How To Choose a Home Remodeling Contractor

Takeaways: Vet Contractors Before You Hire

• Ask friends, architects, designers and real estate agents for contractor recommendations, and review independent customer ratings.
• Check references from past and current customers, especially for projects similar to yours.
• Meet prospective contractors in person to discuss your project, timeline, experience, staffing and potential complications.
• Verify complaints, registration, insurance, lawsuits, credit references and subcontractor credentials before hiring.

Some homeowners leave contractor vetting and selection to their architects or house designers, but most make the call themselves, and rightly so: It might be the most important step.

Collect Recommendations

According to nonprofit Consumers' Checkbook's independent ratings, some companies earn recommendations from all or almost all of their surveyed customers, but many elicit red flags. Frequent complaints include poor communication, inferior workmanship, inattentive project management and not cleaning up. The two most common beefs: They didn't follow the plan, and they didn't keep the job on schedule.

Also seek recommendations from architects, home designers and real estate agents. Ask friends who have completed similar projects for feedback on their contractors.

Check References

In addition to reviewing ratings and asking friends for recommendations, ask prospective contractors for contact info for clients whose projects were similar to yours or who live in your neighborhood. Get info for past customers and for those with projects currently underway. Recent or current customers will have fresh memories and might be able to provide details on the day-to-day process; past customers will be able to tell you, and show you, how the work has held up.

Go beyond simple questions like, “How did things go?” Instead, ask specific questions about each company's performance, including:

• If they provided planning help, did the company's designers listen, were they thoughtful, and did they problem-solve?
• Did the company help find low-cost solutions?
• Did the company follow the plan? Did they deliver what they agreed to build at the quoted price?
• How well did the contractor respond when problems arose?
• Was the company flexible, and did it charge reasonable fees if you changed your mind about something?
• Was work completed promptly? Was work continuous?
• What on-the-job problems routinely arose?
• Were workers personable and communicative? Were they adequately supervised?
• Did workers clean up after each day on the job? Did they minimize disruption to daily life?
• Did the company work smoothly with subcontractors and suppliers?
• Are the results as professional and attractive as you would expect?
• Has the work held up, or did it fall apart too soon? If items failed prematurely, did the company fix them without hassle?

Hold Get-To-Know-You Meetings

Once you've narrowed down your list to a handful of possibilities, schedule an in-home consultation with each. Try to meet the person who will actually manage the project day-to-day. Get a sense of what it would be like to work closely with this person. Are their answers to questions easy to understand? Do they listen to you? Do you sense an interest in solving your problems and delivering what you want?

Walk around your home and share your goals. If you have a finished design drawing, review it. If not, describe what you want. For example, explain whether you want to completely redo the kitchen, rather than only replace cabinets and countertops.

Ask for first impressions of your project and, if you're still unsure of some decisions, what the contractor thinks will work best. Do you get thoughtful ideas and answers? Does the contractor care about costs and consequences?

Discuss potential complications. Share what you know (i.e., the plumbing backs up from time to time; floors are uneven; a fire or flood caused previous damage) and ask the contractor to identify possible problem areas. Good contractors can spot trouble early on — for example, which walls can and can't easily come down or that local rules might hinder your grand plan for an addition.

Ask about scheduling. How soon can the contractor start and finish? If you're redoing a kitchen, how long will you have to live without it? If water will be cut off completely, for how long?

Discuss the remodeler's credentials and experience. How long has the company done this kind of work, and how long have key employees, like lead carpenters, been on the job? Some contractors insist on buying all or most of the finish products. If you live in a house with defined architectural or structural features, has the contractor worked in similar environments with similar building materials? If you want to add a second story, has the company done pop-ups before? Can the company cite examples in which it has solved problems creatively?

Ask who will do the work. Some remodelers use subcontractors for nearly every aspect of the job; others do most of the work themselves. Make sure that topnotch tradespeople will handle each part of the project. You can look up ratings of subcontractors at Checkbook.org, but keep in mind that some subs work only for contractors and not consumers; if so, they probably won't be reviewed.

Check for Complaints

Companies obviously won't supply a list of references of folks who had lousy experiences. By checking for formal complaints with a consumer agency you might spot a history of poor service.

Call the Consumer Protection Division of the Washington Office of the Attorney General at 800-551-4636 and ask if it has received complaints for businesses you're considering. Also search for complaints with the Better Business Bureau.

Check Licensure

All home improvement contractors doing work in Washington must be registered with the state's Department of Labor and Industries.

By choosing a licensed contractor, the threat of reporting problems to licensing authorities represents one form of leverage for resolving disputes. And because you have taken care to choose a licensed contractor, authorities might feel you deserve their help. Perhaps most important, if you use unlicensed contractors, you become your own de facto general contractor and are responsible for correcting defective work uncovered by inspections — and possibly responsible for injuries suffered on the jobsite.

Ask any contractor you are seriously considering for proof of valid registration; then verify it by using the Department of Labor and Industries website.

Check Insurance

Any company performing work in your home should carry two types of insurance: liability and workers' compensation. The former might compensate you if your home is damaged; the latter is meant to cover workers injured on the job.

Check for Lawsuits

An internet search likely will turn up any lawsuits filed against a company.

Check Credit References

Ask for contact info for two or three companies that supply building materials, and then check with each. Deal only with contractors who have solid credit and pay their bills promptly.

Check Subcontractors

Tell general contractors that, if required by law for their trade, all subcontractors need to be licensed; once you've selected a company, ask for insurance certificates for all subcontractors.

Consumers' Checkbook's ratings of various home improvement outfits might help you evaluate subcontractors. Reports include reviews of roofers, plumbers, electricians, cabinet and countertop suppliers, flooring contractors, carpet installers, carpenters, masons, siding installers, and many more. But note that many subcontractors hired by remodeling outfits don't work directly for homeowners, which means we likely won't have ratings for them. Ask remodeling companies that rely on subcontractors if you can make your own suggestions; some are OK with these types of arrangements, while others will strongly prefer maintaining their usual arrangements.

Get Detailed Proposals and Prices

Once you've made a list of qualified contractors, ask each for a written project proposal, which should include details on costs and schedule.

About Consumers' Checkbook

Puget Sound Consumers' Checkbook and Checkbook.org are a nonprofit organization with a mission to educate and help consumers. Checkbook also evaluates local service providers — home improvement contractors, doctors, dentists, veterinarians, stores and more. It is supported by consumers and takes no money from the companies it evaluates. BECU members can sign up for free access to Consumers' Checkbook for one year.

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