Read reviews/talk to past clients; look at past work; take note from the first communication of whether your working styles are likely to align (e.g. taking an inordinate amount of time to respond to emails would be a red flag for me).

ask friends for recommendations; check Houzz reviews (and other places like Angie's List). make sure you have a good sense of what you want to do, so you can ask them to evaluate the same project, both for comparable bids and because you'll see how their thought processes differ.

Try to meet and talk to them on a charity tour of kitchens or a home and garden show or have them do a small job first to see if you have any ‘chemistry’. We just went through a seven month kitchen reno and I think I would have died had I not liked our contractor. And I think we had a better outcome because we fed off each others strengths and weaknesses. And he liked coming to our house to do the follow ups instead of putting us off for later—he put the other folks off to do our work.

Now I’m no expert on budget planning with a contractor. We ran way over but that was OK with us—I wanted things done in a particular way and that costs $$. 🙃

good luck!

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5332686/10-tests-for-you-and-your-contractor-s-first-meeting

We are in the middle of a whole house remodel/addition. We found the name of a local contractor; he seemed to have a great reputation. Then - he arrived at the house inspection (we had an offer on the house) - said that he would like to attend, since our designer was going to be there to start drawing up plans for the addition. The contractor came to the meeting (arrived on time), offered good suggestions about how things could be done. In subsequent encounters/meetings with him, he was always prompt and acted like he had already been hired, even though we hadn't offered him the job. I was tickled by his confidence! We are now one month into the project; it is going well, and the contractor seems to be doing a great job looking out for us and for his crews (we are in the upper midwest, so weather is occasionally a factor)......online references are great, also ask around town - at church, at the gym - word gets around about who is a good contractor.

We are just starting the process and have learned a lot so far. For example, one contractor said he would get a quote to me within 2 days...well 21/2 weeks later no quote. Even if he submits one now, I will not hire him. Don’t give me promises without following through.

I'm thankful for a lot of my husband's qualities but one of the ones I'm most thankful for is his ability to do nearly any construction trade and do it well (he's a perfectionist but still picks apart is own work). He's a carpet installer by trade. Designed and built most of our house and then again when we doubled the size. He was the contractor for our daughter's Southern Living Home build 4-5 years ago. It's just one of those God given talents. What's his one vice? Plumbing! It's about a 50/50 chance something will go wrong LOL

Yelp is a good start, asking your neighbors on nextdoor.com might get you a lead. People love to suggest their resources if they are good and complain if they are bad. (My contractor was wonderful -- if you're in NYC drop me a message.) I agree with Kirsten that communication is vital. You want someone who answers their texts, emails and calls promptly. I wouldn't be too harsh on spelling, because for a lot of people in this industry, English is a second language. But if their math is bad, take note. You want someone who can handle measurements accurately!

Remember that a contractor is not a designer. They are not there to create a backsplash design for you or to tell you the best location for your sconce lights. They are there to install the backsplash and wire the lights. You have to have an initial Scope of Work written out, along with some Design Documentation, in order to even accurately evaluate any bids. If you arent very specific, the assumption will be the cheap and easy way. That leads to change orders that cost you money. Selection of the right Kitchen Designer who can do all of that, and who has previous relationships with pre screened contractors, can save you a lot of time and money.

If you are acting in the role of designer, you’re responsible for creating those design documents that communicate anything important with any of your contractors. Floor plans, wall elevations, material lists, tile patterns, grout colors, paint color and sheen, and any and every detail that is important for everyone on the site to know and do. That is the information that the contractor uses to come up with a budget, and to do the job.

I appreciate your helping me understand the role of the designer. There is a lot to learn in this process. Thanks!