How to Find a Good Contractor, From an Owner Who Started Out Finding Them for Investors
Updated: Oct 20
Short answer: To find a good contractor, start with referrals from people who had the same kind of job done, then go see a finished job like yours. Judge the first contact: how fast they call back, whether they look at the space before they price it, and how many questions they ask about your house. Before you sign, get proof of insurance, a written scope that names the materials, and a payment schedule tied to finished work.
Before he ran Husky Cara, our owner Gregory "Caesar" Erving found contractors for other people.
As he tells it in the interview below, his real estate clients were investors living overseas. They kept asking him to recommend a contractor, then asked him to go check the work, then started paying him to manage it. "It just became a job."
So here's how to find a good contractor, from the side of the table most homeowners never sit on: the person checking whether the work was any good.
Caesar on Tuned in with Tony (2023). The part about how he got into remodeling starts at 1:08.
Where do you find a good contractor?
Your first names should come from people who had the same kind of job done in the last few years, in a house like yours. Next come review sites where you can read what went wrong and how it got fixed. Anyone who finds you first, by knocking on your door, belongs at the bottom of the list.
A neighbor's great deck builder may never have finished a basement. So ask what the job was and when it was done. The NAHB's checklist for hiring a remodeler also suggests asking past customers whether they'd hire the company again.
If you bought your house recently, ask your real estate agent too. Agents walk through a lot of remodeled houses, so they're a good source of names.
For reviews, use sites the company doesn't control. The BBB's hiring guide points out that businesses in its directory always get a chance to answer complaints, so you see both sides. Then search the company's name with words like "complaint" or "scam" and read what comes up.
See a finished job like yours
For Caesar's investor clients, checking a contractor meant going to look at the work. You can do the same. Ask for a finished job close to yours, with the town and the year, and a homeowner who'll take your call.
The closer the match, the more it tells you. A basement pulls framing, electrical, plumbing and HVAC into one job, and we often get hired to finish basements that someone without that experience started. One of them is the real job in our basement remodeling cost guide: we redid most of the framing before the work passed the city's inspection.
How can you tell a good contractor from the first call?
Watch three things before you ever see a price: how quickly they get back to you, whether they come out and look at the space before they quote it, and how many questions they ask. A number given over the phone is a guess, and a contractor who talks more than he listens is selling before he understands the job.
The first call is the only sample of their communication you get before you sign. The NAHB asks whether you can easily communicate with the remodeler, because you'll be in close contact with them for the whole job. We call back within 12 hours of a request.
Then count the questions. Caesar's answer to how he wins jobs against cheaper bids is "Education is the key." In the interview he explains that he asks questions, takes notes and listens before he suggests anything. He says: "Customers work with who they like, period. I've had customers who flat out told me, this guy charged less money, but I went with you because I actually felt comfortable working with you."
A good contractor will also tell you no. Caesar says he turns down jobs where the budget can't buy the finish the homeowner is asking for, because "Their expectations are not real." Hearing that at the walkthrough beats finding out halfway through the job. His rule for himself: "Commit, but don't commit to something you're not capable of coming through with."
What should you check before you hire a contractor?
Before you sign, get the scope, the price and the payment schedule in writing, with payments tied to finished stages of the work. Don't pay the full amount up front, and don't make the final payment until the job is done and you're happy with it. The FTC gives the same advice.
Payments. In the interview, Caesar explains why he doesn't ask for a large amount up front. A small percentage gets the project going, then there's a draw after each phase is finished, and nothing is due on the last payment until the job is complete.
Permits. Ask which permits your job needs. A good contractor can tell you before you sign, and our Alpharetta permit guide shows which office covers your street.
For everything else, from insurance certificates to lien waivers, put your last two or three names through the same 10 questions to ask a contractor before hiring.
Red flags that mean keep looking
The first three are on the FTC's list of home improvement scam signs. The last one comes from the NAHB.
They knock on your door because they're "in the area," or they have materials left over from another job.
They want everything paid up front, or they only take cash.
Financing has to go through a lender they know.
They can't show you a finished job like yours. The NAHB's advice if a contractor won't give you past customers to call: "beware."
How to check us the same way
Hold us to everything above. We started in 2016, we've won Best of Houzz for Service every year from 2021 through 2026, and we're rated 4.8 out of 5 on Houzz. You can read every review there. Our package prices for kitchens, bathrooms and basements are on this site, so you know the range before anyone visits.
Caesar moved to Georgia in 2014 and started over with small jobs: backsplashes, powder rooms, a fireplace. Clients trusted him with full kitchens and basements only after that. As he puts it, "nobody wants to be the first one." That's the same test we'd want you to use on anyone.
Book a walkthrough, ask to see a finished job like yours, and ask us every question on the list.
FAQ
How do I find a good contractor in my area?
Start with neighbors and friends who had the same kind of job done nearby, then check reviews on Houzz, Google and the BBB. Ask each contractor which towns they work in most. In North Fulton every home sits inside a city with its own permit office, and our Alpharetta permit guide shows which one covers your street.
What should a good contractor ask you at the first visit?
What you want the room to do, how you use it now, your budget, and when you need it finished. In a basement, they should also ask about water history and check for a plumbing stub-out, which our basement cost guide explains. If they don't ask much, they're pricing a job they haven't understood.
Does it matter how long a contractor has been in business?
It's one signal among several. The NAHB notes that a financially sound remodeling business usually takes three to five years to establish. A newer company can still do good work, so weigh time in business alongside finished jobs you can see and past customers you can call.
Gregory "Caesar" Erving owns Husky Cara Fine Homes in Alpharetta, founded in 2016. The company has won Best of Houzz for Service six years running, 2021 through 2026, and is OSHA certified.
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