Why This Decision Matters So Much
A home addition takes months, costs tens of thousands of dollars, and happens in the place where your family lives. The difference between a good contractor and a bad one is not just the finished room — it is your sleep, your schedule, and your savings. Take the vetting process seriously. An hour of checking now can save you months of regret.
Start With the License
In Florida, anyone doing structural addition work must hold a state certified or registered contractor's license. You can verify any license yourself through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) website — search by name or license number and check that the license is active with no serious disciplinary history. Also confirm the contractor carries general liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage, and ask to see current certificates. This is public information, and a legitimate contractor expects you to check.
About us: we connect Orlando homeowners with contractors for home addition projects. We do not claim licenses, certifications, awards, or years of experience on this site — any contractor you meet through a consultation should show you their own current license and insurance directly. Believe documents, not words.
Questions to Ask Every Candidate
- How many additions like mine have you completed in the last two years? You want someone who does additions regularly, not someone trying their first one on your house.
- Who will be on site every day? Ask whether the owner, a project manager, or a rotating crew supervises the work — and who you call with problems.
- How do you handle permits and inspections? The right answer: "We pull all permits and schedule all inspections." Anything else is a red flag.
- What is your change-order process? Changes should be priced in writing and signed before the work happens — never as a surprise on the final bill.
- How do payments work? Expect a deposit, progress payments tied to completed milestones, and a meaningful final payment held until the punch list is done.
- What is your warranty? Get the workmanship warranty in writing — what it covers and for how long.
- Can I see two recent additions and talk to those homeowners? Recent references beat old ones. Actually call them.
How to Compare Bids
Get three written bids with the same scope so you are comparing apples to apples. Each bid should break out the major line items: foundation, framing, roofing, windows, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, drywall, flooring, paint, finishes allowances, permits, and engineering. If one bid is dramatically lower, something is missing — often permits, engineering, or realistic finish allowances. The cheapest bid is rarely the cheapest project.
Red Flags: Walk Away When You See These
- No license or "the license is pending." Unlicensed contracting is illegal in Florida for this work. Walk away.
- Asks you to pull the permit. This shifts liability to you and is a classic sign of an unlicensed operator.
- Demands most of the money up front. Large upfront payments remove your leverage. Milestone-based payments protect you.
- No written contract. A handshake is not a contract. Everything — scope, price, timeline, warranty — goes in writing.
- Cannot provide local references. Every established contractor has recent happy customers. No references means no track record.
- Pressures you to sign today. "This price expires tonight" is a sales tactic, not a construction practice.
- Bad-mouths every competitor. Professionals sell their own work. Trash talk is a character tell.
Check References the Right Way
When you call references, ask specific questions: Did the project finish close to on time? How did the crew handle problems? Was the final price close to the bid? Would you hire them again? Also drive by a finished project if you can. Photos hide a lot; standing in the room does not.
Start With a Conversation
Vetting starts with a first meeting. Request a free consultation and talk through your project with a contractor — ask the hard questions above, and judge the answers for yourself.