Construction contract template — because handshakes don’t hold up
Scope, price, schedule, and how changes get approved — in writing, signed, one page ahead of every dispute you won’t have. Fill it on screen and print it free. Blue Crane Works in Hamilton, Ontario publishes this worksheet free.
Free to fill and print
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Worksheets and records, not filings. Where an official filing exists, this prepares the information and keeps your copy — the filing is done with the regulator.
What a construction contract needs to cover
The disputes that kill small contractors are almost always about one of these — write them down:
- Scope of work — what is included, and explicitly what is not
- Price and the payment schedule, including deposits and draws
- Start date and target completion
- How changes are approved — written change orders, never verbal
- Who signs, and when
The clause that pays for itself
The change-order process. Verbal scope changes are the single most common way trades work for free. The contract names the process; the change order form executes it — priced, signed, before the work happens.
Province matters
Lien rights, holdback obligations, and prompt-payment consequences attach to construction contracts differently in each province. This template covers the working agreement; have the final wording reviewed for your province before signing anything substantial — and pair it with the right proper invoice where prompt-payment rules apply.
Frequently asked questions
Is a verbal construction contract enforceable?
Verbal agreements can be binding, but proving what was agreed is the hard part — and construction disputes are exactly where that failure is most expensive. A signed one-page agreement beats a perfect memory every time.
Do I need a lawyer for every job?
For routine residential work, a clear written agreement with scope, price, payment schedule, and a change-order process covers the ground most disputes fight over. For large contracts, commercial work, or anything with unusual risk, have counsel review the wording — the template gives them something concrete to start from.
What about deposits?
Put the deposit amount and its terms in the payment schedule, in writing. Deposit rules and consumer-protection requirements vary by province and job type — check what applies to your work.
Does this create lien rights or start prompt-payment clocks?
No — those come from provincial legislation, not from this template. Where prompt payment applies (Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan), the proper invoice is what starts the clock; use the province’s proper invoice worksheet alongside the contract.
The paperwork is the easy part now.
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