--- title: "Questions to Ask a Remodeling Contractor Before Hiring | Global Green Solutions & Remodeling" description: "Questions to ask a remodeling contractor before you hire in North Texas: city registration, licensed trades, insurance, Texas payment and contract rules." source: https://ggsremodelingtx.com/blog/questions-to-ask-a-remodeling-contractor/ --- Planning & Stress-Free Remodeling # What Questions Should You Ask a Remodeling Contractor Before You Hire? Call (214) 833-5834 [Book a free consultation](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/contact/) Questions to ask a remodeling contractor before you hire in North Texas: city registration, licensed trades, insurance, Texas payment and contract rules. Call (214) 833-5834 [Book a free consultation](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/contact/) By [Global Green Solutions & Remodeling Staff](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/about/) · October 24, 2026 The questions to ask a remodeling contractor before you hire are the ones whose answers you can check: Are you registered with my city? Are the electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors on my job licensed? Will you pull the permit? Can I see your certificate of insurance? Can I call clients whose jobs were like mine? Will the contract list the scope, the dates and a payment schedule tied to finished work? Texas adds rules that most hiring checklists leave out. Before you sign, the contractor owes you the state’s disclosure statement; on a homestead job over $5,000, your payments go into a construction account; and the law has you hold back 10 percent of the price until 30 days after the work is finished. The sections below show how to check each answer yourself, in records the contractor does not control. To put these questions to us, [contact our team](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/contact/). ## How do you check a contractor’s city registration, licenses and insurance? Look each one up yourself instead of taking a yes over the phone. Cities such as Plano, Frisco and Richardson register contractors; the state licenses the trades that do electrical, plumbing and air conditioning work; and insurance is confirmed by the agency that wrote the policy. What to check Where to check it What should match City registration The city where the house is: Frisco's eTRAKiT search lists currently registered contractors, and Richardson lets you verify a contractor's registration online The company name on your contract Trade licenses The state agency for each trade: the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) for electricians and air conditioning contractors, the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners for plumbers The licensed tradesperson who will do that work on your job Liability insurance The certificate of liability insurance (ACORD 25 form), then a call to the insurance agency it names The insured company and policy dates that cover your project Registration rules differ from city to city, so ask which ones the contractor holds. Plano requires every contractor to register with the city before doing any work, and its tips for homeowners say to insist on a current license for electricians, plumbers, air conditioning contractors and irrigation contractors. Richardson also requires all contractors to be registered to work in the city. Frisco links registration to insurance. A contractor registers with the Building Inspections Division by sending its insurance information and copies of its master’s licenses, and the registration number it receives is set to expire with its general liability policy. An expired Frisco registration is a reason to ask for a current certificate of insurance; a current one does not prove the policy is still in force today, so make the call to the insurance agency described below. Our pages on [home remodeling in Plano](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/service-areas/plano-tx/) and [home remodeling in Frisco](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/service-areas/frisco-tx/) cover each city’s permit rules. For insurance, ask for the same document Frisco asks contractors for: an ACORD 25 certificate, which names the insurance agency with its phone number and the insured company. Check that the insured name is the company you are signing with, then call the agency and ask whether the policy is active for your project dates. A certificate is a snapshot; the agency knows whether the policy is still in force. ## Should you pay a contractor 50% up front? Not as a rule. Neither the Texas Attorney General’s home improvement guide nor the City of Plano’s contractor tips names a deposit percentage; both say to pay part of the cost before work begins and never the whole job in advance. Plano’s tips are blunt: never pay for a project in advance, though a small retainer or a payment for the materials your job needs may be appropriate. The Attorney General expects a partial payment before work starts, and points out that asking for full payment in advance is how door-to-door scams take a homeowner’s money and leave the job unfinished. So the better question is what the upfront payment buys: materials ordered for your project, or a place on the schedule, are reasons you can see. On your homestead, Texas adds a safeguard of its own. When a written contract to improve the home you live in is for more than $5,000, the contractor must deposit your payments in a construction account at a financial institution, and the account’s statements must call it a “construction account” (Texas Property Code 162.006). The Attorney General suggests asking for written proof that the account exists, watching what is paid out of it to subcontractors and suppliers, and writing your access to its records into the contract. ### What is a typical payment schedule for a contractor? A typical schedule ties each payment to a stage of the job that is finished and that you have looked at