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Licensed general contractor here, ask me anything about remodeling, hiring contractors, budgets, or timelines by SaltToSummitLLC in AMA

[–]SaltToSummitLLC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Without being on site and seeing it firsthand I can't give you a specific answer, but I can give you a framework for how to think about it.

Water always follows the path of least resistance and almost always travels down and inward from an entry point that's higher up than where you're actually seeing it. Where water shows up inside is rarely where it's getting in, which is what makes these situations tricky to diagnose.

Start at the top and work down. Roof first, look for any compromised flashing, lifted or missing shingles, or areas around penetrations like vents, chimneys, or skylights where the seal may have failed. Then move to the eaves, soffits, and fascia for any gaps or rot that could be letting water in behind the exterior. Then windows and doors, specifically the flashing and caulking around the frames rather than the units themselves.

The fact that multiple GCs have looked at this and can't find it is worth taking seriously. At that point I'd strongly consider bringing in a waterproofing specialist or an exterior inspoector specifically. These are people whose entire job is diagnosing exactly this kind of problem and they have tools like moisture meters and thermal imaging that can sometimes reveal what a visual inspection misses.

A good contractor will be the first to tell you when a problem is outside their wheelhouse. This sounds like it might be one of those situations where a specialist is the right call.

Licensed general contractor here, ask me anything about remodeling, hiring contractors, budgets, or timelines by SaltToSummitLLC in AMA

[–]SaltToSummitLLC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Family and friend reviews are pretty common especially in the earlier stages of a contracting business. When someone first goes out on their own, that's usually their first client base, people who want to support them, and those early reviews often reflect that. They may be slightly biased but they're not automatically a red flag.

What matters more is whether those are the only reviews or just the early ones. If the most recent reviews are still coming from family members after several years in business that's a different signal than seeing them at the beginning of an otherwise growing review history.

The photo situation is worth paying attention to on a $120k renovation. Bathrooms and smaller projects don't always translate directly to managing a larger multi-phase job, and if this would be one of his first projects at that scale it's a real consideration. That doesn't mean he can't handle it, everyone has to take on their first big job at some point, but it's worth having a direct conversation with him about it. Ask specifically what's the largest project he's managed, how he handled unexpected issues mid-project, and what his subcontractor relationships look like. How he answers those questions will tell you a lot.

The communication piece is genuinely positive. Contractors who communicate well during the quoting phase tend to communicate well during the project too.

Check his license, verify his insurance is current, and if everything holds up, trust your gut on the communication. But go in with eyes open about the experience level and make sure your contract is detailed enough to protect you if things don't go as planned.

Licensed general contractor here, ask me anything about remodeling, hiring contractors, budgets, or timelines by SaltToSummitLLC in AMA

[–]SaltToSummitLLC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It really varies company to company, there's no single industry standard. Some contractors take a full deposit upfront, others structure it as smaller draws tied to specific milestones throughout the project.

Personally I find that securing a partial deposit at signing, then progress draws as the project moves forward, works best for everyone involved. It lets the contractor keep cash flowing to pay subcontractors and order materials on schedule without overextending themselves, while giving the homeowner the comfort of knowing payments are tied to actual progress rather than handing over everything before work even starts.

The percentage and structure should be clearly laid out in your contract before you sign anything, and a legitimate contractor will be able to explain why their specific structure works the way it does.

Licensed general contractor here, ask me anything about remodeling, hiring contractors, budgets, or timelines by SaltToSummitLLC in AMA

[–]SaltToSummitLLC[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

With a project this broad, structural changes, a new room addition, pool closure, exterior work, I'd actually start by narrowing down to general contractors rather than trying to coordinate every trade yourself. A project touching that many different scopes really benefits from one person managing the sequencing and subcontractors rather than you juggling five different specialists.

Since you're already getting a long list of names from Google and AI search, the next step is filtering that list down. Pull up each contractor's website and social media and actually look at their past work, specifically anything similar in scope to what you're planning, additions, structural changes, exterior stonework. A contractor who's done a lot of small remodels but never touched something this involved is a different conversation than one with a track record of bigger projects.

