Resource Guide
How to Choose a Contractor in the DMV
Published March 2026 by All Purpose Anytime Services LLC
You have three bids on the table and they don't agree on much. These are the six things we'd check before signing any of them, ours included.
1. Verify Licensing and Insurance
Maryland, DC and Virginia require contractor licenses. Get the license number and verify it with the state board. Confirm general liability (at least $1 million) and workers' comp: if an uninsured worker is hurt on your property, you could be liable.
2. Check Reviews and References
Look past the contractor's website: Google reviews, Yelp and the Better Business Bureau. Ask for three references from similar recent jobs. Read our customer reviews to see what our clients say.
3. Get Multiple Written Estimates
Get three written estimates. A bid far below the others often means cut corners, unlicensed subs or fees added later. A good estimate breaks out materials, labor, timeline and payment schedule.
4. Red Flags to Watch For
- Demands full payment upfront
- No written contract or vague scope of work
- Cannot provide proof of insurance
- Pressures you to make quick decisions
- No physical business address
- Refuses to pull necessary permits
5. Ask the Right Questions
Before you sign, ask how long they have been in business, who will be on site each day, what the warranty covers, how change orders work and how long the job will take. Get the answers in writing.
6. Trust Your Gut
If something feels off during the estimate, it usually is. Notice whether they showed up when they said, answered the questions you asked and put the scope in writing. Those habits don't improve once the work starts.
Hiring a general contractor: what people ask
How do general contractors charge, fixed price or cost plus?
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Both are common. A fixed price is one number for a written scope, with changes priced as they come up. Cost plus bills the actual labor and material costs plus a markup, which HomeAdvisor puts at 10% to 20% for overhead and profit, so the total isn't known until the end. A fixed price suits a scope that's fully defined. We give a written scope and price before work starts.
What does a general contractor's fee usually cover?
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Running the job: scheduling and supervising the trades, ordering and receiving materials, permits and inspections, insurance, site protection, cleanup and the office time behind all of it, plus profit. HomeAdvisor says general contractors most often charge 10% to 20% of the total project cost. In a fixed price the fee is built into the number, so ask what's included and what's only an allowance.
How much should I budget for a whole home renovation?
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We haven't found a published figure for this area we'd trust, and the range is too wide for one number to help you. Build the budget room by room. The kitchen is usually the biggest room, and Fixr's DC kitchen average is $35,775. Add the bathrooms, floors, paint and any system upgrades, and hold back a contingency for what opening walls turns up. A written estimate for your house is the real figure.
Why do general contractor quotes for the same job vary so much?
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Mostly because they aren't pricing the same job. One includes permits, protection, cleanup and finished flooring, another uses low allowances or leaves those out. Labor rates, insurance and how busy each company is change the number too. Put the quotes side by side item by item and ask each contractor what's excluded. A bid far below the rest has usually skipped something.
How much of a deposit should a general contractor ask for?
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In Maryland a home improvement contractor can't take more than one third of the contract price as a deposit, and nothing before the contract is signed. In DC only a licensed home improvement contractor can accept payment before the work is finished. Whatever the deposit, tie the later payments to stages you can see completed. A demand for full payment up front is a reason to walk away.
What does a general contractor actually do day to day on a project?
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Keeps the work moving in the right order. That means lining up each trade so the next can start, checking work is ready before the inspector comes, receiving materials, answering your questions, catching problems before they're covered, and keeping the site clean and safe. When something changes, the contractor prices it and gets your approval before the crew goes on.
How long does a whole home renovation take?
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Longer than any one room, and a lot of it is permits, since a whole house nearly always touches structure, wiring and plumbing. The order is design, permit, demolition, rough-ins and inspections, then finishes, with windows, cabinets and other long-lead items ordered early. We don't publish a standard timeline. Your schedule comes in writing with the proposal.
What permits does a general contractor pull for a renovation?
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The building permit, plus electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, which the licensed trade usually pulls. In DC they come from the Department of Buildings. In Maryland they come from the county, such as DPIE in Prince George's or the Department of Permitting Services in Montgomery, and in Northern Virginia from the county or city. We pull the permits and manage the inspections for our scope.
In what order does a general contractor schedule the trades?
