Questions to Ask Contractor References
For a homeowner about to hire a builder or remodeler and phoning the past clients the contractor offered as references. The questions follow the order of the call: opening it, schedule and cost, the crew and the site, communication, quality and problems, and the verdict.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Opening the call
What work did this contractor do for you, and when did it finish?
Why ask it
Start here because it tells you how much weight the rest of the call can carry. A bathroom finished five years ago says little about how the company would run a whole-house remodel today, and a job that ended last month cannot tell you how the work holds up. If the project is nothing like yours, ask the contractor for a reference closer to it.
Before I get into details, how did the job go overall?
Why ask it
Ask it early and then say nothing for a minute. Whatever the reference raises first without being steered, whether the tile work, the delays or the foreman, is what stayed with them. Make a note of the subjects they leave out, such as cost, and come back to those with a direct question later in the call.
Roughly how large was the job, in weeks or in dollars?
Why ask it
Some people would rather not name a figure, so offer the choice of weeks or a broad range. What you need is scale: a company that is tidy and prompt on a two-week job can be stretched thin on one that runs five months. The reference whose project was about the size of yours is the one to spend the most time with.
Did you know the contractor before the job, or were they new to you?
Why ask it
A contractor's reference list sometimes includes a brother-in-law, a neighbor or a longtime friend. Their praise can be sincere and still be worth less than that of a stranger who found the company online and paid full price. Ask it lightly, as small talk, and keep the answer in mind through everything else they say.
Have they done more than one project for you?
Why ask it
Repeat business is the strongest thing a reference can report, because the second hire was made knowing every flaw of the first. Ask whether the second job went the same way and whether the same people turned up. If they thought about the contractor for later work and went elsewhere, ask what tipped it.
Did you get other bids, and what made you pick this contractor?
Why ask it
The reason they chose is often the contractor's real selling point: the lowest price, the clearest estimate, the only one who returned calls. Then ask whether that reason held up once work began. Someone picked for a low bid who finished well over it has told you something the contractor's own pitch will not.
Schedule and cost
How did the finish date compare with the one in the contract?
Why ask it
Get both dates and do the subtraction yourself, since 'a little late' can mean ten days to one person and three months to another. Then hold the overrun against the length of the job: two weeks over on a six-month addition is not the same as two weeks over on a three-week bathroom. If every reference reports roughly the same slip, add it to whatever finish date you are quoted.
Did work begin on the date you were first given?
Why ask it
A start that slips a week or two for weather or a previous job running long is ordinary. Listen for how the news arrived: a call ahead of time, or a morning when nobody came. A start pushed back several times often means the company takes on more work than it can staff, and yours would join the same queue.
What held the job up, and how did you hear about each delay?
Why ask it
Late cabinets, a failed inspection and a wet month are largely outside a contractor's control. A crew pulled away to another house is not. The second half of the question matters more: a contractor who phones with the new date before you notice the gap is easier to live with than a faster one who goes silent.
Were there days or weeks when nobody showed up?
Why ask it
Empty days stick in the memory, so you will get a clear answer. Some gaps are built into the work, such as waiting for an inspection or for stone to be cut, and a good contractor names them in advance. Unexplained ones near the end of a job suggest the company had already turned its attention to the next client.
Was your contract a fixed price, or were you billed for time and materials?
Why ask it
Ask before any question about budget, because the two arrangements make 'on budget' mean different things. Under a fixed price an overrun should come with a signed change, while under time and materials the bill simply grows. If the contractor is offering you a different arrangement from the one this client had, their experience of the cost carries over only in part.
How did the final bill compare with the contract price?
Why ask it
You want a number or a percentage, and then the reason for the gap. Extra cost that came from the client's own upgrades is a different matter from extras the contractor said could not have been foreseen. 'It came in about where they said' from two or three references is the most reassuring sentence these calls can produce.
How many change orders were there, and who asked for them?
Why ask it
Split the count into changes the homeowner wanted and changes the contractor brought. A long list from the contractor's side, each for something a careful estimate would have included, can point to a bid priced low to win the job and made up afterward. Ask for one example and what it cost.
Was every change priced and signed before the extra work was done?
Why ask it
The answer to hope for is a flat yes, with a piece of paper or an email for each one. 'We sorted it out at the end' is how final invoices come to hold surprises, even with a contractor everyone likes. Whatever you hear, write the same requirement into your own contract.
Did the allowances in the estimate cover what you ended up choosing?
