17 Questions to Ask a General Contractor Before You Hire Them

Most homeowners focus on the price.

That’s usually the first mistake.

The better move is figuring out who you’re hiring before you ever worry about the number. Because a bad contractor doesn’t just cost more—they create problems you didn’t even know were possible.

If you don’t know what to ask, you end up trusting the wrong things.

These are the questions I’d ask if I were hiring someone to work on my own house.

1. Are you licensed in North Carolina?

This should be a yes or no question.

Not “I’m working under someone else’s license.”
Not “I’ve been doing this for years.”

Licensed.

That means they’ve passed the exam, understand code, and are legally allowed to take on projects over $40,000.

2. Are you insured—and can you prove it?

You’re looking for:

General liability
Workers’ compensation

If someone gets hurt on your job or something goes wrong, you don’t want that coming back on you.

3. Will you be pulling permits?

If they tell you a permit isn’t needed, slow down.

Permits aren’t just paperwork—they bring inspections, and inspections bring accountability. Skipping that step usually means something is being avoided.

4. Who is actually doing the work?

A lot of homeowners assume the person they hire is the one doing the work.

That’s usually not the case.

Ask:

Are you using subcontractors?
Are they licensed where required?

Because that’s who’s really building your project.

5. Who is managing the job day to day?

If no one is clearly responsible for the job, things fall apart fast.

There should be one person coordinating trades, schedules, materials, and communication.

6. What does your contract actually include?

This should be detailed.

Not a one-page estimate. Not vague descriptions.

You should be able to read it and understand exactly what’s being done.

7. What’s NOT included?

This is where most jobs go sideways.

Anything not clearly written becomes a future cost.

Good contractors are upfront about what’s excluded so there are no surprises later.

8. How do you handle change orders?

Because something will come up.

The process should be:

Written
Approved
Priced before work continues

If it’s handled casually, it turns into arguments.

9. What does your payment schedule look like?

You should see a structured payment plan tied to progress.

If someone needs a large majority of the money upfront, that’s a risk.

A contractor isn’t a bank—but neither are you.

10. Are licensed trades handling plumbing and electrical?

This isn’t optional.

These trades carry real liability, and in North Carolina they require licensed professionals pulling permits.

11. What waterproofing system are you using in the shower?

This is one of the most important parts of a bathroom—and one of the most commonly done wrong.

They should be able to clearly explain:

What system they use
Why they use it
How it’s installed

If they can’t, that’s a problem.

12. Do you perform a flood test on the shower pan?

This is a simple test that verifies the shower won’t leak.

If it’s not being done, you’re trusting something that hasn’t been proven.

13. How are you protecting the rest of my home?

Dust, debris, and damage spread fast without proper protection.

Look for things like:

Floor protection
Dust barriers
Air filtration

This is one of the first things low bids skip.

14. What happens when something unexpected comes up?

Because it will.

You want to know how they:

Communicate it
Price it
Handle the solution

15. What’s the timeline—and what can affect it?

Every job has variables:

Inspections
Material delays
Selections

A good contractor will walk you through realistic expectations, not just give you a date you want to hear.

16. Can you walk me through a recent project?

Not just photos.

Ask about:

How it was built
What challenges came up
How they handled them

That tells you more than a finished picture ever will.

17. How do you communicate during the project?

This is one of the biggest factors in how your experience will go.

Are there scheduled updates?
Are you calling, texting, emailing?
How quickly do they respond?

If communication is unclear now, it won’t improve later.

Final Thought

Most homeowners don’t lose money because they picked the highest price.

They lose money because they hired the wrong person.

And most of the time, that happens before the job even starts—because they didn’t know what to ask.

Now you do.