Contract school for working shops
Learn the clauses commercial GCs use to shift risk downhill.
These guides explain the terms that can cost a millwork shop money, time, or leverage. They are practical starting points, not legal advice.
Win trust before the upload. Teach shop owners what to watch for, then give them a tool that turns their own subcontract into a clear action list.
Pay-if-paid: the clause that makes your shop finance the owner
Some payment clauses sound like timing language. The dangerous ones can make the owner's nonpayment your problem.
5 min readCash flowRetainage: when ten percent turns into a free loan
Retainage is supposed to protect completion. In a subcontract, it can become a long-term cash drain after your scope is already done.
4 min readLeverageLien waivers: do not sign away leverage before money clears
Lien waiver language can look like routine payment paperwork. The wrong form can give away rights before the check is good.
5 min readScopeChange orders: the small paperwork gap that eats profit
Extra work is normal in commercial construction. The contract decides whether extra work becomes paid work.
4 min readScheduleDelay damages: do not carry the whole schedule on your back
Delay clauses can turn a late project into a direct bill against your shop, even when the delay was outside your control.
5 min readLiabilityIndemnity: do not pay for claims your shop did not cause
Indemnity is where a GC can try to make your shop defend or pay claims caused by someone else.
5 min readHidden termsFlow-down clauses: the hidden contract you may be signing
A flow-down clause can pull the prime contract into your subcontract, even if you never saw the prime contract.
4 min readBackchargesBackcharges: how cleanup costs become your problem
Backcharge clauses let the GC deduct costs from your payment. The fair version requires notice, proof, and time to fix.
4 min readDisputesDispute clauses: who controls the fight if payment goes sideways?
Venue, arbitration, jury waivers, and claim procedures can make a good payment claim too expensive to pursue.
5 min readScopeScope gaps: the sentence that makes you own work you never priced
Broad scope language can turn a tight millwork bid into an open-ended obligation to fill every gap.
4 min readCancellationTermination for convenience: when the GC can walk away from your sunk costs
A convenience termination clause can let the GC cancel your work even after you bought material or started fabrication.
4 min readWhy this exists
Small shops deserve leverage before the fight starts.
ShopShield was built because the people fabricating the work are often handed contracts written for the side with the lawyers. The goal is simple: spot the bad terms, explain them plainly, and help the shop ask for cleaner language before signing.