Changes to Plans After Signing

Introduction

Your plans and specifications are not merely design documents - they form part of the legal agreement between you and your builder.

Why Detail Matters

Unclear documentation often leads to disagreements about whether an item was included in the contract price.

Typical Omissions

Lighting, landscaping, appliances, painting, fencing and external works should all be clearly addressed.

Changes

Late changes can affect both price and completion time through contractual variations. Before agreeing to any change to plans or specifications after signing, ensure you receive a written variation setting out the revised work, the price adjustment, any builder’s margin and the effect on the construction period. Changes required by an authority may be treated differently under the contract than owner-requested changes.

The key lesson

Your plans and specifications are part of the legal bargain, not just design documents, and changing them after signing can affect both price and time through the variation process. How much a change costs, and how it must be documented, depends on the wording of your own contract - which is why understanding the variation machinery before you sign matters.

Before You Sign

This guide provides general educational information for South Australian homeowners. It is not personalised legal advice. The effect of any issue depends on the wording of your own contract, schedules, Special Conditions, plans, specifications and the facts of the project. A good builder and a well-understood contract should work together. Before committing to one of the largest financial transactions you may ever undertake, consider having the actual contract reviewed so you understand the obligations, notice requirements and consequences before they are tested on site.

Before You Build. One Signature. One Chance.