The questions that actually protect you aren’t about how long a remodeler has been in business. They’re about whether they’ll put their registration number, their insurance, their payment schedule, and every promise in a written contract you can hold them to. Ask those, and a smooth talker with no paperwork gives himself away in about five minutes.
The questions to ask a remodeler before you sign fall into three jobs: confirm they’re who they say they are, pin down exactly what you’re paying for and when, and get every answer in writing. Here in Pennsylvania, some of those answers are required by law, and one question does more to protect you than all the rest combined, and it isn’t the one about experience.
The Questions to Ask a Remodeler Before You Sign
Most lists of contractor questions are really about comfort: how long have you been doing this, do you enjoy the work, can I see some pretty photos. Those are fine warmups. They’re not what keeps you safe.
The questions that keep you safe do three things. They confirm the remodeler is who they say they are, they pin down exactly what you’re paying for and when, and they put every answer in writing. A good remodeler answers all of them without flinching, because they’ve got nothing to hide. A bad one gets vague, rushes you, or asks you to trust them instead.
Ask each question below out loud, and listen as much for the ease of the answer as for the answer itself.
Are You Registered, Insured, and Willing to Prove It
Pennsylvania has no general contractor license, so there’s no license number to check. What the state does require is registration. Any contractor doing more than $5,000 of home improvement work a year must register with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and carry a PA Home Improvement Contractor number.
Ask for three things and confirm each yourself:
- Their PA Home Improvement Contractor registration number. It should start with “PA” and you can verify it on the Attorney General’s website in under two minutes.
- A certificate of insurance sent directly from their insurer, not a photocopy they hand you. It should show general liability coverage.
- Workers compensation coverage for anyone on your property. If a worker is hurt on your job and the contractor carries no workers comp, you can be the one left liable.
A remodeler who’s registered and insured will have these ready and won’t mind you checking. Hesitation here is the reddest flag there is. Our full playbook for vetting a contractor in Pennsylvania walks through exactly how to run these checks.
Who Actually Does the Work
The person who sells you the job is often not the person swinging the hammer. You want to know who’ll be in your home for the next several weeks.
- Are the crew your employees or subcontractors? Neither answer is wrong, but it changes who’s accountable and whose insurance covers what. If they use subs, ask whether those subs are insured too.
- Who is my single point of contact once the work starts? You want one name and one number, not a different stranger every morning. A dedicated project manager is a sign of an organized operation.
- Will you pull the permits? A confident remodeler pulls the permits in their own name, which means they stand behind the work at inspection. A contractor who asks you to pull the permit yourself is quietly shifting the liability to you.
What Does the Written Contract Include
This is the question that protects you more than any other. Not because a contract is glamorous, but because in Pennsylvania a home improvement contract is legally required to spell out the things a dishonest contractor would rather leave vague.
A compliant PA contract must be in legible writing, signed by everyone, and it must include:
- The contractor’s name, address, and PA registration number.
- Their insurance information.
- A detailed description of the work and the materials, not a one line summary.
- The total price, the amount of any deposit, and the full payment schedule.
- Approximate start and completion dates.
- A notice of your three day right to cancel.
If a remodeler wants to start on a handshake or a one paragraph estimate, that’s not a shortcut, it’s a warning. Ask them to put the whole job in writing, and make sure the scope of work you defined before calling them is written into the contract line by line. Anything that isn’t in the contract doesn’t exist when there’s a dispute.
How Do You Handle the Deposit and Payments
Money is where good intentions meet reality, so get the structure in writing before you sign anything.
Pennsylvania law caps how much a contractor can ask for up front. For a contract over $1,000, the deposit can’t exceed one third of the total contract price, including the cost of any special order materials. A remodeler asking for half the job in advance, or the whole thing, is either unaware of the law or hoping you are.
Ask these directly:
- What is the deposit, and what does it cover? One third or less is the legal ceiling, and special order materials can justify the upper end.
- What is the payment schedule tied to? You want payments tied to real milestones (demo complete, rough in passed, cabinets set), never to dates on a calendar. Milestone payments keep the work moving.
- When is the final payment due? The last payment should come after the final walkthrough and any punch list items are done, not before.
