Hiring a contractor, Greater Seattle Area
How to Find and Hire a Good Remodeling Contractor
Finding a good contractor takes four steps. Collect names from referrals and portfolios of work like yours. Check each one's registration, bond and insurance on the state L&I lookup. Compare at least three itemized written bids for the same scope. Then sign a written contract that covers the permits, the payment schedule and lien releases.
Below is each step, the Washington State rules behind it with their source, and how it works on our jobs in Seattle and on the Eastside. To talk through your project, Book a Consultation.
Where do you find remodeling contractors to call?
Start with people who just finished a remodel. Ask friends, family and neighbors who they hired and whether they would hire them again. Then look at each company's portfolio for finished jobs like yours.
Read the reviews on Google, Yelp and the Better Business Bureau, and read the comments, not only the stars. A pattern in the comments about schedule, cleanup or how a problem was fixed says more than one review.
For a kitchen or a fence, these guides go deeper: How to Find a Professional Kitchen Remodeling Contractor Near You and How to Choose a Fence Contractor and Plan Your Fence: 5 Tips. For several rooms or a whole house, see General Contractor Across the Greater Seattle Area.
Before the first call, write down the rooms, the scope (cosmetic, or plumbing, wiring and walls), your budget and when you want the work done.
How do you check a contractor's license, bond and insurance in Washington State?
Use the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) lookup at secure.lni.wa.gov/verify. State law says "Every contractor shall register with the department" (RCW 18.27.020(1), read October 2026). The L&I Hiring a Contractor page (read October 2026) says to use the tool to "Verify the contractor has an active license," "Ensure the contractor is bonded and insured for damages that may occur," and "Review a contractor's license history for previous lawsuits or license violations."
Search by the company name and by the registration number on the bid. Both should lead to the same record. Open the Workers' comp section of the same record to confirm the crew is covered (L&I, read October 2026).
| Check | What the law requires | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Every contractor registers with L&I. Working unregistered is a gross misdemeanor. | RCW 18.27.020 |
| Bond | $30,000 surety bond for a general contractor, $15,000 for a specialty contractor | RCW 18.27.040(1) |
| Insurance | $50,000 for property damage, $100,000 for injury to one person, $200,000 for injury to more than one person | RCW 18.27.050(1) |
| Disclosure | A notice about the bond and liens, given before work starts on home jobs of $1,000 or more | RCW 18.27.114(1) |
| Bond claim deadline | A homeowner sues on the bond within two years of substantial completion or abandonment, whichever comes first | RCW 18.27.040(3) |
Source: Revised Code of Washington, chapter 18.27, Washington State Legislature, read October 2026. The insurance may be replaced by an assigned account of the same amounts.
Is a contractor's bond enough to protect your remodel?
No. A $30,000 bond is small next to a remodel price, and it is shared. The disclosure every contractor must hand you says so in capitals: "THIS BOND OR DEPOSIT MIGHT NOT BE SUFFICIENT TO COVER A CLAIM THAT MIGHT ARISE FROM THE WORK DONE UNDER YOUR CONTRACT." It adds that the bond "is not for your exclusive use because it covers all work performed by this contractor" (RCW 18.27.114(1), read October 2026).
For a large job, L&I suggests you "Consider requesting a performance bond for larger projects" (Hiring a Contractor, read October 2026). If a registered contractor leaves work unfinished or done badly, the state Homeowner Recovery Fund can pay up to $25,000, depending on available funds (L&I, read October 2026). You must own and live in the home, win a superior court judgment ordered after July 1, 2026, and apply within 90 days after the case ends. Condominiums are excluded.
How many contractor bids should you get, and how do you compare them?
At least three. L&I says "Get at least 3 written bids and compare them carefully" (Hiring a Contractor, read October 2026). Give every contractor the same scope, so the numbers compare like for like.
Expect each one to visit before pricing. A usable bid describes the work from demolition to the last trim piece, lists labor, materials, subcontractors and permits on their own lines, and names what is left out. Those exclusions explain most gaps between bids. Our full home remodel pricing guide, for example, lists design, structural engineering and permit fees, and rot, mold, asbestos, lead or old wiring found at demolition, as not included in starting prices. Ask each contractor which of those their number covers.
Pick on what each bid includes. A low number that leaves out permits or demolition finds costs later.
What questions should you ask a remodeling contractor before hiring?
Ask these at the walkthrough, and note how fast and how clearly each contractor answers afterward.
