Answers to commonly asked questions from the experts on HomeGuide.
How much do local general contractors charge?
General contractors charge10% to 20% of the total construction cost, known as "cost-plus." Some building contractors charge a flat fee based on the project but rarely charge an hourly rate. Home improvement contractors pay on your behalf for all materials, subcontractors, services, and permits.
What does a residential general contractor do?
Licensed general contractors manage and coordinate the entire building process. A general contractor estimates the job, provides the materials and tools, and hires specialized subcontractors for the construction work. Remodeling contractors can perform electrical work, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, or build a house
Why use a general building contractor?
A general contractor saves you time, resolves any problems, and ensures the construction follows code requirements. General contractors have a network of experienced, licensed, and insured subcontractors to properly build any project. Home contractors also source all the materials, tools, and permits and pay for them on your behalf.
Common projects to hire a licensed general contractor are home, bathroom, kitchen, and basement remodeling.
Get at least three estimates from building contractors to compare.
Ask for references and to see a portfolio of their past work.
Verify their insurance, worker’s compensation, and bond guarantees.
Call references, read their reviews, and check out their previous work on HomeGuide and Google.
Ask about their warranties and guarantees.
Ask for a full itemized contract in writing in case of a dispute.
Avoid making large payments upfront. Come up with a payment schedule for work completed.
What questions to ask a general contractor before hiring?
Ask these questions upfront before hiring:
How long have you been a general contractor?
How many similar projects have you built?
Can you provide me with a list of references?
Can I see your portfolio?
Are you licensed, insured, and bonded?
Have there been any lawsuits against your company?
How do you handle damages that happen on the job?
Who's the project manager?
What qualities do you look for in subcontractors?
What hours do you and your crew work?
How long will the project take?
What permits do I need, and will you obtain them?
What does your warranty policy include?
Can you provide me a written estimate or contract with a breakdown of all costs?
What is the structure of the payment agreements?
Do you offer in-house financing?
What do I need to provide to get started?
Do general contractors need insurance?
A general contractor assumes responsibility for the project and should be licensed and insured. Ask for a potential contractor's license number and proof of insurance before hiring. Ask your local building department for licensing requirements, then verify the licensing on the state's licensing board website.
Reviews for Bellevue general contractors
Recent success stories from people in the Bellevue area.
Franz L.
TBH Sterling is the best contractor I've hired in the past 20+ years. Dave and his team provided excellent customer service: maintaining the project on time, communicating effectively, taking responsibility when issues arose, and producing an exemplary remodel for our home at a reasonable price point.
TBH Sterling Inc.
Nathania K.
I needed help to replace a kitchen faucet, Joseph was one of the first that responded to my inquiry. He gave me a set price that cost much less than other companies’ estimates.
Very professional, punctual and respectful. I will definitely be using his service in the future
JJ Handyman”s service
Chris S.
Kevin Dale presented himself well and seemed to have the experience to do our job. The scope of work was fairly large as we were renovating a 1948 house, including vaulting the ceiling. We were on a time deadline and needed the project completed in a timely manner. The beginning went well with the demo. We had an architect involved for sizing the beam needed for the vault. The day that the beam was to go in, we found out that there was an old oil furnace directly where the support needed to be. We had to rush to find someone who could remove the furnace. After that, the framing seemed to go well. That's where things fell apart. We were to have the house rewired and apparently the electrician that Kevin had hired took another job and because building was in high gear, he had trouble finding someone to do the job. Several weeks went by with no work done. The wiring was finally done, but at present, when you use a waffle iron in the kitchen, it blows a circuit. (We had even had the service upgraded to 200 amp, so there is plenty of available power.) We had to have the main water shutoff in the house moved and now the shutoff doesn't shut off the water. The date for completion was supposed to be July 31 and since notice needed to be given to a current landlord, I asked Kevin about a completion date and he said that to be on the safe side Aug. 15 would probably be better. Our arrangement was to install all of the trim and do the painting. Since we were flying out to do this, we needed prior notice of when this would be available to be done. The date that was given ended up being about a month earlier than it was ready. Because the ticket had been bought, Kevin agreed to install the trim in compensation. Sounds good, but he used his framing carpenters to do it. Not the same skill set. He also used them and new workers for the drywall taping and mudding. It took weeks and many call-backs to get most of it in at-least presentable condition. There were so many other annoying things involved. In mid September, when he was given a day and time to correct a list of things or forfeit a (small) amount of the last payment, He and his crew showed up at 4 PM that day and then was miffed that he was going to lose that money because he couldn't get everything done that day. We tried to work with Kevin, but he often would not respond to emails and just seemed to ignore criticism. There were weeks in the last month (a month and a half after the original completion date) when his crew would be there for 4 hours out of the entire week. This turned out to be a very stressful remodel and I would advise people to avoid Estate Renovations.
Estate Renovations llc
Kathie F.
These guys were awesome did a great job got it fixed and did an inspection to show me where we may have other issues that may need attention. I will be calling them when we are ready to tackle other issues in our home. The home is 122 years old so yes we are going to have issues
Evergeeen Construction Group
Rick M.
Steve was very easy to work with. His knowledge on the order and the way things should be done was really helpful. It only took a couple weeks to install 2000 sq ft of Red Oak with a coffee stain and 12 steps ,trim and he did a full bathroom remodel with the works he went above and beyond with his workmanship and creativity.
Can't wait to have him back for the kitchen remodel.
FloorsNmore
Jonathan S.
John did an amazing job remodeling my kitchen, finished in time, full of kindness and respect to us. Highly recommended. Looking forward to hire him again
Lux Finishing LLC
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