Never pay the full amount up front, and be cautious about paying large sums in cash with no clear receipt. The payment schedule is your leverage: as long as you owe money tied to unfinished milestones, the job stays a priority.
What Happens When Something Changes or Goes Wrong
No remodel of any size goes exactly to plan. What separates a professional is how they handle the moment it doesn’t.
- How do you handle change orders? The right answer is a written change order that both of you sign before the work or the cost changes. If a contractor changes the price with a verbal “oh, that’ll be extra,” you’ve got no protection. Understanding how change orders work before you sign keeps a surprise from becoming a fight.
- What warranty do you offer on labor and materials? Get the length and the coverage in writing. Labor and materials are often warrantied separately, and manufacturer warranties on fixtures and appliances are separate again.
- What is your cleanup and daily process? Where do materials go, how is dust contained, what happens at the end of each day. These small answers tell you how they’ll treat your home.
- How do we resolve a disagreement? A remodeler who has thought about this and answers calmly has been through it before and come out fine.
What to Do With the Answers
You’re not just collecting answers, you’re comparing them. Line up two or three remodelers and their responses side by side.
- If one remodeler dodges the registration or insurance questions, cross them off. This isn’t a close call.
- If the bids are far apart, the answers usually explain why. A low number often hides a thin scope, a small allowance, or a plan to make it up in change orders. Knowing how to compare estimates apples to apples turns a confusing spread into a clear decision.
- The remodeler who answers everything plainly, puts it all in writing, and doesn’t pressure you is usually the one worth hiring, even if they aren’t the cheapest.
The goal isn’t to trap anyone. It’s to find the person whose answers are already clean, because that’s the person whose job will be clean too.
The Three Day Right You Have After You Sign
Even after you sign, Pennsylvania gives you a safety net. You have the right to cancel a home improvement contract within three business days of signing, for any reason, and the contract itself must tell you so.
You don’t need a lawyer or a special form. Clearly tell the contractor you’re canceling, within the three day window, and that’s enough. If a remodeler acts like this right doesn’t exist or tries to talk you out of it, that tells you everything about how the rest of the job would go.
Use the three days if you feel rushed or unsure. A remodeler worth hiring will still be there on day four.
FAQ
What questions should I ask a contractor before signing a contract?
Focus on the questions that protect you: their PA registration number, proof of general liability and workers compensation insurance, who does the actual work, what the written contract includes, the deposit and payment schedule, how change orders and warranties work, and your right to cancel. Ask them out loud and notice how easily each one is answered.
What should a home improvement contract include in Pennsylvania?
By law it must be in writing and signed, and include the contractor’s name, address, and PA registration number, their insurance information, a detailed description of the work and materials, the total price, the deposit amount, the payment schedule, approximate start and finish dates, and a notice of your three day right to cancel.
How much deposit should I pay a remodeling contractor?
In Pennsylvania, no more than one third of the total contract price for any contract over $1,000, and that one third can include the cost of special order materials. A contractor asking for half or the full amount up front is a warning sign. Never pay the entire job in advance.
Can I cancel a remodeling contract after I sign it?
Yes. Pennsylvania gives you three business days to cancel a home improvement contract for any reason, and the contract must state this right. You just need to clearly tell the contractor you’re canceling within that window.
Should I pay a contractor in cash?
Be careful. Cash with no clear receipt leaves you no record of what you paid or when. Pay in a traceable way tied to a written payment schedule, and always get a receipt for any deposit.
Who is responsible if a worker is hurt on my property?
If the contractor carries workers compensation insurance, their policy covers it. If they don’t, you could be held liable, which is exactly why you confirm workers comp coverage before anyone starts.
Is it rude to ask a contractor a lot of questions before signing?
No. A professional expects it and welcomes it, because clear questions lead to a clear contract that protects both of you. A contractor who’s annoyed by reasonable questions is telling you how the whole project will feel.
Ready to work with a remodeler whose answers are already in writing? 570 Remodeling is licensed, fully insured, and local to Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County, and every job starts with a clear scope and a transparent, fixed price contract. Call us or request a free quote, and ask us every question on this list.
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