You might want to work with an independent design consultant to design the kitchen. Once the plans are ready, then approach several contractors for a bid. Just like you, I wouldn't go near a contractor who doesn't want to pull the permits nor one who uses a sub who doesn't follow the code.

It's a painful process, but will be worth the effort in the long run. Good luck.

Weiss - Good thought. I rather like the idea of keeping things separate. One stop shopping can be a one stop pleasure or a one stop house of horrors.

Here are ten question's to ask a contractor, before hiring.sharaz

You should not just hire a contractor without asking them questions. Your home is one of, if not the, prized possessions in your life and you want to make sure the best possible job is done on your home, no matter what needs to be worked on. By asking the contractor you are looking to hire pertinent questions you can be more comfortable with them being able to do the job.

Here are 10 questions you should ask your perspective contractor before you decide the hire them. There are many contractors out there that can do the job to your specifications, so if you are not comfortable with any answer they give then you may want to look into another contractor.

1. How long have you been a contractor? You should look for a contractor that has experience. You should also check with your local Better Business Bureau and see I they have had complaints lodged against them. You have to be aware that just because the contractor does not have complaints on their record does not mean they have not had problems in the past, as many problems do not go reported.

2. Are you state and county licensed? Make sure that you see their contractor's license and make sure it is for your state and that the license is current. You can find out the licensing requirements in your area by checking with your local building department.

3. Have you completed projects like mine? This will let you know if the contractor is familiar with the type of project that you are looking to have done.

4. Will I need a permit for my project? Many states and localities will require you to have a permit for building projects. Good contractors will get the necessary permits before they start work on the project and if they ask you to get the permits it should be a red flag and you should not use them.

5. Can I see some references? The contractor that you are looking to hire should have a few references of happy customers. Make sure the references have phone numbers so you can get in touch with the people.

6. Who will be the supervisor of my project? The contractor will already have a crew in mind if it is a project that takes more than one person. If the contractor is not going to be there for the project, or even if they are away a lot, make sure you know the supervisor so you can communicate with them.

7. Who will be working on the project? You need to be able to trust workers, as many times they will be inside your home. You may also have children around and you need to make sure they will be safe.

8. When can you start the job? Get a set date on when they can start the project.

9. When can you finish the job? You should be able to get a date that they should be finished by. There are complications that do come up in projects but the contractor should have an idea on when the project will be finished.

10. What kind of insurance do you have? Contractors are required to have worker's compensation, liability, and property damage coverage. You should ask the contractor for a copy of their insurance certificate and make sure their insurance is current, and will be on the date that they give you for the completion of the project. It is vital that you do not do any business with a contractor that is unlicensed. If you do you can be liable for damages and/or injuries that happen at your project site.

Wonderful pointers. Some of these questions came up today.

One man said that his crew does it all - tiling, electrical, plumbing, you name it. He had never heard of sanded caulk.

Another man said that he uses licensed subs only. That was much better, however he advises his clients to never talk with the subs. Everything has to go through the GC. Hmm.

I think I would rather hire subs that answer to me, not to a middle man.

Gotta think this out.

We will try another batch next week-end.

Can you get any recommendations from anyone? We were able to quickly choose based on reputation, but we live in a smaller town.

plumeria,

having been through a horror with a contractor, it's hard to believe, but I agree about having communications go through the general contractor. I say this mainly because he is the one that is responsible for making payments to the subs and for pricing the job. If subs are asking you questions, you have to remember that they may not be looking at the "whole picture" of the job - only the part that their subspecialty handles. Imagine how you'd feel if one seemingly minor change with the electrician meant costly changes to another phase of the project down the road. Chances are, you'll have a liaison on the project to whom the subs will bring questions and then that liaison will bring them to you. If you want the subs answerable to you, then you don't want a general contractor situation. Also, while every sub won't be perfect, if a GC has a team, you have to think that perhaps these subs are more willing to "get it done" for the GC since he is a steady stream of income and you are just one job. The GC can probably get the plumber back on shorter notice to install a temporary sink than you can.

I just hired a new contractor and I can tell you, I practically curled up in a ball the day I signed the contract. But so far, so good. He's very anticipatory about production and lead times and the future aspects of the job (e.g. we have a very tight crawl in one area, so he had the drain and waste lines run *now* rather than when they would typically be done. Could I get a plumber there on an hour's notice? Not likely. How much would it cost me for them to have to pull up the subfloor? A lot.)

I did ask him the questions shaz suggested and I also insisted on meeting *recent* clients. These contractors can go bad in an instance it seems, so five years ago means *nothing* in terms of your project.

Also, ask you contractor how he deals with neighbors. At least for me, this has a been a big issue because of the nature of my project. My contractor met with all the neighbors and gave them his card and they've all come over to let me know how respectful his crews are (even though they get there early!). They are especially impressed that he has the crew sweep the street to remove any wayward nails.

Just for a break from your interviews you may enjoy this essay-compares some contractors to "bad boyfriends." Rang true to me!

Here is a link that might be useful: bad boyfriend contractors

plumeriavine I've seen some of your other posts. I think you are ready to use the free Ikea kitchen planning tool and to begin figuring out how much of the work you'll do as solo responsible for hiring and deciding everything, and how much you'll get done by someone who will be responsible for getting everything done by others. I don't know the scope of your kitchen reno but I get a hunch you'll consider being the one in charge of everyone at all times, if you can find the right handymen and specialists.

grlwprls is right about the subs answering to the contractor. The contractor is responsible for the schedule and budget. Clients can make changes in the field that cause problems down the line. The various trades don't know the big picture. When you check references ask if the contractor is always available to answer your questions and direct the subs. Ask about how problems are resolved and that should be your answer.

Be sure to see the projects they give as references because calling is not a reliable way to know if these references are relatives or clients who are afraid to say anything negative because they won't get their project finished.

Ask how many jobs the contractor typically runs at one time. Ask him how often he personally is on-site, and who is the onsite supervisor when he is not there. Ask specifics about his subs--are they licensed, where do they come from, and how long has he used them.

When you get to the point of calling references, ask them to tell you about 3 or 4 problems that arose during their project and how they were resolved (if they tell you there were no problems they're not being truthfull). This is in addition to the through lists and comments above.