Construction Business Contracts Handbook
The paperwork I wish I had when I started.
Tools to help you stay profitable and protected.
Learn how to start your company, describe the job, document changes, buy materials and keep a clear record from the first call to final payment. Straight-talking lessons from Clifton Leung, with examples and forms you can customize.
Printed book + digital edition + 60 editable forms.
Free shipping. Ships the next business day via FedEx.
California edition for construction students and new business owners. Read the free preview before you buy.
Real examples. Useful paperwork.
Explore the redesigned forms: organized entry fields, clear tables, practical checklists and room for your company details. Follow a completed change order and see the exact pages included in the revised handbook.
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Read the free 20-page preview
Includes Clifton's introduction, the complete chapter contents, scope-writing and change-order lessons, completed project examples, and sample startup, purchasing, change-order and equipment-inspection forms.
Open / download the free PDF previewNo sign-up required. Excerpts retain their original book page numbers. This preview is an educational sample, not a complete contract packet.
From starting out to closing out.
Follow the full learning path, then keep the book beside you when organizing a project.
Chapters 1-6 · Set up your company
- Build a company that can take a job
- Choose the entity before printing the business cards
- Use an EIN properly and protect your identity
- Price the work and keep enough cash
- Insurance bonds and people
- Choose the right contract for the job
Chapters 7-12 · Put the agreement on paper
- Write a scope another person can understand
- Assemble the home improvement agreement
- Cancellation rights without shortcuts
- Changes questions and hidden conditions
- Buy materials without buying a dispute
- Work with subcontractors as real businesses
Chapters 13-18 · Run the job and keep the record
- Use equipment without guessing who is responsible
- Run the site and keep a daily record
- Invoice for earned work and follow the money
- Preserve lien rights and use releases correctly
- Finish the job without giving away the record
- When a job starts going wrong
Chapters 19-22 · Customize, practice and launch
- Customize your logo and control the forms
- Practice the Cedar Bathroom job
- Check your decisions before a real job
- Your first ninety days as an owner
Also included: three completed training examples, form-use instructions, the 60-form library, and a directory of official sources.
60 professionally designed forms for your business.
Before the job
Startup checklists, estimates, customer intake, scope exhibits, home-improvement and commercial models, cancellation packets and subcontractor screening.
During the job
Change orders, RFIs, daily records, material purchases, delivery checks, equipment agreements, invoices and payment tracking.
At closeout and when issues arise
Statutory release forms, notice worksheets, punch lists, handover records, warranty requests, payment reminders and legal-review checklists.
Make the forms yours
Add your company logo, replace bracketed fields, save a separate copy for each project, and keep required notices intact. The book explains the workflow.
View every form in the library
- F01 Startup readiness checklist
- F02 Entity and owner planning worksheet
- F03 Company identity and form master
- F04 Estimate and cash planning worksheet
- F05 Insurance bond and renewal register
- F06 Customer and project intake
- F07 Proposal and estimate worksheet
- F08 Scope materials and exclusions exhibit
- F09 Home Improvement
- F18 Private commercial construction agreement
- F19 Subcontractor qualification checklist
- F20 Private work subcontract agreement
- F21 Retention and payment terms review
- F22 Daily job record
- F23 Time and material field ticket
- F24 Progress invoice and contract reconciliation
- F25 Payment and release tracking log
- F26 Joint check payment agreement
- F27 Private work preliminary notice
- F28 Material purchase order
- F29 Material supply and custom fabrication agreement
- F30 Delivery receiving and discrepancy report
- F31 Owner supplied material agreement
- F32 Material return and credit record
- F33 Business equipment rental or loan agreement
- F34 Equipment handover and return inspection
- F35 Equipment operator authorization
- F36 Company tool checkout
- F37 Site access and property protection agreement
- F38 Hazard and differing condition notice
- F39 Delay and time adjustment notice
- F40 Incident and near miss record
- F41 Payment reminder and request for clarification
- F42 Suspension and termination review worksheet
- F43 Service call and emergency routing sheet
- F44 Special project legal review intake
- F45 Project decline or referral record
- F46 Conditional Waiver And Release On Progress Payment
- F47 Unconditional Waiver And Release On Progress Payment
- F48 Conditional Waiver And Release On Final Payment
- F49 Unconditional Waiver And Release On Final Payment
- F50 Notice and lien deadline control sheet
- F51 Punch list and correction record
- F52 Completion and handover acknowledgment
- F53 Warranty service request and response
- F54 Optional project photo permission
- F55 Payment plan and settlement term sheet
- F56 Template legal review and release register
- F57 Employee onboarding and payroll readiness
- F58 Subcontractor and supplier contact list
- F59 Weekly project coordination checklist
- F60 Credit application and guarantee review
- F10 Three Day Right to Cancel
- F11 Five Day Right to Cancel
- F12 Seven Day Right to Cancel
- F13 Cancellation calendar and delivery record
- F14 Contract packet release checklist
- F15 Selection and allowance approval
- F16 Request for information
- F17 Change Order
Your $39.96 book package
Delivered to your door
- One comb-bound, 176-page printed handbook by Clifton Leung.
- Free shipping. Ships the next business day via FedEx.
- Practical California company-startup and project-documentation guidance.
- Worked examples and decision exercises with explained answers.
Included digital downloads
- The matching digital handbook.
- Printable PDF masters for all 60 forms.
- An editable Word document with the 60 forms.
- Access through your Construction Guys student library after purchase.
The print and digital books contain the same lessons. Page counts differ because the print edition includes layout pages for double-sided printing. The forms PDF is printable; use the Word document to edit fields and add your logo.
Understand what these templates can do
These are researched educational models, not legal advice or attorney-approved contracts. Have a California construction attorney review and adapt them to your business, services and signing process before customer use. No form guarantees payment or prevents every loss.
The main focus is private residential remodeling and smaller private commercial work. Specialized projects may need additional agreements and notices. This purchase does not include legal representation, an automatic update subscription, or a contractor license.
Learn the business.
Build your own future.
I started Construction Guys in 2015 with two friends and learned through real business challenges, including customers who did not pay. I often had nowhere to turn for the practical lessons I needed.
This book brings together the tools I wish I had: a clear scope before a price, a signed change before extra work, a way to follow the money, and a record of what happened on the job.
Our goal is to help students develop the skills and habits to build their own construction companies.
Keep building your knowledge
Explore our license exam books and optional license-preparation courses. Courses are separate from this purchase; dates and availability will be announced.
Questions about your order?
Visit Book Order Help or contact service@constructionguys.com
415-519-1776
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Start with a clearer plan and a better record.
Printed handbook + digital edition + 60 editable forms + free shipping.
Get the handbook — $39.96