What should I ask a contractor before signing a contract?

Worth asking directly: what’s specifically included in the price (and what isn’t), their genuine experience with projects like yours, how they handle weather or site-condition delays, what warranty applies, and what the payment schedule looks like.

Also worth confirming: proper licensing and insurance, whether they’ll be doing the work personally or via subcontractors, and how they communicate updates during the project — these questions reveal a lot about how a project will actually run, not just its price.

A contractor genuinely confident in their work and process will answer these questions clearly and directly — hesitation or vagueness on any of them is worth taking seriously as a signal.

Related Questions, Guides & Calculators