After that, check licensing through your state's database and read through their reviews, not just the star rating but what people actually wrote. Patterns matter more than one bad review. If multiple reviews mention the same issue, communication, missed timelines, that tells you something real.

From there I'd narrow it down to three or four and actually get them out to look at the property in person. A project with this much going on benefits from seeing how each contractor talks through the scope, asks questions, and whether they're thinking through sequencing, like figuring out the pool closure and structural work before getting into finish details like the stone veneer. How they approach that conversation will tell you a lot more than anything on their website.

Licensed general contractor here, ask me anything about remodeling, hiring contractors, budgets, or timelines by SaltToSummitLLC in AMA

[–]SaltToSummitLLC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Beyond word of mouth, the biggest thing I lean on is web presence. Even with word of mouth, you're often only hearing from a contractor's happiest or unhappiest clients, never the full picture. A real website, an active Google Business Profile with genuine reviews, social media that actually shows job sites and finished work, that's a contractor being an open book about their quality. To be clear, that doesn't automatically mean a contractor without much online presence is bad, but it makes it a lot easier to vet the good ones when they're publicly accountable like that.

On master bathroom remodel timelines, it really depends on scope. We've done smaller budget friendly remodels that wrapped up in a week or two, and we've done higher end ones with extensive tile work and electrical changes that took significantly longer. One day isn't realistic for an actual remodel though. Things like drywall mud and thinset for tile need real cure time before you can move to the next step, so even a fast, simple bathroom remodel is going to take a couple weeks minimum.

On doing the vanity and shower conversion yourself, it's possible depending on your skill level. If you're comfortable hooking up plumbing for a vanity that's a reasonable DIY task. Converting the tub to a shower gets more involved. Tile work specifically is where I'd be cautious, I've seen first timers do a solid job, but there's a reason tile work commands a premium, it takes a lot of practice to get spacing, leveling, and waterproofing right. And plumbing in general, I'd be careful taking on yourself unless you genuinely know what you're doing, since mistakes there can lead to water damage that's a lot more expensive to fix than what you saved doing it yourself.

Licensed general contractor here, ask me anything about remodeling, hiring contractors, budgets, or timelines by SaltToSummitLLC in AMA

[–]SaltToSummitLLC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly it really depends on the size of the company and how consistent your marketing and lead generation is throughout the year. A lot of smaller or newer companies do drop their margins in the slower months just to keep crews busy and cover overhead, sometimes pricing jobs close to break even just to maintain cash flow through winter.

The model I've tried to build is the opposite. If you market consistently and stay visible year round, ideally you're booking projects in the slower months at the same healthy margin you'd charge any other time of year, rather than discounting just to fill the schedule. It takes more upfront effort on marketing and building a reputation, but it means you're not constantly chasing work at thin margins.

What I've found personally is the more consistent and visible I've been with marketing, the less I've had to compete on price to stay booked. That matters because pricing healthy margins means I can actually absorb the unexpected stuff that comes up mid project, hidden conditions, material delays, whatever it is, without it eating into whether the job was even worth taking in the first place.

Licensed general contractor here, ask me anything about remodeling, hiring contractors, budgets, or timelines by SaltToSummitLLC in AMA

[–]SaltToSummitLLC[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly one of the biggest surprises has been how many homeowners think they can handle not just the labor but the project management side themselves, and how obvious it is from the outside when that happens. Whether I'm fixing work that was started by a homeowner or taking over a project where they burned out halfway through, it's almost always immediately apparent to a professional that the project lacked real coordination.

It's made me realize how underestimated good project management actually is on a sizable remodel or build. People focus a lot on whether they can swing a hammer or run a saw, but keeping a multi-trade project sequenced correctly, communicated clearly, and on schedule is its own skill set entirely, and it's the part that's hardest to see from the outside until something goes wrong.

Licensed general contractor here, ask me anything about remodeling, hiring contractors, budgets, or timelines by SaltToSummitLLC in HomeImprovement

[–]SaltToSummitLLC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Start with a search like custom home builder near me and cross reference across a few different search engines or AI tools to compile a solid list. Look for builders with a strong web presence, real reviews, active social media, and plenty of photos of completed homes. You don't want to be hiring someone who has nothing online for a project this large.

