How do I choose a general contractor?
Choose a contractor with an active California license, current insurance, and a written estimate for the whole job before any work starts.
- Look up the license number for free on the CSLB website.
- California requires a license for jobs that need a permit, use hired help, or cost $1,000 or more in labor and materials.
- Get a written estimate for the whole job before demo starts.
- Ask who runs your site every day and who answers the phone.
- Call two past customers before you sign anything.
Check 1 · The licenseIs the contractor actually licensed?
A licensed general contractor in California has an active CSLB license number, and you can look it up yourself for free before you sign anything. California requires a CSLB license when a job:
- needs a building permit,
- uses hired help, or
- is worth $1,000 or more in combined labor and materials.
Ask for the number, then check it on the CSLB website. The number should never be a hard question. A builder who hands it over right away has already told you something useful. Valley Home Construction holds CSLB license #982830, and the company has been remodeling homes in the Sacramento area since 1995.
Check 2 · The contractWhat should be in writing before you sign?
Your written contract should spell out five things before any work starts:
- A written estimate for the whole job, not a range.
- The full scope of what gets built.
- The payment schedule.
- The start and finish dates.
- How a change gets priced and approved before anyone builds it.
A real contractor gives you a written estimate before demolition starts, and every change is priced and approved in writing before the work is done (CSLB). If a contractor can't put a total in writing, you have your answer about whether they're ready to be hired.
our own work, from build to finish
"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 3 · The peopleWhat questions should you ask before you hire?
Ask every contractor you're thinking about hiring these four questions, and get a straight answer to each one:
- Who designs the job?
- Who prices it?
- Who is actually on site while the work happens?
- Who picks up the phone when something changes?
Also ask whether design comes with the price, so you know what you're paying for before you pay anyone separately for drawings. With us, design is included.
Check 4 · The trustWhy does trust matter as much as price?
A remodel means handing someone the keys to your kitchen or bathroom before you've seen a single day of their work. So the choice comes down to whether the person standing in your kitchen answers your questions plainly, and says so when they need to go find something out.
A contractor's history of finished, permitted jobs in your own area is the closest thing to proof you get before you sign. That's why asking for two references, and actually calling them, is worth the time.
"They were responsive to any questions and concerns throughout the project."
What to check before you hire a contractor
- Look up the contractor's CSLB license number yourself, for free.
- Get a written estimate for the whole job before demolition starts.
- Make sure the contract covers scope, payments, dates and how changes get approved.
- Ask who designs, prices, runs the site and answers the phone.
- Call two past customers before you sign.
Questions people ask about hiring a contractor
Do I need to check a contractor's license before hiring?
What should be in a remodel contract before you sign it?
How many contractors should I get bids from?
Should I hire a contractor who wants to skip permits?
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 helps a Sacramento-area homeowner decide how to vet a general contractor before hiring one, including what to ask and what belongs in the contract.
Who we wrote it for
A homeowner about to hire for a kitchen, bathroom, addition or whole-home remodel in the Sacramento area. It doesn't serve someone hiring for a small repair under $1,000 that needs no permit and no hired help, since that job doesn't require a license in the first place.
Our lens
We're Valley Home Construction, a licensed Sacramento general contractor. We make money when a homeowner hires us, so we have reason to want you to hire someone licensed and clear about pricing. We answered every question on this page the same way we're telling you to ask it.
Key facts
| Fact | Detail | Source, checked |
|---|---|---|
| When California requires a license | Work that needs a building permit, uses hired help, or is worth $1,000 or more in combined labor and materials | CSLB, Sep 24, 2026 |
| Valley Home Construction's license | CSLB #982830, active, 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 to check any contractor's license | Free lookup by name or number | CSLB, Sep 16, 2026 |
How we researched it
We opened the CSLB's own guidance on when a contractor license is required, last checked Sep 24, 2026, and our own process page for how we price and design. The two reviews on this page are quoted word for word from Google.
What we couldn't verify
Ed Lane hasn't reviewed this page yet; claims that needed his confirmation were removed. How other Sacramento-area contractors handle design pricing or staffing. We couldn't check that independently, so we removed our earlier comparison of outside designers and national franchises.
Decisions we made
- We led with the license and the written estimate, because those are the two checks a homeowner can run before ever meeting a crew.
- We left out a ranking of other Sacramento contractors, since we have no independent data to back one.
- We kept what goes in writing and what to ask on this one page, because a homeowner asks all three questions at once.
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 Sep 16, 2026
- Last checked Sep 24, 2026
- Check again by Sep 16, 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.
- Sep 24, 2026: Ed Lane hasn't reviewed this page yet; claims that needed his confirmation were removed. We removed an unchecked comparison of outside designers and national franchises.
- Sep 24, 2026: new page layout. We now state the license number and the founding year separately, and corrected the interview date to Aug 19, 2026.
Sources
- CSLB, "What Kind of Contractor Do You Need?", checked Sep 24, 2026.
- Valley Home Construction, CSLB license #982830 (license lookup, cslb.ca.gov).
- Valley Home Construction, Our process page, checked Sep 24, 2026.