Read this before you sign a remodel contract

A remodel contract should be boring. If it reads like a slogan, it is not done. You are agreeing to let someone open your house. The paper should say what gets opened, what it costs, how you pay, and how either of you changes your mind.

Money follows work

A deposit that covers mobilization is normal. A schedule that asks for most of the contract before materials are on site is not. Tie draws to things you can see: demolition complete, rough-in inspected, drywall hung, cabinets set. Pay for stored materials only when you know where they are and that they are yours.

Change orders in writing, including the small ones

The expensive sentence in a remodel is “while you’re here, can you also…” It is a fair sentence. It is also a different price and sometimes a different inspection. A builder who nods and keeps a mental tab is setting up an argument at the end. We write the change, the cost, and the days, and we both sign it before the work.

Three lines worth finding

• The license number of the contractor, matching the qualifier on the permit.
• What is excluded: landscaping, appliances, hidden rot, HOA fees, engineering if the wall is not what we thought.
• How warranty calls work after you move the furniture back.

If a contract will not survive those three lines, do not soften them to be polite. Polite is how people pay twice.