What questions should I ask a contractor before hiring one?

Q: What are the eight questions worth asking?

Are you licensed for this type of work? In Utah, ask for the DOPL license number and look it up yourself. The classification has to match the job. Are you insured, and can I see the certificate? You want general liability coverage. That protects your property if the contractor damages it. If they have employees, ask about workers' compensation too. Who is actually on my job? Some contractors sell the job and disappear. Ask who runs the site day to day, and how much of the work is subcontracted. Subcontractors are the specialty trades a general contractor hires, like plumbers and electricians. Have you done this exact kind of project? A builder who frames houses is not automatically the right person for a kitchen. Ask to see two or three finished jobs like yours. How do you handle surprises? Every remodel finds something. The right answer involves a written change order: a signed document

What are the eight questions worth asking?

Are you licensed for this type of work? In Utah, ask for the DOPL license number and look it up yourself. The classification has to match the job.
Are you insured, and can I see the certificate? You want general liability coverage. That protects your property if the contractor damages it. If they have employees, ask about workers' compensation too.
Who is actually on my job? Some contractors sell the job and disappear. Ask who runs the site day to day, and how much of the work is subcontracted. Subcontractors are the specialty trades a general contractor hires, like plumbers and electricians.
Have you done this exact kind of project? A builder who frames houses is not automatically the right person for a kitchen. Ask to see two or three finished jobs like yours.
How do you handle surprises? Every remodel finds something. The right answer involves a written change order: a signed document that states what changed, what it costs, and how it moves the schedule. The wrong answer is "we'll work it out."
What is the payment schedule? Payments should follow completed work. Be careful with anyone who wants a large share of the money before anything happens.
Who pulls the permit? For permitted work, the contractor should pull it. A contractor who asks you to pull your own permit is often hiding a licensing problem.
Can I talk to your last three clients? Not their three favorite clients ever. The last three. Recent references tell you how the business runs today.

What answers should worry me?

Watch for these:

No license number, or excuses about why it is "in process."
Cash-only pricing or a discount for skipping the permit.
A bid far below everyone else's with no scope attached.
Pressure to sign today because the price "goes up Friday."
Nothing in writing.

None of these are quirks. Each one shifts risk from the contractor to you.

Do I really need to ask all this?

Yes, and a good contractor wants you to. These questions take fifteen minutes. They protect a project you will spend real money on. When a homeowner asks me these things, it tells me they are serious, and serious clients get the best version of every builder.

I would rather earn the job through clear answers than charm. If you are interviewing contractors in St. George, Salt Lake, or the Wasatch Back, ask me all eight. Then ask the other bidders the same list and compare what you hear.