- Which finished jobs like mine can I see, and can I call two of those clients? Ask the clients about budget, schedule, cleanup and how problems were handled.
- Who runs the job day to day, and who do I call?
- Which permits does this scope need, and who files them and books the inspections?
- When can you start, and how many weeks on site? There is often a wait.
- How are changes priced and approved?
- What warranty do you give, for how long, and is it in writing?
On our Kirkland bathroom, work began in January 2024 and the finished room was photographed on May 21, 2024. The project cost about $55,000. Ask for that kind of date and price history on past jobs.
What should a remodeling contract include?
Everything you agreed to, in writing: the scope room by room, materials and products by name, the start date and projected completion date, the payment schedule, proof of liability insurance and workers' compensation, how changes are handled, and a requirement that the contractor collects lien releases from every subcontractor and supplier. On home jobs of $1,000 or more, the contractor must also give you the RCW 18.27.114 disclosure "prior to starting work" (RCW 18.27.114(1), read October 2026).
Put every change in writing before the work is done. Keep a contingency line in your budget for what the walls reveal, which is normal in older homes, and agree that nothing extra is spent without your written approval.
How much deposit should you pay a contractor, and when is the final payment due?
Pay a deposit that reserves your start date and early material orders, then tie each payment to work you can see finished. Be cautious of a contractor who asks for the whole price, or most of it, before work starts.
The state disclosure lists two protections. First: "You may withhold a contractually defined percentage of your construction contract as retainage for a stated period of time." Second, lien releases: if a supplier or subcontractor is not paid, "your property may be liened to force payment and you could pay twice for the same work," so you may ask for original "LIEN RELEASE" documents from each one (RCW 18.27.114(1), read October 2026).
Hold the final payment until the work is finished, the final inspections have passed, the walkthrough list is closed and the lien releases are in your hands. Keep receipts for every payment.
Who pulls the permits for a remodel in Seattle and on the Eastside?
Your contractor should. Each city runs its own permit desk. A Seattle remodel gets its building and electrical permits from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections and its plumbing permit from Public Health, Seattle and King County. A Bellevue remodel goes through Bellevue Development Services. The estimate should name the permits your address needs and who files them. Do you need a permit to remodel in Seattle? covers which work needs one.
Be cautious of a contractor who suggests skipping a permit the scope needs. Permits bring inspections, and the inspections check the work against the code while the walls are still open. Our local pages, Home Remodeling Contractors in Seattle, WA and Home Remodeling Contractors in Bellevue, WA, show the work and the permit offices near you.
How do you check Volcano Builders the same way?
Run the same checks on us. Volcano Builders is registered with L&I as a general contractor under license VOLCABI792C6, and the record showed a $30,000 bond on file when we checked it on October 8, 2026. Our workmanship warranty covers installation and labor for 2 years from substantial completion, extendable up to 5 years for an added charge, and it does not transfer to a new owner.
Every job gets a written, itemized price before work starts, the permits filed by us, and one project manager from demolition to the final walkthrough. Our Renton condo in 2024 ran as one job: demolition, electrical, plumbing, tile, two bathrooms, paint and a plank floor through every room, in an order that kept each trade from undoing the last. That project cost about $150,000. We have finished over 200 projects, hold a 4.9 rating on Google, and the company is led by Bar Unger, with 20+ years in the trade.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I hire an unregistered contractor in Washington State?
You lose the protections that come with registration: there is no bond to claim on and no access to the Homeowner Recovery Fund. For the contractor, working unregistered is a gross misdemeanor (RCW 18.27.020(2)), and an unregistered contractor cannot go to court to collect payment for work that needs registration (RCW 18.27.080, read October 2026).
Do I need a general contractor, or can I hire each trade myself?
For one trade, such as a fence or a repaint, hiring that trade directly is common. For a remodel that touches several trades, a general contractor signs one contract, files the permits, schedules the electricians, plumbers and other trades, and books the inspections. Without one, you hire each trade yourself and line up every permit and inspection on your own.
What can you do if a contractor leaves your job unfinished in Washington State?
If you cannot resolve it with the contractor, you can file suit against the contractor's bond. If the contractor was registered and you still have losses after that, the Homeowner Recovery Fund may help. Damage to a person or property caused by the contractor's negligence may be covered by the contractor's liability policy, so contact that insurer directly (L&I Problems With a Contractor, read October 2026).
