Start with the boring paperwork
The exciting part is picking tile. The part that protects you is verifying the license and insurance yourself, on your state’s licensing board, before you sign. Confirm it is active, in the right classification, and that the name matches your contract. Ask for a current certificate of insurance.
The questions that actually matter
- Who runs my job day to day? One named lead is the answer you want, someone who runs your job day to day.
- Who pulls the permits? It should be the contractor, always. If they ask you to pull your own, that is a red flag.
- Is this a fixed price or an estimate? A fixed-price scope priced before demo protects you from the change-order spiral.
- What is your warranty? Get it in writing. A 10-year workmanship warranty on structural work should be standard on any structural work.
Red flags that should end the conversation
A demand for a large up-front deposit. A bid far below everyone else with a vague scope. No verifiable license. Pressure to skip the permit “to save time.” Each one is how the abandoned-job and failed-inspection stories begin.
The honest bid test
Ask every bidder the same scoped questions and compare apples to apples. The cheapest number is almost never the cheapest job once the missing work resurfaces. Our process puts the whole scope in writing before demo, with one lead and a schedule baked into the contract. See how we work.