How do you find a contractor for a remodel?

[Can'tTurnLeft]

We need to do some remodeling in our kitchen and have no idea how to find a good contractor. What do you look for in a contractor? What questions do you ask? How do you verify they are responsible?

[ncsweetpea]

Ask around...at church, school, hub's colleagues, neighborhood association, etc...you'll hear the horror stories and the successes that way.

Ask about daily clean up procedures.

[Calee]

Oh we have had two bathrooms redone (one is being done right now) and have had one NIGHTMARE experience and one good....

Ask around for recommendations is first. Church, facebook, neighborhood, etc.

Find someone who is licensed and bonded. We hired someone last year (on a rec) who was NOT licensed. He made a lot of mistakes and refused/refuses to fix them. We have no recourse.

I also looked some up on the BBB website. Not all contractors are BBB certified, but if they are, you can see if they have had any complaints against them.

Then have some come and and give you an estimate. Eliminate any that give you hinky feelings As a solo parent, it is important to me to feel comfy with this person/these people being here with me and my kids when DH is gone (because they probably over time will also pick up on the fact that DH is gone). I also would make sure that the person gives you a Max quote. As in "it quite possibly could be less than this, but this is the max I will charge you for the work we are discussing". Someone who gives you a watery quote may be dishonest AND inexperienced.

Don't be in a hurry. The good guys probably have a lot of work, and you may have to wait a little while. If someone says he can be there tomorrow, it might be a red flag...

---------- Post added at 03:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:24 PM ----------

Originally Posted by ncsweetpea

Ask about daily clean up procedures.

Oh that's a GREAT question to ask! The nightmare guy last year left an almost unliveable mess every day. It was terrible.

This guy cleans up after himself every day. Obviously there is stuff in there, but the plastic he lays down for himself (so he doesn't track mud through my house) is taken up, he sweeps up the dirt/dust, and puts what he can away. MUCH easier to live around, and much safer for my kids.

[JellyBean]

My FIL is AMAZING at cabinetry but he does everything else too. Let me know if you'd like his info.

[Can'tTurnLeft]

Originally Posted by JellyBean

My FIL is AMAZING at cabinetry but he does everything else too. Let me know if you'd like his info.

Does he work up this way?

[Lily]

We used DH's best friend who did an amazing job on our bathrooms. He will be doing our kitchen next summer.

[JellyBean]

Originally Posted by Can'tTurnLeft

Does he work up this way?

He lives near where I grew up but I know he's hurting for work right now because its just a lot of small towns and noone is building at the moment so he'd probably be willing to drive. I can ask and you could always interview and just see if you like him.