I've heard many horror stories of contractors bailing out in the middle of the job or running away with the deposits.  There are contractors who pretend to be contractors by borrowing someone else's license.  And I've seen contractors coming in with a low bid and once the contract is secured, they start charging extras under the name of change order and unknown conditions.  We want you to avoid all these situations by carefully hiring the right contractor.

1.  Get Recommendations:  Start with your friends and family or then look for online reviews.

2.  Do Phone Interviews:  a)  Do they take on projects of your size?  b) Can they provide client references c)  How long have they worked in the business 

3.  Meet Face to Face:  Is the contractor able to answer your questions to your satisfaction.  Do they have good ideas of the scope of work.

4.  Investigate the Facts:  Call us client references and find out how the project went.  Visit the job site and verify in person of the finished work.

5.  Make Plans, Get Bids:  Request for a breakdown of the cost.  Make sure that the contractor is sensitive to your budget and your objective.

6.  Set a Payment Schedule:  Workout a payment schedule with the contractor.  If the contractor wants 50% up front, they may have some financial problems and/or worried they will not get paid the balance once the work is completed.  For many projects, a schedule usually starts with 10% at contract signing, 25-30% upon demolition/material delivery, 25-30% during the project and 10-15% when everything is completed.

7.  Don't let price be Your Guide:  Don't let the lowest price be your guide.  The contractor is probably cutting corners or maybe desperate for a job.  The biggest criteria should be how well you communicate and are comfortable to work with.

8.  Put it in Writing:  Need to draw up a contract with the full scope of work, payment schedule, start date and completion date, certain materials to be used or price range and a requirement that the contractor obtain lien releases.