Choosing a contractor is the decision that determines how the next few months of your life feel. It is worth more than an afternoon.
1. Licence and insurance, verified
Ask for the licence number and check it. Ask for proof of general liability and workers compensation, and make sure both are current. A firm that hesitates has told you something useful.
2. Work like yours
A contractor who mostly builds decks is not the right choice for a primary bathroom. Ask to see completed projects of comparable scope, and look at the detailing rather than the styling.
3. References you actually call
Ask for recent clients and ring them. The question that matters is not whether they liked the result. It is what happened when something went wrong, because something always does.
4. A process you can follow
Ask how selections are made, when the budget gets fixed, who manages the site day to day, and how changes are priced and approved. A firm with a defined process will answer immediately.
5. Communication
Notice how they handle you before you are a client. If calls go unreturned during the sales stage, that will not improve once your kitchen is in pieces. You should know who to contact and expect to hear from them regularly.
One more thing: get it in writing. Scope, schedule, payment terms, warranty and how variations are handled all belong in the contract.
