Most homeowners comparing contractors in Clemmons, Lewisville, or Bermuda Run end up deciding on gut feel: who showed up on time, who seemed knowledgeable, whose price landed in the middle. Gut feel matters — but it’s also how people end up six weeks into a stalled kitchen wondering why the “great guy” stopped answering texts.
The fix is boring and effective: ask every contractor the same questions, write down the answers, and compare them side by side. Below are the questions we’d want answered if we were hiring a remodeler for our own homes, organized into five rounds — plus a scorecard at the end you can print and fill out during each meeting.
1. Is this a fixed price or an estimate? These are different documents. An estimate can move; a fixed-price contract should define exactly what’s included and how any change gets priced before work continues. If a contractor says “estimate,” ask what has made their final invoices differ from their estimates on recent jobs, and by roughly how much. (For contrast: Salem Builders works on fixed-price contracts for renovations — no change orders unless the client adds scope.)
2. What exactly triggers a change order? A good contractor can explain their change-order policy in one or two clear sentences, with documentation and pricing agreed before any extra work starts. Vague answers here are the most common source of budget overruns.
3. Are allowances spelled out line by line? A low bid with thin allowances for cabinets, tile, and fixtures isn’t a cheaper project — it’s the same project with the honest math deferred. Ask what the allowance figures are based on and what happens to unspent allowance money.
4. How is the payment schedule structured? Payments tied to completed milestones protect both sides. Be cautious with large up-front percentages that don’t correspond to materials actually ordered.
5. Will you put a completion date in writing? Many contractors won’t. The follow-up matters more: what happens if you run past it? Listen for whether there’s any real consequence. Some contractors won’t put a consequence in writing at all. For contrast: Salem Builders puts an On-Time Completion Guarantee in writing — $500 per week credited off the final invoice if a project runs past the agreed date for reasons within our control.
6. How many projects will you be running while mine is active? There is no single right answer — but a contractor who can’t answer, or whose crew count obviously doesn’t match their job count, is telling you where your schedule risk comes from.
7. Who is my single point of contact, and how often will I hear from them? “Call me anytime” sounds friendly and means nothing. A specific rhythm — a written update on a set day, with photos — means someone has built a system. Every Salem Builders client gets a written Friday update with photos of that week’s progress; whatever contractor you choose, hold them to something equally concrete.
8. How do you handle the conversation when something goes wrong? Something often comes up in remodeling — a slow material, a surprise behind drywall. You’re not screening for perfection; you’re screening for whether they tell you early or late.
9. What is your NC General Contractor license number? Then verify it yourself on the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors site. (Ours is L.86773, and we’re happy when homeowners check.)
10. Can you send current certificates for general liability AND workers’ compensation? Both matter. If an uninsured worker is injured on your property, it can create risk for you as the homeowner — ask your insurance agent if you’re unsure how. A prepared contractor can provide current certificates promptly and without friction.
11. What’s your warranty, and is it written into the contract? Ask what’s covered, for how long, and what the process is when you find an issue after move-in. The difference between a verbal “we stand behind our work” and a written warranty section shows up about a year after the final payment.
12. What have you completed nearby recently? In Clemmons and Lewisville, ask about projects in established neighborhoods — renovating around mature homes with older framing, plumbing, and electrical is a different skill than new-tract work. In Bermuda Run, ask whether they’ve worked inside gated and golf-course communities before — architectural review requirements can vary by community and can affect both design and timeline, so verify the specifics with your HOA early.
13. Who actually does the work — your crew or subcontractors — and who supervises daily? Subcontracting isn’t a red flag; unsupervised subcontracting is. You want a name, not a shrug.
14. Can I speak to a client from at least a year ago? Fresh references tell you how the project felt. Year-old references tell you how the work held up — which is the thing you’re actually buying.
Print this, take one copy to each meeting, and score every answer from 1 (vague, defensive, or “trust me”) to 5 (specific, documented, and verifiable). The pattern across fourteen rows should make the decision much clearer.
| Question | Contractor A | Contractor B | Contractor C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Fixed price or estimate? | |||
| 2. What triggers a change order? | |||
| 3. Allowances itemized? | |||
| 4. Milestone-based payments? | |||
| 5. Completion date in writing — with consequences? | |||
| 6. Concurrent project load? | |||
| 7. Named contact + update rhythm? | |||
| 8. How bad news gets delivered? | |||
| 9. License number (verified)? | |||
| 10. Liability + workers’ comp certs? | |||
| 11. Written warranty terms? | |||
| 12. Recent comparable local work? | |||
| 13. Crew vs. subs — daily supervision? | |||
| 14. Year-old reference available? | |||
| Total (out of 70) |
A note on using it: don’t announce the scoring. Just ask the questions conversationally and mark the sheet afterward in the truck or at the kitchen table. Contractors who answer specifically without being prompted tend to run their projects the same way.
When several contractors bid the same higher-end remodel, the spread between bids can feel confusing rather than clarifying. The scorecard cuts through that: if a noticeably lower bid also scores poorly on questions 1–4 (the money questions), that’s a signal the price difference may be deferred cost rather than savings. A bid that scores well across all five rounds and still fits your budget is the one worth signing.
It also protects you from the opposite failure: paying a premium price for a contractor whose systems don’t match their reputation. Specific answers, in writing, are more useful than reputation alone.
We built Salem Builders to score well on exactly these questions — fixed-price contracts, a written on-time guarantee backed by a $500/week credit, Friday photo updates, NC license L.86773, full liability and workers’ comp coverage, and 136+ completed projects since 2021 with a 5.0-star Google rating across 40 reviews.
If you’re comparing remodelers in Clemmons, Lewisville, or Bermuda Run, request a free on-site consultation — we respond within 2 hours during business hours, and we’re typically booked 4–6 weeks out, so if you’re targeting a winter or spring start, the conversation is worth having now. Bring the scorecard. We’ll answer all fourteen.