Many people skip this important step because they believe “no one will ever give a bad reference”. Unfortunately that just isn’t true.

Due to the economy many folks that might have done some handyman work on the side are now “full time remodelers” because they found themselves unemployed. Many commercial companies are now venturing into the home remodeling market. Of course there are also those other companies that have given home remodeling a bad name.

If you make the mistake of hiring one of these companies, you will be kicking yourself for not checking references thoroughly.

We will provide you with at least 20 recent and local customer references and we encourage you to call as many as you like.

Any remodeling contractor should be able to come up with a few good references but if you really want to know how good a company is ask them for at least 10 customer references and references from their bank and key vendors.

Even small remodeling contractors complete 25 jobs every couple of years so asking for 10 references shouldn’t be a big deal.

These 8 questions will tell you a lot about the contractor. Add any other specific questions that you are curious about.

If people are reluctant to provide specific answers or seem to be providing vague answers that should be a red flag.

1. Did they start when they promised?
2. Did they leave your home clean every day?
3. Was the proposal price what you ended up paying? If not, why not?
4. Were there any problems during the job...and how did they handle them?
5. How often did they meet with you to review the project?
6. Were they courteous and respectful to everyone in your home?
7. Would you - or have you - recommend them to someone else?
8. What was the main reason you picked them?

Bank Letter: Additional assurance that they are financially stable. Every remodeling contractor should have a reference letter from their bank.

Vendor Letters: Evidence that they pay their bills on time. If a remodeling contractor doesn’t pay their bills on time, they won’t get the best pricing and they may have problems getting materials on time.

Sometimes they need large up front deposits so they can pay the bills from their last project.

All of these issues can spell disaster for your project.

We hope this Reference Guide helps you get the information you need to make the best choice when it comes to hiring, evaluating and working with a professional remodeling contractor.

We are providing this as a service so you can make the best decision possible, regardless of who you decide to go with.