Clients change their minds. So do architects, engineers and contractors when conditions on site demand it. A project without changes does not exist. What separates a controlled project from a chaotic one is whether each change is approved, recorded and priced before it is built.
Approvals Create Fixed Points
Every design stage should end with an approval: a clear record that the client has seen and accepted the drawings for that stage. That record matters because it defines what counts as a change afterwards.
Without approvals, every conversation reopens every decision. With approvals, a request to move the kitchen after schematic sign-off is recognised for what it is: a variation, with consequences for time and cost that can be discussed openly.
Ofivio has a practical article on client approvals in architecture projects covering what an approval record should contain.
What Counts as a Variation
A variation is any change to the agreed scope, design or specification after approval or after the contract is signed. Common examples in residential work:
- Layout changes: Moving walls, adding a room, changing a staircase.
- Specification upgrades: Better tiles, imported fittings, different window systems.
- Additions: A basement, an extra floor, a swimming pool or a servant quarter.
- Site-driven changes: Unexpected soil conditions, services found underground, neighbour disputes.
Some variations reduce cost. Most increase it. All of them should be written down.
A Simple Variation Process
On our projects, every variation follows the same steps:
- Request: The change is described in writing, whoever raises it.
- Assessment: The architect assesses the effect on drawings, structure, services and programme.
- Pricing: The contractor prices the change, using BOQ rates where they apply.
- Approval: The client approves the cost and time impact in writing before work begins.
- Instruction: The architect issues revised drawings and a formal instruction to the contractor.
The step people skip is the fourth. A verbal "go ahead" on site feels quick. It becomes an argument when the bill arrives. The article on handling client variations explains why pricing before building is the single most important rule.
Keep Approvals Where Everyone Can See Them
Approvals scattered across WhatsApp chats, emails and site conversations are hard to prove and easy to forget. A single record for each project, showing what was approved, when and by whom, protects the client as much as the architect.
Some practices now use a client approval portal so clients review drawings, approve stages and sign off variations in one place instead of across chat threads. Whatever the tool, the principle is the same: one place, one record.
Budget for Change
Even with discipline, some change is inevitable. We advise clients to keep a contingency for variations, separate from the construction contingency for unforeseen conditions. Knowing that money exists makes it easier to decide calmly whether a change is worth it.
Conclusion
Approve each stage, write down every change, and price before you build. These habits cost almost nothing and prevent most of the disputes we see on Pakistani projects. For more on decisions that are expensive to reverse, read residential planning mistakes that are expensive to fix.
