It really depends how the contract is written. If the contract states that they they will give you a finished product for a certain amount, then it definitely is on the store. If it states exactly what individual steps they are going to provide and it makes no mention of these extra steps that need taken, then is is a matter of opinion as to whether you should be obligated to pay the extra money. I find it petty that installers try to charge extra placing you in the middle, unless it is an arrangement that you pay the installers direct..which I never agree with. If it you and the store that the deal is between, don't tell me that I have to deal with installers. It really depends how the contract is written, if it is indeed a proposal. My company does many deals as line item quotes and some as proposals. When it is a proposal, we tell them what the end result will be and it is our job to get it to that point for a certain amount of money, unless exceptions are written in the proposal. A line item quote is a little different in my mind as it states what steps will be taken and a price breakdown of each step...On that type it with me a matter of opinion (a judges perhaps) whether you would be obligated for an additional step that was not charged for that is needed and was not realized or couldn't be realized until after the job was commenced. Hopefully I didnt confuse you all the more.

How did you find which contractors to get estimates from? Since Art didn't have a store, how did you locate him? I find this to be one of the most challenging aspects of a project. Hearing others' process sure helps.

If you're going to do food and drink just leave a cooler with drinks or a coffee pot and grounds. That way there's minimal person to person interaction to distract people and you don't have to be around. You can also leave a box of donuts in the morning before you leave. From my experience in the service industry and with our GC little acknowledgements along the way go further and mean more than cash at the end. Even if the cash at the end is worth more than the treats. It's cliche but it's the thought that counts.

General contractor is a given..the rest-it largely depends on you-your funds, confidence what you can/cannot do, resilience, time and energy you can devote, etc. (And experience and passion of your contractor. He won't pick your finishes of course; but he might have an idea to put a window instead of a door for example or some other thing you didn't think of by yourself. Brainstorming is part of the process) we pulled off gut remodel plus addition plus reconfiguring stuff with the help of GC only but I'd say I longed to have a designer not once..would be easier. it's a very trying experience, long as well, you want more professional people by your side. It doesn't get done by itself-and it's a full time job, if nobody undertakes it, you do. So by all means either contact a designer, or maybe look at design-build firms. Just make sure you have a good chemistry with that person. Important with everybody of course, builder as well. You'll spend hours with these people..days..months..hopefully not years but can happen:) Minimize stuff that can go wrong by choosing right people. Some things will go wrong but the better your relationship is the more chance in overcoming obstacles. Architect, I'm not sure you need..your builder may advise with structural engineer if needed for that to be removed wall "Understand that if you are tearing out walls, finalization of the plan occurs AFTER the walls are out and you can see what is behind them"-agreed (we didn't tear down walls though, if anything we added some lol..but as we fully gutted the space-I know some stuff can't be predicted until you touch the wall and know what's there) So yes..the combo of general contractor and interior designer would be best. Whom to contact first? I'd start with a GC to get a feel of a general scope of the work, but I think both can be contacted simultaneously, or one can start with a designer too Whether people do double duty? Rarely. They might want to, but will not be best equipped for it even if passionate or simply won't have time. But you don't neccessarily need them to do double duty, in your particular case. Interior designers, for example, are trained to understand how the house works, so they are not architects but can have great vision and realize the mechanics that are required to achieve it.