Use a before-and-after record to describe the change. This is a project-documentation framework, not legal advice, a contract form or a statement about anyone's entitlement to payment. The project's actual contract and authorization procedures control.
Anchor the change to a revision
Identify the original drawing/detail and the proposed revision, including dates. Name the room, wall or ceiling zone and the reason for the change. Separate an owner request, design revision and newly discovered condition instead of treating them as the same event.
Do not overwrite the original scope. Retain both versions so the difference remains reviewable after several rounds of coordination.
Show the quantity logic
Consider an illustrative partition changing from 20 feet to 26 feet in length, with a 10-foot height and one board layer on each of two faces. Before openings or other adjustments:
| Quantity | Original | Revised | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partition length | 20 ft. | 26 ft. | +6 ft. |
| Area per face | 200 sq. ft. | 260 sq. ft. | +60 sq. ft. |
| Two-face board-layer area | 400 sq. ft. | 520 sq. ft. | +120 sq. ft. |
That 120-square-foot difference is not a final material order or a price. It excludes openings, waste, board layout, framing, finishing, access, added mobilization and any changed assembly requirements. Keeping the arithmetic visible makes those additions easier to discuss rather than hiding them inside an unexplained total.
Assembly identity matters as much as area
A square foot of one wall system is not necessarily equivalent to a square foot of another. Height, framing, layers, panel type, finish, penetrations and performance requirements can alter the scope. USG's assembly library illustrates why fire and sound requirements attach to identified systems, not an undifferentiated board quantity. USG assemblies.
If the revision changes the system, name the new reference and obtain the required design review. Do not assume that copying one visible layer preserves the original assembly's requirements.
Copy the change-description record
- Change ID and location: ___
- Original and revised references: ___
- Reason and requesting party: ___
- Measured additions and deductions: ___
- Assembly, finish or access differences: ___
- Related trades and open questions: ___
- Cost breakdown and stated exclusions: ___
- Schedule or sequencing effect: ___
- Authorization reference and status: ___
Use “pending” for an unapproved revision. A coordination conversation and a formal authorization may be different steps under the project agreement; keep their records distinct.
Include the sequence, not just the materials
Work added before framing begins differs operationally from work requested after decoration. Record removal, protection, access, return visits and coordination that the revision actually requires. Avoid unsupported lump-sum explanations, but do not pretend material area alone accounts for every legitimate task.
At completion, connect the change record to the as-built location and closeout documentation. Reconcile what was installed with what was approved, including any subsequent revision.
For Southern Drywall Services' commercial work, a clear change description makes review more productive. The aim is straightforward: both parties can trace the revised total back to a defined difference in the work.