The best questions to ask a general contractor are not about price. They are about scope, accountability and what happens when something goes wrong — because that is where custom home projects actually fail.
Here are 27 questions to ask a general contractor before you sign anything, grouped by what they protect you from. Take them to every builder you interview and compare the answers side by side.
Key takeaways
- Ask about licensing in your county — Colorado has no statewide general contractor licence.
- A bid without a written exclusions list is not a bid.
- Fee structure matters more than fee percentage.
- Ask to see photos at framing and dry-in, not just finished rooms.
- Ask for a reference from a job that went badly.
What this article covers
- Credentials and insurance
- Scope and the bid
- Money and contract structure
- People and process
- Warranty and afterwards
- What good answers sound like
Questions to Ask a General Contractor About Credentials
Licensing and insurance
- Are you licensed in the county where my property sits? Colorado licenses general contractors locally, not statewide — the state defers to cities and counties. A licence in one county means nothing in another.
- Can I have your licence number and the issuing jurisdiction? So you can verify it with that building department yourself.
- Will you provide a certificate of general liability insurance listing my address? Not a screenshot. A certificate from the carrier.
- Do you carry workers compensation for your crew? Without it, an injury on your land can become your financial problem.
- Are your subcontractors insured, and do you verify it? Ask how often they collect current certificates.
- How many homes like mine have you completed in this county? Local code experience is not a nicety in mountain jurisdictions.
Questions About Scope and the Bid
What is actually in the number
- What does this bid exclude? The single most valuable question on this page. Get it in writing.
- Does the price include site work, driveway and excavation? On raw land this is a five or six figure line item.
- Are well, septic, power and propane included? Frequently excluded from an early number.
- What allowances are in the bid, and at what per-unit figure? A low flooring allowance makes a bid look cheaper and produces change orders later.
- Is engineering included, or separate? Snow load, wind load and soils reports are required in most mountain counties.
- Who pulls and pays for permits? And what happens if the county requires a revision.
- What happens if we hit rock during excavation? How that cost is handled should be defined before it happens.
Questions About Money and Contract Structure
How the deal is built
- Is this a fixed price or a cost-plus agreement? Fixed price puts overrun risk on the builder. Cost-plus leaves the total open.
- If cost-plus, is there a cap? An uncapped cost-plus contract has no ceiling.
- What is your fee, and what does it cover? Ten to twenty percent of construction cost is the industry norm on a full build.
- What is the payment schedule tied to? Payments should track completed milestones, not the calendar.
- How are change orders priced and approved? In writing, before the work happens.
- What is your process if the project runs over budget? Ask for a specific example.
Your Next Step
Frontier Log Homes has been a licensed Colorado general contractor since 1977. Design, engineering, permits, site work and construction under one contract, with one accountable party.
Let’s Design a Log Home That Fits Your Land, Budget, and Lifestyle!
Questions About People and Process
Who actually builds it
- Who is my day-to-day contact, and are they on site? A named person, not a company.
- How many other projects will you run at the same time as mine? Capacity is the hidden variable in schedule.
- Do you self-perform any work, or subcontract everything? Neither is wrong. Knowing is what matters.
- How do you communicate progress, and how often? Weekly written updates are a reasonable standard.
- May I see photos of a build at framing and dry-in stage? Very few builders publish these. The ones who do are showing you their standards.
- What is your realistic schedule, and what drives delay? A builder who says nothing ever slips is not being straight with you.
Questions About Warranty and Afterwards
After you move in
- What does your warranty cover, and for how long? Get the document, not a verbal answer.
- Who do I call in year two? The answer should be a person at the company.
- Can I speak to a client whose project went badly? Every builder has one. How they handled it is the real reference.
What Good Answers Sound Like
| Question area | Weak answer | Strong answer |
|---|---|---|
| Exclusions | “Everything is included” | A written list of what is not in the number |
| Fee | “Industry standard” | A percentage, and exactly what it covers |
| Schedule | “About a year” | A phase-by-phase schedule with named risk points |
| Site work | “We will figure it out” | An allowance based on a site visit |
| References | Three happy clients | A happy client and one that went sideways |
The Five Things to Get in Writing
If you only take five items from this list of questions to ask a general contractor, take these.
| Category | What to get in writing | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Credentials | Licence for my county, liability certificate, workers comp | You inherit the risk if any is missing |
| Scope | A written exclusions list | Undefined scope is where budgets break |
| Money | Fixed price or capped cost-plus, milestone payments | Open-ended contracts have no ceiling |
| People | A named project manager who is on site | Companies do not build houses; people do |
| After | Written warranty and a year-two contact | The relationship outlasts the build |
Most of these questions cannot be answered accurately until a house has been drawn and engineered for your site. That is why serious custom projects start with a design agreement — see our general contracting services and the project gallery.
Tell Us About Your Site and We Will Tell You What It Takes
Two fields are required — your name and email. Everything else just helps us answer faster: your location, a rough square footage, your timeline, and what you are trying to build.
You will hear back from the people who build these homes. Not a salesperson, and not an automated sequence.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most important questions to ask a general contractor?
Are you licensed in the county where my land sits, what does your fee cover, is this a fixed price or cost-plus, what does the bid exclude, who is on site daily, and what does your warranty cover. Those six separate serious builders from the rest faster than any other line of questioning.
What should a general contractor bid include?
Scope, allowances with per-unit figures, exclusions, the fee structure, the payment schedule, the construction schedule, insurance certificates, and the warranty. A bid that is a single number with no exclusions list is not a bid.
How do I compare two contractor bids fairly?
Normalise the scope before you compare the numbers. Confirm both include the same site work, utilities, allowances and finish level. Most large gaps between bids are scope differences, not pricing differences.
What are red flags when interviewing a general contractor?
Pressure to sign quickly, a large deposit before any work, no written exclusions, reluctance to name a project manager, no proof of workers compensation, and no photos of work at framing or dry-in stage.
Should I ask for references?
Yes, and ask for one from a job that went badly. Every builder has one. How they describe fixing it tells you far more than a list of happy clients.
How much deposit is normal?
A modest mobilisation payment tied to a defined milestone is normal. A large up-front payment before any work is a warning sign. Payment should track completed stages.
Do I ask these questions before or after I have plans?
Before. The right builder helps shape the design so it can actually be built on your site and within your budget, which is why most custom projects begin with a design agreement rather than a construction contract.