Hiring
Ten questions worth asking before you sign a building contract
The conversation before the contract is the cheapest one you will have. These are the questions that reliably surface trouble early.
About the number itself
A price with no visible structure behind it cannot be compared to anything. These questions make the structure visible.
- What is included, and just as importantly, what is excluded from this number?
- Which items are allowances rather than priced scope, and what assumption sits behind each one?
- What happens to the price if the allowance is exceeded, and who chooses?
- Is this a fixed price, a cost-plus arrangement, or a hybrid — and where is that stated in the contract?
About changes
Nearly every project changes. What matters is whether the process for handling that is agreed before it happens or improvised after.
Ask how a change is priced and approved, whether work stops pending approval, and whether the schedule impact is stated alongside the cost. A written change order signed before the work proceeds is the standard to insist on.
About money and timing
California limits what a contractor may take as a down payment on a home improvement contract, and the payment schedule should track progress rather than the calendar.
Be wary of a schedule that front-loads payment well ahead of completed work. Ask how progress is verified before each payment, and how retention and the final payment are handled at closeout.
About who does the work
On residential projects the general contractor coordinates specialty trades. That is normal. What you want to know is how it is managed.
Ask who supervises daily, how subcontractors are selected and paid, and — importantly — how you can be sure they have been paid. Unpaid subcontractors can place a mechanics lien on your property even where you have paid the general contractor in full. Lien releases tied to payments are the ordinary protection, and it is fair to ask for them.
About finishing and standing behind it
Completion is a process, not a moment. Ask how the punch list is generated and agreed, what documentation you receive at closeout, and what warranty applies to workmanship after you move in.
Ask also what happens if something goes wrong in year two — not because you expect it to, but because the answer tells you whether the contractor expects to still be reachable.
The question behind all the others
Ask what could go wrong with your project specifically, and what it would cost. A contractor who answers that candidly — naming the site risk, the long-lead item, the review that might take longer than hoped — is telling you they have thought about your job rather than pattern-matched it to the last one.
A contractor who says nothing could go wrong has either not looked, or is not telling you.
Every one of these is cheaper to ask now than to discover later. A builder worth hiring will welcome them.
General information from a licensed California general building contractor (CSLB #1057123), not legal or code advice. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and change over time — confirm specifics with the city or county that will issue your permit, or call (760) 622-5961 to talk it through.