Why ask it
Allowances are the placeholder sums for things not yet picked: tile, fixtures, lighting, countertops. If the reference went over on most of them while choosing ordinary products, the figures were probably set low and the bid looked better for it. Take that as a prompt to price your own selections before you sign.
How were the payments spaced, and were you ever asked for money ahead of the work?
Why ask it
Payments tied to finished stages keep both sides honest. Worry if the reference describes requests for an early draw, cash for materials that then took weeks to appear, or a final payment demanded before the last items were done. Rules on deposits differ from place to place, so check what applies where you live before agreeing to a schedule.
Did a supplier or subcontractor ever contact you about not being paid?
Why ask it
Most references will say no and be a little surprised to be asked. A yes is serious, because it suggests money the client paid did not reach the people who did the work or delivered the materials. Ask your building department or a lawyer how unpaid-bill claims against a property work in your area and what paperwork protects you.
Crew and site
Who was at your house most days: the contractor, a lead carpenter, or subcontractors?
Why ask it
Find out who ran the job day to day, by name if they remember it. The owner who impressed you at the estimate may visit once a week, which is fine when the person in charge on site is good. Then ask the contractor whether that same lead would be assigned to you.
Did the same crew stay from start to finish?
Why ask it
A steady crew learns the house and carries decisions from one week to the next. With a rotating cast, things agreed with one worker have to be explained again to the next, and mistakes follow. If the lead changed in the middle of the job, ask why and what it did to the pace.
Did the crew turn up at the time they gave you, and what hours did they work?
Why ask it
Punctuality by itself is minor. What it shows is whether somebody was planning the week or reacting to it: a homeowner who kept taking a morning off work to let in nobody had a contractor without a plan. The hours matter if you work from home or have a baby asleep at noon, so ask when the saws started and stopped.
What did the house look like at the end of each working day?
Why ask it
Let the reference describe it before you offer a word like 'clean'. Swept floors, tools stacked and a clear path to the kitchen or bathroom are signs of a crew that remembers someone lives there. A site left in a mess every evening is also one where materials get damaged and things go missing.
How did they keep dust and debris out of the rooms they were not working in?
Why ask it
Listen for plastic walls, covered floors, sealed vents and a set route in and out. 'It got everywhere' is a common answer and a reason to write protection into your contract. If anyone in your house has asthma or allergies, say so and ask whether the reference had the same concern.
Was anything of yours damaged, and what did the contractor do about it?
Why ask it
A scratched floor or a cracked window during months of work is not unusual, so a yes should not alarm you. The response is the test. Repaired or paid for without argument is the good version; blame passed to a subcontractor, or a fix promised and never done, is the one you are calling to find out about.
Were you comfortable leaving the crew in the house when you were out?
Why ask it
This is about keys, alarm codes, pets and children as much as honesty. A relaxed 'we gave them a key in the first week' says a lot. Hesitation deserves a gentle follow-up about what made them uneasy, and then you can decide whether it would bother you too.
Did you live in the house during the work, and how did they make that bearable?
Why ask it
Skip it if you will be moving out. If you are staying, ask about the practical things: whether water or power was cut without warning, whether a temporary kitchen was set up, which bathroom stayed usable. A contractor who planned around one family is likely to do it for the next.
How did they treat the neighbors, the street and your yard?
Why ask it
Trucks across a neighbor's driveway, a dumpster on the lawn for a month and a radio at seven in the morning are things you answer for long after the crew has gone. Find out where they parked and stored materials, and whether the yard was put right at the end. On a tight lot or a shared driveway this answer counts for more.
Communication
When you had a question, who did you contact and how soon did you hear back?
Why ask it
A same-day reply from a named person is the standard to hope for. Notice whether the answer changes over the life of the job: quick in the first weeks and slow near the end is a pattern worth asking about directly. If texts worked and calls did not, that is useful to know before your own job starts.
How did you know what was happening the following week?
Why ask it
Some contractors send a written schedule, some hold a weekly walk-through, some use an app, and some tell you on the doorstep. Any of these can work. The worrying answer is that the homeowner had to chase for it, because that homeowner will soon be you.
Did they give you enough notice for the decisions you had to make?
Why ask it
Grout color, outlet positions and door swings all have deadlines, and a missed one either stalls the crew or gets decided without you. Feeling rushed into choices, or coming home to find something already built, is what poor planning looks like from the owner's side. Ask the contractor for a list of your decisions with a date beside each.
Was there a moment you disagreed with them, and how was it settled?
