How to Choose a Home Remodeling Contractor in Los Angeles

Home remodeling in Los Angeles runs on trust between two parties who have usually never met. You are about to let someone take apart the house you live in. The contractor is about to commit a crew, materials and months of schedule to your project. The steps below make that trust something you can check rather than something you hope for.

Most of this applies to any remodel. The last sections are about older houses, where the right contractor and the wrong one look the same on paper until the walls are open.

Check the license, the bond and the insurance first

In California, a contractor doing home improvement work above a small threshold must hold a license from the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). Before you compare bids, look up each contractor on the CSLB website. The record shows:

• whether the license is active,
• its classification (a general building contractor, or a specialty such as electrical or plumbing),
• the contractor's bond,
• whether the contractor has workers' compensation coverage on file or has declared that it has no employees.

Ask separately for proof of general liability insurance, and check that the name on the policy matches the name on the license. California requires the contract to state whether the contractor carries commercial general liability insurance, so the answer should also appear in writing.

Read the bid: scope, allowances, exclusions, schedule

The lowest number is not the cheapest bid if it leaves work out. Read every bid for four things.

Scope. What exactly will be done, room by room and system by system? "Remodel kitchen" is not a scope. "Remove existing cabinets and counters, replace wiring to current code with dedicated appliance circuits, install new supply and drain lines" is.

Allowances. Finishes you have not chosen yet, such as tile, fixtures and cabinets, are often priced as allowances. Check that each allowance is realistic for what you have in mind. A low allowance makes a bid look cheaper and moves the cost to later.

Exclusions. What is not included? Permits, engineering, testing for hazardous materials, debris removal and repairs to hidden damage are common exclusions. On an older house, the exclusions often matter more than the inclusions.

Schedule. When does work start, what are the main stages and how long does each take? A schedule that ignores inspections is not a real schedule.

When you compare bids, line them up item by item. If one bid includes rewiring and another does not mention it, they are not bids for the same job.

Payment schedule rules in California

California's home improvement rules protect owners in a few specific ways, and a contractor who follows them will say so without being asked.

• The down payment is capped. It may not exceed ten percent of the contract price or one thousand dollars, whichever is less.
• Progress payments follow the work. Payments should not run ahead of the work completed and the materials delivered. A schedule that asks for half the price before demolition is a warning sign.
• You can cancel within a short window. For a home improvement contract signed at your home, you generally have three business days to cancel, and longer if you are 65 or older.
• The contract must be in writing. It must include the start date, a description of the work and the payment schedule, along with the notices the law requires.

The CSLB publishes these rules in plain language, and it is worth reading them before signing anything.

Questions to ask about older houses

These questions separate a contractor who has thought about older houses from one who has not:

1. What will you test before demolition? The answer should include asbestos and lead for houses built before the late 1970s.
2. How will you handle what you find behind the walls? Look for a clear process for pricing and approving extra work, not a promise that nothing will turn up.
3. What would you keep? A contractor who works on older houses should have opinions about which trim, doors, windows and plaster are worth saving, and should be able to explain them.
4. Will the wiring and plumbing be replaced or extended? Extending old circuits and pipes is cheaper now and costlier later.
5. Who checks the structure? For any wall removal or addition, an engineer should be involved, and the bid should say so.

Red flags

• A bid with no scope, only a total.
• Pressure to sign the same day, or a discount that expires tonight.
• A request to pull permits in your name instead of the contractor's.
• A down payment above the legal limit.
• No written contract, or a contract that leaves out the payment schedule.
• A license that is inactive, in someone else's name or in an unrelated classification.

None of these proves a contractor is dishonest, but each is a reason to slow down.

We are a Licensed remodeler based in Claremont, working on older houses across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. If you are comparing bids, ask us for a written scope you can set beside the others. Our whole home remodeling page shows how we plan a full job, and our kitchen remodeling and bathroom remodeling pages cover kitchens and baths in older houses.