a request for discussion. It is not an electrical specification or an instruction to bypass any necessary checks. The responsible qualified trade must determine the appropriate technical requirements.

Record completion against the extra task

Once the parties have agreed the work through their normal process, the investor can create a separate WorkSign task with the clarified brief and optional agreed price. The tradesperson’s completion submission and the investor’s response then belong to that specific job, rather than being buried in a correction thread for something else.

Know the current limit of the app

WorkSign does not yet provide formal variation approval, electronic contract signing or a dedicated pre-start price acceptance flow. An optional task price is a recorded amount; it is not proof that every commercial term has been agreed. Task acceptance records a work review and does not authorise payment.

Keep copies of the relevant agreement outside WorkSign during testing. If there is a contractual dispute, seek advice appropriate to the situation rather than relying on an app status to determine rights or responsibility.