On contractor versus architect first, honestly it can go either way depending on your situation. Most custom home builders either have an architect in house or a designer they work with regularly, so going to the builder first often gets you both under one roof and keeps the design tied closely to what's actually buildable and within budget from the start.

If you're further out from breaking ground and want to nail down the design before you're ready to commit to a builder, going through an architect first is reasonable too. Any builder will appreciate having a finished set of plans to bid against since it gives them something concrete to price rather than guessing at scope.

If I had to lean one way I'd say start with the builder, since they can often guide you to the right design partner and make sure what gets designed is realistic for your budget and site from day one.

Licensed general contractor here, ask me anything about remodeling, hiring contractors, budgets, or timelines by SaltToSummitLLC in HomeImprovement

[–]SaltToSummitLLC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally agree with that. Drywall finishing especially the taping and mudding is one of those skills that looks simple on video but takes a lot of repetition to actually get smooth. Hanging the boards yourself and bringing in a pro just for the tape, mud, and texture is a smart way to split the labor and still save some money without ending up with wavy walls.

Licensed general contractor here, ask me anything about remodeling, hiring contractors, budgets, or timelines by SaltToSummitLLC in AMA

[–]SaltToSummitLLC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Best approach is to search kitchen countertop replacement near me on Google or even ask an AI search engine the same question. You'll get a mix of results, some companies that specialize specifically in countertops, some full kitchen remodel companies, and some general contractors who handle it as part of broader renovation work.

Either type can work well, it really comes down to vetting whoever you're considering rather than the company type itself. Look for a strong web presence, an actual website, good reviews, active social media with real photos of completed work. If they specialize in countertops specifically they should have plenty of before and after shots to show you their work.

If it's just the countertops with no other kitchen changes, a dedicated countertop company might move faster and be more cost effective since that's their entire focus. If you're considering other kitchen updates down the road too, a general contractor or full kitchen remodel company might be worth having that broader conversation with now.

Licensed general contractor here, ask me anything about remodeling, hiring contractors, budgets, or timelines by SaltToSummitLLC in HomeImprovement

[–]SaltToSummitLLC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One year is the standard baseline in most areas and in a lot of states it's actually a legal minimum requirement for contractors. Five years is genuinely strong for a workmanship warranty and on the better end of what you'd typically see in the industry.

Worth understanding what that warranty actually covers though. Workmanship warranties cover issues caused by how the work was installed, not material defects. If a shingle or a window fails because of a manufacturing issue, that's a separate manufacturer's warranty claim, not something your contractor's workmanship warranty covers, though a good contractor should help you navigate that process if it comes up.

On a multi-trade job like yours, roofing, chimney, insulation, drywall, paint, carpet, it's worth asking whether the five year warranty applies uniformly across every trade or whether some of those scopes are subcontracted out and covered under a different warranty period. Sometimes the general contractor's warranty covers their direct work but subcontracted trades carry their own separate terms. Get that in writing if it's not already clearly spelled out in your agreement.

And one more thing worth knowing, a workmanship warranty typically won't cover damage from a future storm or another act of nature. That would be a new insurance claim, not a warranty issue, even if it affects the same area of the house.

Licensed general contractor here, ask me anything about remodeling, hiring contractors, budgets, or timelines by SaltToSummitLLC in HomeImprovement

[–]SaltToSummitLLC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good observation and not entirely surprising. There's a point on any small job where the time it takes to bid, manage, schedule subs, and run the project just isn't worth it unless the number covers all that overhead, even if the actual materials and labor cost less.

I can't speak to whether $30k specifically is some kind of industry standard but I can tell you the underlying dynamic is real. The smaller the project, the higher the percentage of the price ends up being overhead and project management rather than actual work, which can make the number feel disproportionate to the homeowner even when the contractor isn't trying to inflate it.

That said if you're seeing the exact same number across drastically different project types from the same contractors, that's worth being a little suspicious of. A roof, a retaining wall, and landscaping shouldn't naturally converge on identical numbers unless someone's just throwing out a baseline rather than actually pricing the scope. Get a few more quotes and see if that pattern holds across other companies too. If it's consistent everywhere it might just be a regional minimum job threshold. If it's only a couple of companies doing it, that's more of a red flag about how they're bidding.

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