before paying: a first payment at signing or for materials, progress payments as stages are completed, and a final payment after the walkthrough. That is how the Attorney General describes a partial payment schedule. Texas law then adds a reserve and two documents you should receive along the way. Payment Before you pay, check At signing or for materials The contract has no blanks, you have the state's disclosure statement, and on a homestead job over $5,000 you have written proof of the construction account. Before construction starts, the contractor owes you a list of the subcontractors and suppliers it plans to use, unless you waive it in writing. Progress payments The stage named in the contract is done and, where the city inspects it, the inspection has passed. Each payment request comes with a disbursement statement naming at least the subcontractors hired directly by the contractor that it intends to pay from that payment. Final payment The punch list is finished, the site is cleaned up, and you have the contractor's final bills-paid affidavit, which states that everyone has been paid or lists what is still owed and to whom. Withhold any amount it lists until that subcontractor or supplier releases its claim, and sign a certificate of completion only then. The 10 percent reserve Held back from the start and kept until 30 days after the work is completed. If a subcontractor or supplier sends you a written claim, the disclosure statement explains what to withhold. The reserve is not a penalty on the contractor. Texas Property Code 53.101 has the owner hold back 10 percent during the work and for 30 days after completion, because a subcontractor or supplier who is not paid can claim a lien on your home even though you never hired them. The state’s disclosure statement warns that if you skip the reserve and a valid claim, made in time, goes unpaid by the contractor, you may be personally liable up to the amount you did not hold back. Write it into the schedule from the start, so the last payment holds no surprises for either side. Tub and shower remodel, walls still openFraming and wiring can be seen only until the walls close, which makes this a natural stage to check before a progress payment. ★★★★★ > "Work was completed on time. Workers were polite and courteous. Very professional. Vlad my representative was very detailed on what I was purchasing and made sure I was satisfied with the job." Millie W.[Google review](https://maps.google.com/maps?cid=8519883468884983869) ## What are the red flags when hiring a contractor? Slow down, or walk away, when you see any of these. Each one is a warning the Texas Attorney General or the City of Plano gives homeowners, or a step Texas law requires that is missing. Full payment before work starts Plano says never to pay for a project in advance; the Attorney General links it to contractors who take the money and leave. "You don't need a permit" Plano tells homeowners never to use a contractor who says so. Work done against city rules can complicate insurance and a later sale. "You pull the permit" Plano's handout warns that if you obtain the permit for a contractor, you become responsible for their work. Pressure to sign today A contractor should leave the contract with you to read at your own pace. Be suspicious of one who will not. Blanks in the contract Blanks get filled in after you sign, and rarely in your favor. A bid far below the others It may leave out work you expect, or count on cheaper labor and second-rate materials. No business address Plano suggests asking for the contractor's place of business; you need to be able to find whoever worked on your house. A registration you cannot find Not in the city's records, or expired. In Frisco, registration is set to expire with the contractor's liability policy, so ask for a current certificate. A lien contract with no notary A notary other than the salesperson must witness your signature. "We'll notarize it later" is a warning. No disclosure statement Texas requires the contractor to hand it to you before you sign a residential construction contract. ## How do you compare remodeling bids fairly? Make the bids describe the same job before you compare their prices: price only helps you choose a remodeling contractor when every price buys the same work. The Attorney General notes that most legitimate bids fall into a fairly close range, so quotes that are far apart often price different work. Plano suggests getting at least three. 1. **Give every contractor the same written scope.** List each room, what is removed, built and kept, and the products by model or grade. The Attorney General suggests naming even the grade or thickness of materials. 2. **Put the bids side by side, line by line.** For a kitchen, give cabinetry, countertops, tile and backsplash, lighting and electrical, flooring, and plumbing fixtures and appliances a line each. A line one bid has and another lacks is your first question. 3. **Mark every allowance and every exclusion.** An allowance is a placeholder price for a product nobody has chosen yet; our guide on [why remodels go over budget](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/blog/why-remodels-go-over-budget/) shows how allowances and change orders raise the final bill. 4. **Ask the low bidder what is not included.** A low number can mean missing tasks, cheaper labor or lower-grade materials. 5. **Compare the terms, not only the totals.