When we bought our home, we had just moved to a new state and knew no one. Our house was a fixer and we DIY'd most of it ourselves, but when it came time to do the master bath, we opted to hire a contractor. We also had tough time finding someone and as a last resort decided to contract the job ourselves. Problem was, we were just as lost about how to find good people as we were when looking for a contractor. During a conversation with a tile salesman, I asked if they by any chance had some tilers they could refer to me. They did and that's what got the ball rolling for us. A few days later while I was interviewing the tiler (whom the salesman said was one of the busier ones) I casually asked if he knew of a good plumber. He gave me the name of a guy he worked with regularly who was a master plumber. So a few days later, that plumber came to quote the job and during our conversation, I asked him if he knew of a good carpenter. Same thing, he referred me to a guy he's worked with for years. The carpenter ended up being a licensed contractor with a small but busy business and eventually we hired him as a contractor to do our bathroom remodel. Before we did though, we had him do a couple of other smaller things to sort of "test the waters" and see what his work looked like. He's really good at what he does and now, the only one we call when we need something. I was asking these guys for referrals because I didn't know anyone locally to ask and the people I was getting from places like Angie's list were not a good match, but as it turned out, they were a really helpful and dependable resource. I asked the salesman who the busiest tiler was because to me that meant he was good enough to be in demand and when someone is good at what they do, it usually means they have a good work ethic as well. Maybe you can try a similar approach.

Glad to hear you're getting closer Eastsider :) As to the insurance because we own part of the company. We talked to our insurance agent (the commercial one) and there are no compromises in coverage if we don't manage the job (and we never were going to...we were just asking the GC to try a different sub). The electrical and plumbing were seperate bids and insurance policies. (Each having their own). THe balance of the job is at a fixed price (under the GC's responsability). Our insurance on the company level is significantly more than any GC would carry (because we build multi million dollar buildings and electrical structures). So the insurance hurdle on that side was dealt with. And just to be clear...our GC has full veto power on the electrician. He has specific standards for subs he'll work with (most likely because of these types of issues) so he is doing an interview and we've pulled this out of our final contract so that he can make his decision. Frankly our company is huge and his, while a good sized contracting firm, is very small in comparison. He's already said he feels good about the idea and dosen't mind being introduced to another electrician option because he's frustrated with the one he brought over (apparently he was bidding 3 jobs and each came in way over reasonable with no explaination). As to the holdbacks...we pay our contractor, he pays his subs. We aren't trying to get in the middle of that. The bank will track to see that folks get paid which is standard, but we didn't change that arrangement at all. We're meeting with our insurance agent (for the house) tomorrow at 2 to discuss issues like living in the house, etc. We're running into a road block on adding a builders risk policy because it's "a condo" (it's actually a townhome in PUD legal structure). We are going to live in the home (it's five levels so that's not crazy entirely...ok well a little), but I want to be on site and not force my son, who is ill, to have to go to yet another place he's not familiar with. He's been in hospital so much of his 18 months that he gets upset every time we spend even a night at a hotel anymore. We test drove the kitchen demo with him in the house on the bottom level and he did great so we should be ok (there is a level separating the demo and the level we will live on). We'll also be building a temporary wall to protect us as much as possible from dust issues, which adds to cost, but is worth it for us to stay home. Besides temporary housing in Alaska in the summer is almost unheard of...tourists you know :) Our total budget for the job is actually up to $250,000 plus we have a 20% reserve in the bank. The electric is about $10,000 of this and the plumbing is about $20,000. The majority is "stuff" cabinets, granite, the french stove, tile, lighting, blah blah blah :) You know the drill. In alaska it's tough to get into the summer schedules with any contractor. They have a limited building season and want to do any open air stuff during the summer and push folks like us to the winter. That's part of the problem with the electric. We would use either of his other two normal companies but they won't take on any new jobs before September and we're not going one more month without starting heh heh Anyhoo, we'll nail down the insurance stuff this week and demo next I guess...I say demo :) We already gave the kitchen away lock stock and barrel so we have to go forward now huh? We had cabinet folks out for final changes and orders, and have our Lacanche order ready to fax in as well as the orders for the balance of the appliances. We did sign contract after it was reviewed (leaving the electric out) and everyone is happy so...fingers crossed, hammers will hit walls soon (or I'll do it!) How close are you East?

I put together 2 sheets - one I used as a guideline when interviewing contractors and another when interviewing their references. I didn't necessarily asked them every question. I can email you the finished sheets. Contractor: date Phone number: After hours No. Registered in MA? Contact: Address: Referred by: How many years of experience? How long in business? How much experience with historical homes? What is your specialty? What sets you apart from the rest? Tell them about my job: Converting 1820s house back to single Items contractor may do or my subs: Items we may do: How many renovations have you completed? How many completed similar projects? How many kitchen designs have you completed? What do you see as the important issues? License Type of work licensed to do: Where are licenses held? call the local building department to validate the number. Also, call the State Consumer Protection Agency to find out if the contractor had to prove financial stability, pass an exam, or just pay a fee for the license Check with your local building department or consumer protection agency to find out about licensing requirements in your area. Is the company bonded and with who? Can I have a banking and/or financial reference? Check financial stability. If the contractor is unable to pay for materials, labor, and overhead costs, the job could go unfinished. What insurance coverage do you have? At a minimum, contractors should have Workman's Compensation: Name of Co. and phone number general liability (including property and personal liability), Amount, Name of Co. and phone number: automobile insurance Name of Co. and phone number: Call the insurance agency to confirm effective dates of the insurance policies. What professional/trade organizations are you are a member of? Check membership standing in the organization provided. Have you taken any classes or attended any trade seminars in the past 2 years? Do you have any projects under litigation or complaints filed against you? Any judgments against the company? How do you handle this type of job? Who will be assigned as a project supervisor for the job? Will they be there every day? Do you have employees or do you use subcontractors? Will you be using subcontractors on this project? If yes, ask to meet them, and make sure they have current insurance coverage and licenses, if required. Also ask them if they were paid on time by this contractor How interested are you in this project? Are you available and have capacity? When can you start? How long do you expect to complete this project? Based on the project detail, what permits may be required? May I have an itemized estimate on the project that includes materials, labor, overhead, and a time frame? The estimate should be in writing in order to compare it with the estimates you receive from the other two contractors. What is your experience/track record with cost estimating or quotes? Questionaire for references: Contractor: date Phone number: Reference: What is your experience/track record with cost estimating or quotes? Â How did you find out about this contractor? Â How long ago did this contractor work for you? Â What was the quality of the finished project? Â Did the contractor recommend a contract, including a written estimate? If not, did you request a contract? Did the contractor balk at the idea? Â Did the project go over the original estimate? If so, by how much? What changes from the original project did you request? Did the contractor provide an acceptable detailed explanation? Â Did the contractor use a written change order form before making changes to the original estimate? Â Did the contractor stay on schedule and report to work in a timely manner? Â Did the contractor have a good attitude throughout the project? Â Did anything unusual or unsettling happen during the course of the project? Â How qualified were the workers and subcontractors? Â Did the contractor stay on-site to supervise during the project? Â How accessible was the contractor? Â Was the site clean and safe at all times? Â Would you recommend this contractor to your family and friends? Â Would you use this contractor again?

@Mike, thank you for that excellent question. @Virgil no. I am learning and trying to educate myself as I go. @Joseph, this GC came recommended by my architect. However, I like to do my due diligence, because at the end of the day, I have to live with the house, not the architect.