Hiring a general contractor is the first real commitment of a building or remodeling project, and it quietly decides how every later commitment goes. A good contractor keeps the schedule honest, the subcontractors coordinated and the payments tied to work actually done. The goal of a first meeting is not to be sold; it is to gather enough evidence to compare one firm against another on the same terms.
Start with a shortlist, not a search bar
Begin with names you can trace. Your local home builders' association can supply member builders and remodelers, and people you trust — family, friends, coworkers who have lived through their own projects — are often the most candid source. A referral tells you how someone behaved over months, not how they present in an afternoon. Aim to end this stage with three or four firms worth a real conversation, rather than a long list you will never work through.
Verify the business is real and durable
Before design talk, confirm the firm is one that will still exist when you need a warranty honored. Look for a permanent business location and a solid reputation with local banks and suppliers — a contractor who cannot get materials on credit is a contractor whose projects can stall. Ask how long they have been building. It generally takes three to five years to establish a financially sound business, and you want a company likely to be around after the last inspection. Check the firm's rating and any complaints on file with your local Better Business Bureau, and treat unresolved patterns, not single reviews, as the signal.
One caution on longevity: years in business tell you a firm has survived, not that it will remain solvent through your project. Read it as one signal among several, alongside references and financial footing, not a guarantee.
Confirm the insurance before anyone lifts a tool
Insurance is the item most likely to be waved past and most expensive to skip. Make sure the contractor carries sufficient workers' compensation and general liability coverage. If they do not, a construction-related injury on your property can become your financial problem. Ask for current certificates and read the dates. For paid work covered by the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule in pre-1978 housing, verify the firm's certification and that a certified renovator directs the work — and check the EPA's current applicability and exclusions for your exact scope, since some minor repairs are excluded while window replacement and certain other work are covered regardless of area.
Talk to past clients and see the work
Ask each contractor for names of previous customers. A firm that will not provide any is telling you something; a firm that will gives you the most useful call you can make. Ask those owners the plain question — would you hire this contractor again? — and listen for how problems were handled, because every project has some. Where you can, ask to see work both completed and in progress, and look closely at the quality of workmanship and materials. A finished kitchen photographs well; an open wall shows you how carefully someone builds.
Put the whole agreement in writing
Insist on a complete, clearly written contract. It protects both of you: it fixes the scope, the schedule, the materials and the payment terms so that memory and mood cannot rewrite them later. Payments should track progress, not front-load the contractor's risk onto you. If you are having a new home built, get and review the home warranty and the homeowner manual as well, and make sure allowances, options and the process for change orders are spelled out rather than assumed.
Read the low bid carefully
Be cautious of an unusually low price. If a contractor cannot cover materials and labor as the job proceeds, the shortfall becomes a stalled site, a lien, or a quiet decline in quality. Less expensive is not the same as better. When one bid sits well under the others, the right response is not to accept it or reject it outright, but to ask what it assumes — and whether it covers the same scope everyone else quoted.
Comparing on the same terms is the whole game. The table below lays out the criteria that actually separate contractors; the worksheet after it turns your interviews into something you can score.
| What to check | Good sign | Ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Business footing | Permanent location; 3–5+ years building | Address, years in business, supplier references |
| Standing | Clean or well-resolved BBB record | BBB rating; how past complaints were closed |
| Insurance | Current workers' comp and general liability | Certificates with in-force dates |
| References | Offers past clients freely | Two or three owners you may call |
| The contract | Complete, written, progress-based payments | Draft contract, warranty, homeowner manual |
| The bid | Priced in line with peers for the same scope | Line-item scope; what a low number excludes |
Interview worksheet
Take this to each meeting. Check what you can confirm; an unchecked box is a question, not a verdict.
- Permanent business location confirmed, and known to local suppliers.
- Three to five years (or more) in the building business.
- BBB rating reviewed; any complaints resolved.
- Workers' compensation certificate seen and current.
- General liability certificate seen and current.
- Two or more past clients offered — and called.
- Work seen both finished and in progress.
- Communication felt clear and unhurried.
- Complete written contract provided to review.
- Warranty and homeowner manual provided (new build).
- Low bid, if any, explained against the same scope.
- For covered work in a pre-1978 home: firm certified and a certified renovator directing it (check EPA applicability and exclusions).
Sources
Adapted, in original wording, from the National Association of Home Builders consumer checklist, “Checklist for Finding and Hiring a Builder or Remodeler,” and its companion, “Questions to Ask Your Home Builder.” For lead-safe requirements, see the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Program for contractors for current applicability and exclusions.