Addition and credit variations explained
Every scope change after an accepted quote is a variation — whether it adds work or removes it. A variation is just another area to measure and quote: you measure the surfaces of the change and Surfacely's engine prices them at your rates. Surfacely handles both directions as an Addition or a Credit, so the financial summary always stays accurate.
Addition variations
Use an Addition when the client wants extra work on top of the original scope. Common examples:
- A room that wasn't originally included
- Switching from brush/roll to spray on a feature wall
- Extra prep work discovered once furniture was moved
- A fence or deck added to an interior repaint
You measure the extra scope just like a normal area — surfaces, dimensions, prep. The engine prices it at your rates and gives you one agreed total. In the portal the client sees it as Scope change agreed.
Credit variations
Use a Credit when work from the original quote is being removed. Common examples:
- A room the client decides to exclude to reduce cost
- Work that can't proceed due to a structural issue
- A scope adjustment negotiated at the site visit
You measure the removed scope the same way; a credit negates every figure, so it carries a negative total. It reduces the expected project revenue and is reflected in the financial summary immediately on acceptance. In the portal the client sees it as Scope credit agreed.
Getting client approval
- Create the variation and tap Send to client
- The client receives an email with a link to their portal
- In the portal they can view the variation detail and tap Approve or Decline
- The variation status updates instantly — you see it in the project
Recording verbal approval
On-site, clients often say "yes, go ahead" in person. You can record this as Agreed offline. You're required to add a short note describing the conversation — date, what was agreed. This protects you if questions arise later.
Best practice: even when you record an offline agreement, send the variation through the portal afterwards so the client has a written record. Most clients appreciate the paper trail — it avoids confusion at invoice time.
Keep variation descriptions client-facing. "Additional prep — scraped and sealed bare timber on north wall" is clearer than internal shorthand. The client reads this in their portal and it becomes the reference if there's ever a question.
→ Open your projects to create a variation