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Demolition first, then framing and any structural work. The rough-ins follow, usually plumbing, then HVAC, then electrical, because pipes and ducts are harder to route than wire. Rough inspections come next, then insulation, drywall and primer, cabinets and trim, flooring, the final fixtures and devices, paint touch-up and the final inspection.
Should I hire a general contractor or manage subcontractors myself?
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Manage it yourself only if you can be on site, know the order the trades go in and can pull permits as the owner. You save the contractor's fee and take on the scheduling, the gaps between trades and the arguments over whose fault a problem is. With a general contractor, one company answers for the whole job.
What is the difference between a general contractor and a design build firm?
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A design build firm does the design and the construction under one contract. A general contractor builds from drawings made by an architect or designer you hired, though many handle simpler design themselves. Design build gives you one point of responsibility from the start. A separate designer gives you drawings you can take to several builders for prices.
Is it cheaper to renovate all at once or room by room?
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All at once is usually cheaper overall, because demolition, protection, permits, dumpsters and trade visits happen once and the work follows one sequence. Room by room costs more in total but spreads the spending and lets you live in the rest of the house. If you go in stages, do the work inside the walls first, so a finished room isn't opened again later.
What are the signs a general contractor is cutting corners?
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No permit on work that needs one, walls closed before inspection, a different crew every week, materials that don't match the contract, and answers that get vaguer as the job goes on. Wet framing being closed in, or flooring laid on a damp subfloor, is another. Ask to see inspection results, and walk the job before the walls are closed.
Why do renovation projects fall behind schedule?
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Late decisions on finishes, materials that arrive late, permit review and inspections on the jurisdiction's timetable, hidden conditions behind walls, and trades that don't turn up when the job is ready for them. A contractor should tell you which one is holding a date. We do, and we don't hand out dates we can't keep.
What do I do when my contractor and I disagree about the work?
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Start with the written scope and contract, since most disputes are about what was included. Put your concern in writing with photos and ask for a written answer. Keep paying for finished work as the contract says, and don't pay ahead. If it can't be settled, the Maryland Home Improvement Commission takes complaints in Maryland, and the Attorney General's consumer protection office takes them in DC.
How are change orders supposed to be handled?
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In writing, before the work is done. A change order describes the change, its price and any effect on the schedule, and you sign it before the crew starts. Verbal changes are where most billing fights begin. Ours work that way: anything outside the scope is priced and approved by you before we do it.
How do I verify a general contractor's license in Maryland or DC?
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In Maryland, search the Maryland Department of Labor's license lookup for a Maryland Home Improvement Commission license. In DC, use SCOUT from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection and look for a Home Improvement Contractor or General Contractor license. Match the name and number to the contract. Ours is Home Improvement Contractor License No. 420226000078, and we hold DC residential, DC contractor and Maryland contractor licenses.
What insurance should a general contractor carry?
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General liability, which covers damage to your property, and workers' compensation, so a worker hurt on your job isn't your problem. Ask for a current certificate of insurance and check the dates on it. Condo boards and commercial buildings often want to be named on the certificate. We carry both and send the certificate on request.
What should I check in a general contractor's contract before signing?
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The full scope, the price and which items are allowances, a payment schedule tied to finished stages, the start date and schedule terms, who pulls permits, how changes and hidden conditions are priced, the warranty, cleanup and the license number. In DC a licensed home improvement contractor has to give you the contract in writing. If something you were promised isn't in it, it isn't promised.
How do I find reviews I can trust for a general contractor?
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Read reviews on Google and other sites that show the reviewer's name, and look for detail about the job, whether it finished on time and how problems were handled. A few specific reviews tell you more than a pile of one-liners. Then call a reference from a job like yours. Ours are on Google, 5.0 from four reviews.
My contractor walked off the job. Can another general contractor take over?
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Yes, though the new contractor will price from what's actually there. Send the old one written notice, keep the contract and payment records, and check the permit, which may need to be transferred or reissued. We walk the job, find what passed inspection and what has to be opened, and give you a written scope and price for the rest.
Part of my renovation failed inspection. Who can fix it and finish?
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Start with the inspection report, which says what failed. The contractor who did the work should correct it, and if they're gone or won't, we can price the correction from the report and a walkthrough, make it, book the reinspection and finish the job. Work that failed shouldn't be covered before it passes.
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