What should a remodeling contract include?

Q: What are the nine essentials?

The parties. Legal business name, license number, and contact information. The name on the contract should match the name on the license. The scope of work. The heart of the document. What is being built, with what materials, at what grade. "Remodel bathroom" is not a scope. "Demo to studs, new 60-inch tiled shower with listed tile, new vanity per allowance" is. The price. The total, and whether it is fixed or cost-plus. Allowances, placeholder budgets for unpicked items, should each be listed with their dollar amount. The payment schedule. Payments tied to completed milestones, not calendar dates. The timeline. Start date, estimated completion, and what happens when delays occur. The change process. Changes happen on every remodel. The contract should require a written change order, signed by both sides, stating the cost and schedule impact before the changed work begins. Permits and in

What are the nine essentials?

The parties. Legal business name, license number, and contact information. The name on the contract should match the name on the license.
The scope of work. The heart of the document. What is being built, with what materials, at what grade. "Remodel bathroom" is not a scope. "Demo to studs, new 60-inch tiled shower with listed tile, new vanity per allowance" is.
The price. The total, and whether it is fixed or cost-plus. Allowances, placeholder budgets for unpicked items, should each be listed with their dollar amount.
The payment schedule. Payments tied to completed milestones, not calendar dates.
The timeline. Start date, estimated completion, and what happens when delays occur.
The change process. Changes happen on every remodel. The contract should require a written change order, signed by both sides, stating the cost and schedule impact before the changed work begins.
Permits and inspections. Who pulls the permit. On a contractor-run job, the contractor should.
Insurance. A statement of the contractor's general liability coverage, and workers' compensation if they have employees. Ask for the certificate itself too.
Warranty and disputes. What the contractor warrants, for how long, and how disagreements get handled before anyone calls a lawyer.

What gaps cause the most fights?

After the vague scope, which causes the most by far, the usual suspects:

Allowances with no numbers. "Tile allowance" means nothing. "Tile allowance: a set price per square foot, materials only" means something.
No exclusions list. A good contract also says what is NOT included. Landscaping repair, painting adjacent rooms, moving furniture. Unspoken assumptions are dispute fuel.
Silent on debris and cleanup. Who hauls the demolition away, and what does daily condition look like?
No substantial-completion definition. When is the job "done"? Tie the final payment to a walkthrough and a completed punch list, the closing list of small fixes.

Should I sign a one-page contract?

Length is not the test. Completeness is. I write agreements as tight as the content allows because padding hides things, but every one of the nine items is in there. Be more cautious of a twelve-page contract that never quite defines the scope than a three-page one that nails it.

Read every page before signing, and treat "we don't need all that paperwork, you can trust me" as the biggest red flag in this business. Contracts are not about distrust. They are the shared memory of what everyone agreed to, written while everyone still agrees.

Want a second set of eyes?

If you have a remodeling contract in hand anywhere in St. George, Salt Lake, or the Wasatch Back and something feels thin, compare it against this list. And when I bid your project, put my contract through the same test. It will pass, and a contractor worth hiring will not mind you checking.