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GUIDE FOR CONTRACTORS

How to write the contract at the job site and send it before you leave

The best time to close a job is while you're still standing in the client's house. The scope is fresh, the client is ready, and nobody has called the next contractor yet.

Updated October 30, 2026 · By DH1 Tech, built by a working general contractor in Washington

Why waiting costs you jobs

Most contractors walk the job, drive home, and write the proposal that night or that weekend. By the time it lands in the client's inbox, two or three days have gone by. The client has had time to get other bids, second-guess the price, or forget half of what you talked about.

Our founder ran into this on his own jobs. Writing proposals at night after a full day on site is a big part of why he built contracts on site into DH1 Tech.

What to have ready before the visit

• Your company name, license number, phone and email on a template, so you're not typing them every time
• Your standard terms: payment schedule, how change orders work, warranty, cleanup
• Rough costs for the materials and labor you price most often
• Any notices your state requires for home improvement work (see below)

A simple way to do it on site

1. Walk the job and take notes as you goWrite down what the client wants, in their words. Take photos of the areas you'll touch.
2. Add materials and labor right thereLine by line, while you're looking at the space. It's easier to catch what you'd forget at home.
3. Read the scope back to the client"Here's what's included, here's what's not." A lot of disputes later come from what was never said out loud.
4. Turn it into the contractYour logo, company info, the scope, the price, the payment schedule and your terms.
5. Send it before you pull out of the drivewayThe client has it in their inbox while you're still the contractor they just met.

What a good contract covers

• A clear scope of work, including what's not included
• Materials, and who supplies them
• Total price and payment schedule
• Start date and expected finish
• How changes are handled: written change orders approved before the extra work starts
• Warranty, cleanup and permit responsibilities
• Your contractor registration number

Rules to know

Washington disclosure statement. For residential projects of $1,000 or more, Washington requires contractors to give the customer a disclosure statement before work starts. Skipping it is an infraction, and it can cost you your lien rights on that job. See RCW 18.27.114.

Three-day right to cancel. When a sale is made at the customer's home, the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule can give the customer three business days to cancel, and you have to give them the cancellation notice and forms. There are exceptions, like emergency repairs the customer asked for. See the FTC's summary.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and vary by state, so have an attorney review your contract template.