12 questions to ask any Sacramento contractor

Ask all twelve before you sign anything. How a contractor answers tells you more than any brochure. A good one will be glad you asked.

1. Are you licensed with the CSLB, and what’s your licence number?

Verify it yourself at cslb.ca.gov rather than taking the number on faith. An unlicensed contractor is a liability you inherit. That can include injuries on your property.

CDI’s is #1116441.

2. Are you bonded, and carrying workers’ comp and liability insurance?

Ask for the certificates, not a yes. If a worker is hurt on an uninsured job at your house, the exposure can land on you.

3. Is the price fixed, or an estimate that can move?

Know exactly which one you’re signing. “Estimate” and “fixed price” are very different promises, and the difference will not be explained to you later.

4. How are change orders priced and approved?

You want them in writing, priced before the work happens, and approved by you: never assumed, never verbal. This is the single most common source of renovation disputes.

5. Who is my single point of contact, and how often will I hear from them?

“Everyone and no one” is the wrong answer. You want one name and a rhythm of updates you can rely on.

6. Will you pull the permits, or are you asking me to?

A contractor who asks you to pull the permit may be sidestepping accountability for the work, and making you, the permit holder, the responsible party.

7. Can I see a finished project like mine, and talk to that homeowner?

References from completed work are the ones that count. Anyone can show you a job that’s still going well at week two.

8. Who is actually on site each day?

Your own crew, or subcontractors the contractor has never worked with before? It shapes both the quality and the schedule, and it’s a fair question.

9. What’s the payment schedule, and is the deposit reasonable?

In California, a residential down payment is capped at $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less. A contractor asking for 30% up front is either unaware of the law or ignoring it. Neither is reassuring.

10. What’s your written warranty, and what does it cover after hand-off?

Get it in writing. “We stand behind our work” is a sentence, not a warranty. Ask what’s covered, for how long, and what voids it.

11. How do you handle the schedule, and what happens if it slips?

Delays happen: materials, weather, plan check. You want a contractor who plans for them honestly, not one who promises they won’t occur and then goes quiet in week nine.

12. What’s not included in this price?

Make them say the exclusions out loud. The gap between “included” and “assumed” is where budgets break, and this is the question almost nobody asks.

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Two things worth doing before you even start asking

Get three written bids on an identical scope. Not three bids on three different interpretations of your project, which produces three numbers you cannot compare. Write the scope down first, then hand the same document to each contractor.

Look up every one of them on the CSLB. It takes about a minute per contractor and shows licence status, classification, bond, and any disciplinary history. It is the cheapest due diligence available to you.