Rules
Part of Old House Projects Planning: Scope Through Closeout
Questions for an old house projects contractor
Use these old house projects contractor questions to verify preservation methods, licenses, lead safety, insurance, references, and payment terms before hiring.
What to take away
- Verify licenses and insurance yourself, from the issuing body, not from a photograph the contractor sends you.
- A certificate of insurance should name you and should be sent by the insurer or agent, not forwarded by the contractor.
- Look at finished work in person and at work in progress. The second visit tells you more.
- Refuse large deposits and front-loaded payment schedules. Pay for work completed.
When you vet an old house projects contractor, separate the interview from the independent checks. Ask about methods, then verify the paperwork below before any money moves.
Verify what can be verified
- Contractor licensing: use the state licensing board or other authority that issues the required license. For example, California homeowners can search the Contractors State License Board. Check the exact business name, license number, classification, status, and complaint or disciplinary record. If a bond is required, confirm its status with the licensing authority or surety.
- Insurancerequest current general liability and workers’ compensation certificates sent directly by the agent, listing you as certificate holder. Verify the insurer’s authorization through your state department of insurance, then contact the insurer or agent using independently obtained contact information to confirm the certificate. Certificate holder status does not make you an insured.
- Business standingsearch the Secretary of State’s official business-entity records for the legal entity name and registration status.
- Lien and complaint historysearch the county recorder’s or clerk’s official property records for mechanics liens, and check the state contractor board’s complaint search and your state consumer protection office.
- Hazard credentialsfor covered work in a home built before 1978, ask whether the firm is certified under the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule or an authorized state program. Verify it through EPA’s Lead-Safe Certified Firms search or the state program’s registry. Ask how the firm will provide EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet before covered work and document delivery as required.
A missing or unverifiable record is an answer in itself. Lead-safety credentials matter whenever covered work disturbs paint in a pre-1978 home, not just on windows; the questions that separate a sash restorer from a replacement salesperson go well beyond paperwork.
Contractor verification checklist
- Licensesearch state or county board directly
- Insurancecertificates from agent, you as holder
- Business standinglegal entity name and registration
- Lien and complaint historycounty and state records
- Lead-safe certification if house predates 1978
Test technical depth without an argument
You are not trying to catch anyone out. You want to know whether the crew works from published method or from habit. A light way to test it is to mention a source and watch the response.
- “What is the exact legal business name and license number for the crew doing this work, and which authority issues the license?”
- “Can your agent send current general liability and workers’ compensation certificates directly to me, and who should I contact to verify them?”
- “Is your firm certified under the EPA RRP Rule for this pre-1978 home, and where can I verify the certification? Will you provide EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet before covered work and document its delivery?”
- “Which parts of the original window sash can be repaired, and what condition would make you recommend replacement?”
- “If repointing is in scope, how will you choose compatible mortar and protect the existing masonry?”
- “What original plaster can be retained, and what would require replacement?”
- “Does this work need approval from the local historic preservation commission or landmark authority, and who will confirm that before work starts?”
- “How will you keep the building weather-tight while openings are exposed, and what is your temporary-protection plan?”
- “Which work will be subcontracted, and who is responsible for daily supervision?”
Reading the source response
Mention Park Service technical notes and Standards training
knows them: works from published method
dismisses both: works from habit, a warning
The National Park Service’s Preservation Briefs and Preservation Tech Notes offer illustrated guidance on specific repairs, including windows, woodwork, masonry, and temporary protection. Both are available through the NPS Technical Preservation Services website. The Park Service also offers training on applying the Standards for Rehabilitation, the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. A contractor who has heard of neither the guidance nor the standards is not disqualified, but a contractor who dismisses both is telling you something.
Look at real work
| Visit | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Finished job, two or more years old | How repairs have weathered, paint adhesion, joint condition |
| Job currently in progress | Site tidiness, dust control, protection of adjacent finishes |
| The firm's own shop, if it has one | Stored sash, tooling, whether work is done in house or jobbed out |
Ask each reference one open question: what went wrong, and how was it handled. Every project has something. A reference who claims otherwise has not thought about it.
Two more checks are worth the drive. Ask to see a job the firm finished for an owner who is no longer a client, rather than only the flagship project from last month.
Look at how the crew treats parts nobody photographs: the back elevation, the basement stair, the temporary weather closure.
Payment terms worth refusing
Large up-front deposits, cash-only discounts, payments that run ahead of completed work, and unpriced allowances are the four terms that cause the most trouble.
A reasonable structure ties payments to defined milestones, holds a final retainage until the punch list closes, and prices change orders in writing before the work happens.
For more detail on technical and hazard topics, see our restoration hiring questions; the start-to-finish project guide shows where hiring fits in the overall order of work.
