Working With a GC
How to Actually Hire a General Contractor in Los Angeles
The questions to ask, the license lookups to run, and the red flags that separate a real GC from an operation that will disappear mid-project.
The California Contractors State License Board estimates that the majority of construction complaints against homeowners in the state trace back to unlicensed operators or licensed contractors working outside their classification. Almost all of that is preventable in the first meeting.
Here is the hiring checklist we would give a friend who was about to sign their first construction contract in LA.
Verify the license, don't just ask about it
Every California contractor's license is public record. Search cslb.ca.gov by name or license number. Check that the classification (B for general building is standard) matches the work being bid, that the license is active, and that the bond and workers' comp are current.
A screenshot of the CSLB record should be in every homeowner's project folder before any money changes hands.
Ask the right insurance question
"Are you insured?" is not the right question. "Can you have your insurer add me as an additional insured on your general liability policy for this project?" is. A real, licensed contractor will do this without hesitation. It costs them nothing and it protects you materially.
Read the contract, especially the payment schedule
California law caps the down payment on any home improvement contract at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Any contractor asking for more up front is either misinformed or worse.
Progress payments should be tied to defined milestones — rough framing complete, drywall installed, cabinets set — not calendar dates. That way the schedule can slip without the money going out the door ahead of the work.
Red flags
Cash-only pricing. Reluctance to pull permits in the contractor's own name. "I have a crew, but they are technically subcontractors of a friend." Bids that come in dramatically lower than everyone else without a clear explanation of why. A P.O. box instead of a physical office.
None of those are guarantees of a bad experience. All of them are reasons to keep interviewing.
The single best question to ask a GC
"Can I see a project you finished three years ago and talk to that homeowner?" Anyone can produce a happy client from last month. The ones who can produce one from three years ago are the ones who build things that hold up.