** Who pulls the permit, how payments are scheduled, the start and finish dates, how changes are priced, and what warranty is written in. Term to compare Why it changes the real cost Permits and inspections Plano warns that a homeowner who obtains the permit for a contractor's work becomes responsible for that work Payment schedule More money up front means more of your money at risk before anything is built Start and finish dates An open-ended schedule can mean more weeks without a kitchen or bathroom Change order pricing Contractors usually charge for changes to the work order; the price of a change should be agreed before it is built Warranty A promise left out of the written contract may not be enforceable in Texas ## What should a remodeling contract include? A remodeling contract should say what will be built, when, for how much, how you will pay, and how changes are handled, with every promise the contractor made written in. Texas spells much of this out in the disclosure statement contractors must give you, and adds rules for contracts on your homestead. - **The work:** each item described, with the products and materials named. - **The time:** the start date and the completion date, or the estimated time to finish. - **The price:** the cost, or how it will be worked out, including special orders and materials. - **The payments:** the schedule, the 10 percent reserve and the conditions for the final payment. - **Changes:** how a change order is requested, priced and approved before the work changes. - **Every promise, the warranty included:** the disclosure statement warns that a promise left out of the written agreement may not be enforceable. - **Permits:** who obtains them and who schedules the inspections. - **On a homestead:** the “Important Notice” warning, printed in at least 10-point bold type, that you can lose ownership rights in your home if you do not meet the contract’s terms. - **Over $5,000 on a homestead:** the construction account, and your access to its records. - **Arbitration on a homestead, if any:** a clause sending disputes to binding arbitration has to be in at least 10-point bold type, or it cannot be enforced against you. If the contract gives the contractor a lien on your homestead, Texas sets conditions for that lien to be valid. Among them, for work that repairs or renovates the existing house, the Texas Constitution (Article XVI, Section 50(a)(5)) requires a written contract with the consent of both spouses, signed only at the office of a third-party lender, an attorney or a title company, and giving you three days after signing to cancel without penalty. If you applied in writing for credit to pay for the work, the contract cannot be signed before the fifth day after that application. The rescission and waiting-day rules have an exception for urgent health and safety repairs you acknowledge in writing. The Property Code adds that the lien contract is signed before work or materials are provided and filed with the county clerk, and the Attorney General says a notary other than the salesperson must witness your signature. Have an attorney review any contract that creates a lien on your home before you sign it, read every page, and keep a copy of everything you sign. Tub and shower remodel, beforeThe one-piece fiberglass tub and shower unit the remodel replaced. The same bathroom, finishedA contract that names the tub, the tile and the fixtures leaves no doubt about what the finished room should look like. The contract can only be as specific as the plan behind it. In our [planning-first remodeling process](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/process/), scope, budget, schedule and every selection are set before construction starts, so the contract describes a finished plan instead of a rough idea that gets decided during the build. ## Questions about who is responsible for the work ### How long is a contractor liable for their work? The warranty in your written contract sets what the contractor stands behind and for how long, so read it before you sign and make sure every promise about the work is in it: the state’s disclosure statement warns that a promise left out of the written agreement may not be enforceable. Specific warranties on remodeling work are defined in your project contract. Separately, the 10 percent reserve protects you for 30 days after completion against claims from subcontractors and suppliers the contractor did not pay. ### Who should pull the permit, you or the contractor? Usually the contractor. The City of Plano’s handout tells homeowners to be especially wary of a contractor who suggests they obtain the permit for the contractor’s work, because a homeowner who does becomes responsible for that work. In Frisco, most permits cannot be submitted until the contractor’s registration is current. Ask to see the permit before work starts, and follow the inspection results as the job goes on, as Plano advises. ## Ask us the same questions We expect every question on this page. Global Green Solutions & Remodeling is licensed, bonded, and insured (License #992930), with 15+ years serving homeowners. Our team plans and designs the remodel with you, then builds it as the general contractor, managing every trade and milestone from permits to the final walkthrough. We have offices in Plano and Dallas and work within about 20 miles of Plano. To see how we work as a [home remodeling contractor](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/) in Dallas and Plano, start on our homepage, or [schedule a free consultation](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/contact/) and bring this list with you. Planning & Stress-Free Remodeling [Explore Our Process →](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/process/) Why planning before construction saves time, money, and stress. ## More in this guide - [Why Remodels Go Over Budget](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/blog/why-remodels-go-over-budget/) - [What Is a Planning-First Remodel?](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/blog/what-is-a-planning-first-remodel/) ## Ready to plan your remodel? Get a clear scope, budget, and schedule before construction begins. [Schedule a Free Consultation](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/contact/) ## Ready to plan your stress-free remodel? Schedule a free consultation. We'll listen to your goals, walk your space, and align on vision, priorities, and investment. [Schedule Free Consultation](https://ggsremodelingtx.com/contact/) Call (214) 833-5834