What should you check before hiring a builder?
Check six things before you sign: the license, the insurance, a written estimate, who's on site, what past customers say, and how you'll get updates.
- Look up the license free at cslb.ca.gov before you sign anything.
- Ask for the insurance certificate and check the dates are current.
- Get a written estimate for the whole job, with the scope spelled out.
- Call two past customers whose jobs were like yours.
- Ask who pulls the permits and who sends you updates.
Check 1 · The licenseIs the builder's license real and current?
California licenses contractors through the Contractors State License Board, and anyone can look up a license free by number or company name at cslb.ca.gov. Ask for the number, then check three things:
- the license is active,
- it's in the name of the company you're dealing with, and
- it covers the kind of work you're hiring for.
Ours is CSLB #982830, and you can look it up the same way. A builder who hands over the number without flinching has already told you something useful.
Check 2 · The insuranceDoes the builder carry insurance, and is it current?
Insurance is what stands between you and a bill if someone gets hurt on your property or something in your house gets damaged. The CSLB warns that few unlicensed workers carry a bond or workers' compensation insurance (CSLB). Ask for the certificate and read the dates to make sure the coverage is current.
Check 3 · The priceIs the whole job in a written estimate?
An estimate that just says "kitchen remodel" and a number leaves too much room. Get the whole job in writing:
- what gets built,
- what materials go into it,
- what's included, and
- the estimated price for all of it.
Then ask what happens if you change your mind halfway through. In California, a change to the price or scope has to be written up as a change order and signed by you and the contractor before the change is made (CSLB).
our own crew, on our own jobs
"The process was clearly outlined, our vision of what we wanted in the kitchen was well documented and Ed and his staff were extremely hard working and professional."
Check 4 · The peopleWho will actually be in your house?
Some companies sell the job, then hand it to whoever is free that month. Ask four questions and get a straight answer to each:
- Who designs it?
- Who prices it?
- Who's on site while the work happens?
- Who do you call with a question?
At Valley Home Construction, the same team designs your project, prices it and builds it (our process page). Wherever you're shopping, get the answer before you sign.
Check 5 · The track recordWhat do past customers say?
Reviews show you the pattern. Read past the happy ones and look for how the builder handled a job that hit a bump. Then ask for two references from jobs like yours, and call them. Ask:
- what surprised them,
- how the builder handled it, and
- whether they'd hire the same company again.
Check 6 · The updatesHow often will you hear from them?
Ask what the updates look like and who sends them. Ask who pulls the permits and schedules the inspections, and whether you're expected to deal with the city yourself. On our jobs we pull the permits and set up the inspections, and you get updates in plain English as the build moves (our process page).
"They were responsive to any questions and concerns throughout the project."
Six checks before you hire a builder
- Look up the license yourself at cslb.ca.gov.
- Ask for proof of insurance and read the dates.
- Get a written estimate for the whole job, and ask how changes get approved.
- Ask who designs, prices, runs the site and answers the phone.
- Call past customers, and ask who pulls permits and sends updates.
Questions people ask before hiring a builder
How do I check a builder's license in California?
Why does a builder's insurance matter to me?
What happens if I change my mind halfway through?
What should I ask a builder's past customers?
How we verified this page
What we checked, what we couldn't, and who read it.
Published by Valley Home ConstructionChecked Sep 24, 20263 sourcesReported with AI
What this page is for
It gives a homeowner six checks to run on any builder before signing, most of which can be done from public records.
Who we wrote it for
A Sacramento-area homeowner about to hire a builder for a remodel or addition. It doesn't serve someone hiring for a small repair that needs no license.
Our lens
We're Valley Home Construction, a licensed Sacramento general contractor. We make money when a homeowner hires us, so we'd gain if you run these checks on us and on everyone else and pick us. Run them on us too.
Key facts
| Fact | Detail | Source, checked |
|---|---|---|
| License lookup | Free, by license number or company name | CSLB, Sep 24, 2026 |
| Unlicensed workers | Few carry a bond or workers' compensation insurance | CSLB, Sep 24, 2026 |
| Changes to the job | A written change order, signed before the change | CSLB, Sep 24, 2026 |
| Who runs a Valley Home Construction job | The same team designs, prices and builds it | Valley Home Construction's process page, Sep 24, 2026 |
| Permits and updates on our jobs | We pull the permits, set up the inspections and send updates in plain English | Valley Home Construction's process page, Sep 24, 2026 |
| Valley Home Construction's license | CSLB #982830, general building contractor | CSLB license lookup, Sep 16, 2026 |
| In business since | 1995, in the Sacramento area | Valley Home Construction's website, which has said 1995 since at least 2012 |
How we researched it
This page first ran on the old Valley Home Construction site with no sources listed. On Sep 24, 2026 we checked each claim against the CSLB's consumer pages and the company's own process page, and cut or rewrote what we couldn't support.
What we couldn't verify
Ed Lane hasn't reviewed this page yet; claims that needed his confirmation were removed. Whether every builder keeps an insurance certificate ready to send, which the old page said. We couldn't check that, so it's now advice to ask for one. We also removed the company's review rating and project count from this page's text, since we didn't re-check them for it.
Decisions we made
- We kept the six checks from the original page, since each one is something a homeowner can actually do.
- We replaced the old line about how our prices change with the state's own change-order rule.
- We kept the page's web address so existing links keep working.
Who wrote it
Reported with AI. Every claim checked against its source. Published by Valley Home Construction. Ed Lane hasn't reviewed this page yet; claims that needed his confirmation were removed.
Dates
- Published Aug 17, 2025
- Last checked Sep 24, 2026
- Check again by Mar 24, 2027
Changes and corrections
- Oct 2, 2026: we traced every line about how we work, and every quote from Ed Lane, back to its source, and corrected the source for our founding year. We simplified a photo caption.
- Sep 24, 2026: Ed Lane hasn't reviewed this page yet; claims that needed his confirmation were removed. We removed a line about daily job logs and group texts and now cite our process page for how updates work.
- Sep 24, 2026: moved from the old site, fact-checked and rewritten. Replaced 'your price moves only when you say so' with the CSLB change-order rule, softened the insurance-paperwork claim to advice, and moved the Google rating, BBB grade and project count out of the article text.
Sources
- CSLB, "What Kind of Contractor Do You Need?", checked Sep 24, 2026.
- CSLB, home improvement contract requirements, checked Sep 24, 2026.
- Valley Home Construction, Our process page, checked Sep 24, 2026.