Do You Have a Contracting License and What Is It For?

While many homeowners might enjoy the challenge of doing some small renovation projects by themselves, major renovation projects should always be done by a licensed contractor. When you sell your home, sometime down the road, many homebuyers will want to see the paperwork of the contractor who completed the renovation. Banks and other financial institutions might also want to see the contractor's license when processing mortgage applications. 

One thing to watch out for: many builders and contractors might be licensed only in one construction trade. For example, you wouldn't want to hire a contractor licensed as a carpenter to replace your old, leaky roof. How can you check on this? To start, you can learn about the state guidelines related to contractor requirements. Once you know what license they should have to carry out work at your home, ask them to present you with documentation.

Additional Questions to Ask:

• Do you have liability insurance?
• Do you have worker's compensation insurance?
• Do you have the appropriate safety training?

Will I Have a Consistent Team Working on My Renovation Project?

The construction business is competitive, and many contracting companies need to take on multiple jobs simultaneously to continue growing and returning a profit. Due to this reality, the home renovator you hire might end up sending different teams of workers to your home regularly. While it might be necessary to send a skilled professional to work on certain parts of the renovation process, consistency is usually better than turnover. You should be clear with your contractor that you prefer to have a dedicated team that shows up every day. By maintaining the same team and workers, you can exercise oversight on the renovation project. Also, you should ask your contractor if he or she plans to hire subcontractors for certain parts of the renovation and what qualifications those subcontractors will have.