Why ask it
Months of work in someone's home nearly always produce one. A reference who names it and says it ended fairly is more convincing than one who insists there was never a cross word. Pay attention to tone: 'he heard me out and we split the cost' and 'I gave up arguing' are both answers.
Did they listen when you had your own ideas about how something should be done?
Why ask it
Good contractors push back when an idea will leak, crack or fail inspection, and they say why. Weaker ones refuse everything or agree to everything. The story to hope for is one where the contractor explained the tradeoff and then let the owner decide.
Did the person who sold you the job stay involved after you signed?
Why ask it
Larger firms often hand a project from a salesperson to a project manager, and promises made at the kitchen table can get lost in between. Ask whether anything agreed out loud failed to reach the crew. If it did, put every promise into your written scope, however small.
Quality and problems
How happy are you with the quality of the finished work?
Why ask it
Ask what they notice when they walk into the room now. Praise that names things, like trim corners that meet, cabinet doors hung in an even line or a shower floor that drains without puddles, comes from someone who has looked closely. 'It's fine' or 'we got used to it' calls for a follow-up about which part they would have redone.
Did the finished work match what was drawn or agreed?
Why ask it
Ask about the small departures: a window a few inches off, a different trim profile, a cheaper fixture swapped in. Substitutions happen when a product cannot be had, and the honest version starts with a phone call. Where things were changed without asking, find out whether they were put right or the reference simply gave in.
Was there any part of the work you thought was below the standard of the rest?
Why ask it
Most general contractors are stronger in some trades than others, and it often comes down to which subcontractor they bring. If two references both mention the painting or the tile, ask the contractor who will do that part of your job. It is an easy thing to raise before signing and an awkward one after.
What went wrong on the job?
Why ask it
Word it this way, as if something certainly did, because on a job of any length something usually does. 'Were there any problems' invites a polite no; this version gets a particular afternoon and what was done about it. A reference who can think of nothing across a long project either had a very simple one or is being kind.
What did they find once walls or floors were opened, and how did they handle it?
Why ask it
Rot, old wiring and plumbing nobody knew about are ordinary discoveries in a remodel. A careful contractor stops, shows the owner, prices the fix and waits for a yes. If the reference first learned about hidden work from the invoice, expect the same.
Did the job have permits, and do you remember how the inspections went?
Why ask it
Whether a permit is required depends on the work and on local rules, so treat this as a question about habits. Hearing that the contractor suggested skipping the permit to save time tells you how that company treats rules in general. An inspection failed once and corrected promptly is not a bad sign.
How long did it take to finish the last small items on the punch list?
Why ask it
The final stretch is where otherwise good jobs sour: a missing cabinet pull, a door that sticks, paint touch-ups that wait for weeks. Ask how much money was still owed while the list was open. If the reference had paid in full and then waited, ask the contractor how much of the price stays unpaid until the list is finished, and have that written into your contract.
Have you had to call them back since the final payment, and what happened?
Why ask it
A recent client cannot answer this, which is the reason to ask for one older reference. A contractor who returns for a sticking door or a weeping fitting, without a bill and without being chased, is showing what the warranty is worth in practice. Ask how many calls it took and how long before somebody came.
How has the work held up now that you have lived with it?
Why ask it
Ask them to walk through it in their head: tile and grout, doors and drawers, paint at the joints, anything that carries water. Cracks at seams and cabinet doors drifting out of line tend to show after a season or two. Problems that appeared and were fixed count in the contractor's favor.
What paperwork did you get at the end?
Why ask it
A tidy close-out might include the signed-off permit, product warranties and manuals, paint colors and a written workmanship warranty. What you are owed varies by place and by contract, so ask the contractor what they hand over and get it listed. Receiving nothing at all suggests a company whose interest ends with the last check.
The verdict
Would you hire them again for a job like that one?
Why ask it
Listen to how fast the answer comes. An immediate yes needs no interpretation; 'probably', 'for something smaller' or 'if he ran it himself' are conditions, and each is worth a follow-up. People seldom say no outright to a stranger, so a hedge may be as close to a no as you get.
Have you passed their name to friends or family, and did anyone hire them?
Why ask it
Recommending a contractor to someone you will see at every holiday is a risk, so having done it means more than saying you would. If a friend did hire them, ask how that went. It amounts to a second reference, and one the contractor did not choose.
What was the best part of working with them, and what was the most frustrating?
