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When it comes to choosing your doctor or your baby sitter or your remodeling contractor, you want to choose the right person for the job. Like anything in life,  it all starts with the right person. Choosing a remodeling contractor to help you plan and execute the kitchen or bathroom of your dreams can make the difference between wanting to do more projects or wanting to move to a home that already has what you want. Decide up front what the most important aspect for the project will be: function, budget, or finishes. Making decisions about choices during your project will be easier if you have a focus on what to base them on . When choosing a remodeling company to work with, use the following tips to avoid headaches and frustrations.

Contractor interviews

Sit down, in person, with the contractor you are considering. Part of choosing your remodeling contractor should be their ability to communicate with you and indicate their processes for how they accomplish a project and how they communicate with the homeowner. Ask a ton of questions. Some examples are:

• What time do you start every day?
• What time do you end?
• How many crew members will I expect to see on a given day?
• Will you be here every day?
• How do we go about exchanges ideas?
• How long does a project like this take?
• Of the last 5 jobs you did, did you complete them on time and on budget?
• What were the last 3 project you completed?
• How was your working relationship with the homeowners?
• When challenges arise, how do you handle them?
• If you could change on thing about your last project, what would it be?

Try and get an idea if this is a contractor you'd want to have in your house for the next few weeks to few months. If it is, the contractor is still in the running. If not, cross them off the list and move on.

Past remodeling work

A good contractor will have a website they can direct you to or will have photos of the remodeling projects they’ve completed in the past. A good contractor will show an array of projects and budgets (unless they strictly specialize in high end or kitchens only) and will be able to tell you if the budget you have is reasonable for the project. A good contractor will also be able to give you recommendations on how to best utilize the budget you have,and which aspects of the remodel to play up to give you the most bang for your buck. Ask them to give a few examples of the ideas they offered on a project that saved homeowners resources by utilizing their recommendations.

Ask for contractor references

Ask for and check any references you are provided. Ask for the references on the last 3 jobs they did. Ask for a reference for the same type of remodeling project you are looking to undertake. When you call the references, have a list of specific questions and ask each of them the same questions. Some example questions might be:

• What time did the crew arrive each day?
• Did they communicate with you on a daily basis?
• How were changes or challenges handled?
• Were they easy to have in the house?
• Did they complete the project on time?
• Did they complete the project on budget?
• Did they offer any creative ideas that you did not think of?
• If you had to do one thing differently, what would it be?
• Would you hire them for another project?
• Have you referred them to anyone else?

These questions will give you the insight you need to be comfortable with your final decision for hiring the right contractor for your project.

Follow these tips and your remodeling project as most problems are the result of a lack of communication. Get the information you need to make a good decision on hiring a contractor and your remodeling project will go smoothly!