Questions to ask a remodel contractor before you sign

The useful questions are the ones you can write the answer to. A friendly meeting is not a scope. Ask the same list of every contractor, on the same written description of the work, and keep the answers with the bids. The warning signs that should stop the meeting are in contractor red flags.

Who is actually doing the work

• What is the legal name on the contract, and what license or registration number goes with it? Look that up yourself. The steps are in check the license and insurance.
• Who will be in the house day to day? Ask which parts they subcontract, and whether those trades are people they hire often or whoever is free that week.
• Can you walk a recent job nearby? Photos are easy to collect. A finished room you can stand in, with the owner's permission, is a better check. The FTC also suggests asking people you trust and checking for complaints with consumer officials and a local home builders association (FTC).
• Will you get a certificate of insurance, and may you confirm it with the insurer? Use the phone number the insurer publishes, not only the number on the certificate.

What is included

• Will you bid the scope I wrote, not a shorter one? Send the same scope of work to everyone. If a bid drops demolition, haul-away, or a fixture, that is a different price.
• Who pulls each permit, and who pays the fee? The FTC lists "asks you to get the permits" as a scam tactic. Put the answer in the contract. See what to confirm about permits.
• If the house was built before 1978, is lead-safe work in the price? That is a separate question from the building permit. The paperwork is in lead paint rules.
• What happens when demo finds something the bid did not include? Ask them to say it before the wall is closed: a written change, a price, and a new date. The pattern is in unforeseen conditions.
• What are the work hours, the daily cleanup, and which rooms stay usable? If you will live there, those answers belong in the contract. See remodeling while you live there.

How you will pay

• How much is the deposit, and is that within this state's limit? Do not pay the full price up front. The deposit and payment schedule guide has the questions, including California's cap as one example.
• What work is finished before each later payment? Ask for amounts tied to work, not "half on the first of the month."
• Which lines are allowances, and who pays the difference? A named allowance with no dollar amount is not a price. See allowances.
• Will extra work wait for a signed change order? If they say they will "just take care of it," ask them to write the price first. See change orders.
• Is any amount held until the punch list and the inspections, and what releases it? That is a contract term, not a surprise on the last day. See holdback and retainage.

How the job ends, and what you keep along the way

Ask what the written warranty covers, for how long, and who you call. Ask for the manufacturer warranties on products they install. Ask which lien waiver comes with each payment, and that the final payment waits on the punch list and any required final inspection. The pages for those are warranty in writing, lien waivers, and final payment and the punch list.

Also ask how the job will be documented while it is open. Useful answers are specific: photos before demolition, photos when the walls are open, photos before anything is closed up, the permit number, inspection dates, and the change orders. You should hold a copy, not only the contractor. What to file at the end is in what to keep after a remodel. Receipts during the job are in track receipts and spending.

After the meetings

Compare the bids on the scope, not on who you liked in the kitchen. The quote comparison is built for that. The promises that mattered go into the contract. The FTC says the contract should include promises made in conversations about the scope and the cost of labor and materials, and that blank spaces should be filled in before you sign.

RenoBinder keeps those notes next to the bid and the budget. One room is free.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by state; for a dispute, talk to a licensed attorney or your state contractor board.

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