What These Columns Do
Visibility
The Visibility column determines whether a specific cost line is shown to the client in the change order.
Visible → The line item will appear in the client-facing change order
Invisible → The line item will be hidden from the client view
💡Tip - This is useful when you want to include internal costs without displaying them to the client.
Show as
The Show as column controls how the cost is displayed in the change order.
Buildern allows you to present costs in different ways:
Price - Displays the full cost of the item to the client
Included - The item is shown, but its price is hidden and considered included in the total
Excluded - The item is shown but not included in the total price
Empty - The item is displayed without any price information
💡Tip - This helps you simplify pricing for clients or group certain costs without exposing exact numbers.
How to Enable and Use These Columns
To start using Visibility and Show as in Change Orders / Variations, follow these steps:
Step 1. Create a Change Order / Variation
Open your project
Navigate to the Change Orders / Variations module
Click Add Change Order (or Variation)
Step 2. Add Cost Lines
Click Add Item
Select the appropriate cost type (Material, Labor, Fee, etc.)
Fill in the required details such as name, quantity, and unit cost
Step 3. Configure Visibility and Show as
For each line item:
Set Visibility (Visible / Invisible)
Choose how the item should be displayed using Show as
💡 Tip - Use clear item names and descriptions, especially for Change Orders, as clients rely on this information to understand and approve additional costs.
How This Affects the Client View
Once your settings are configured, Buildern will generate the client-facing change order accordingly.
Common scenarios:
Visible + Price
→ Client sees the item with its exact cost
Visible + Included
→ Client sees the item, but no price is shown
Visible + Excluded
→ Client sees the item, but it does not affect the total
Invisible (toggle OFF)
→ Item is completely hidden from the client
Best Practices
Use Price for billable changes that need full transparency
Use Included for bundled costs or goodwill items
Use Excluded for optional or informational items
Use Invisible for internal-only calculations
ℹ️ Note - These settings only affect the client-facing Change Order. Internally, all items and costs remain visible to your team.
Let’s continue - the upcoming articles will walk you through more ways to streamline your projects.
Happy Building!