Why ask it
Asking for both at once gives permission for the second half. The frustration is usually small and real: slow invoices, a late start each morning, a lead who never answered texts. Decide whether you could live with it, because it is unlikely to change for you.
What kind of homeowner do you think they suit?
Why ask it
Some contractors do best with clients who hand over the keys and stay out of the way; others are good with owners who want to approve every detail. Neither is a fault. Compare the description with yourself honestly, and if you are the opposite type, talk about it with the contractor before you sign.
My project is a bit different from yours. Is there anything about it you would want me to raise with them?
Why ask it
Describe your job in a sentence or two first: the size, whether you are staying in the house, anything unusual about it. Someone who watched the company up close for months can often say where it would be comfortable and where it would be reaching. Bring whatever they name to your next meeting with the contractor.
What do you wish you had put in the contract, or done differently yourself?
Why ask it
This gets you advice without asking the reference to criticize anyone. You may hear a firmer finish date, a clearer list of what was included, or every selection made before demolition began. Each of those is something you can still do.
Is there anything I have not asked about that you think I should know?
Why ask it
By this point the reference knows what you care about and has had time to decide how frank to be. This is where a withheld detail tends to surface: the foreman who left the company, the invoice dispute, the neighbor's complaint. If the answer is 'no, you covered it', thank them and ask whether you may call again if something comes up once you have the contract.
Would you be willing to send a few photos, or let me see the work in person?
Why ask it
Save this for the very end and make it easy to decline. Photos taken by the owner show the work as it is lived in, which the contractor's portfolio does not. If you do visit, look where two materials meet: corners, trim joints, the line between tile and tub.
How to call a contractor's references
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you call
Ask for the right references
Request three or four past clients: two whose jobs resemble yours in size and type, one finished within the last few months and one finished a couple of years ago. The recent client knows the current crew. The older one knows how the work aged and whether callbacks were answered.
Have the bid in front of you
Read the contractor's estimate before you dial and mark what you were promised: the finish date, the allowances, who runs the site. The call is most useful when you are checking particular promises against what someone else received.
Pick ten to twelve questions
Nobody doing you a favor wants a forty-minute interview. Take one or two from each group, and keep the ones about cost, delays, what went wrong and hiring again whatever else you drop. Put the same core set to every reference so the answers can be compared.
Arrange a time
Text or email first, say who you are and that the contractor gave you their name, and ask for fifteen minutes. People are franker on a call they agreed to than on one that interrupts dinner.
On the call
Open with easy facts
What the job was and when it finished are simple to answer and get the person talking. Leave money and complaints until a few minutes in, when the call has started to feel like a conversation.
Ask what happened, not for a rating
'Was he reliable' gets a yes. 'Tell me about a week the schedule slipped' gets a story with dates in it. Whenever an answer is a single adjective, ask for the example behind it.
Let silences sit
A reference deciding how much to say will often pause. Fill the gap with a new question and you lose whatever was coming. Count to five.
Take notes in their words
Write phrases down as they are said, especially the hedges: 'eventually', 'for the most part', 'once we got his attention'. A week later, comparing two contractors, those exact words are what you will want.
Making sense of what you heard
Look for the repeat
One client's complaint may be a clash of personalities. The same remark from two or three, such as slow at the end or vague about extras, is how the company works. Plan for it or keep looking.
Prefer detail to warmth
'Great guy, beautiful work' with nothing behind it is thinner than 'finished nine days late, told us in the first week that it would be, and came back twice for the pantry door'. The second is the stronger reference even though it includes a delay.
Weigh by similarity
Give most weight to the reference whose job was closest to yours in size, type and whether the family stayed in the house. Glowing reports about a deck repair say little about how a company manages a second-story addition.
Take the concerns back to the contractor
If references mention change orders or a slow punch list, say so and ask what has changed since. A contractor who answers plainly and agrees to write a protection into the contract has told you something the calls could not.
Signs to slow down
No references, or only very old ones
A working contractor has recent clients. If the newest name offered is from years ago, or the list never arrives, ask why before going further.
References who cannot describe the job
Someone unsure what was built, when, or roughly what it cost may be a friend doing a favor. Thank them and weigh the call accordingly.
Relying on the calls alone
Past clients are chosen by the contractor, and they cannot tell you about license status, insurance or complaints on record. Check those separately with whichever office handles them where you live, and read independent reviews alongside your notes.
Hearing only what you hoped to hear
By the time you are phoning references you usually have a favorite, and it is tempting to count a hedge as a yes. Reread your notes the next day before you decide.