Needless to say, the more experienced the better. A company that has been in business for under five years may be an unstable business. Most contracting businesses (90%) fail within the first five years. Examine new business with extra care before awarding the project.

Check references carefully. Current references are valuable to see if the owner is happy with the contractor's work, but only long term references are the proof of actual performance of the contractor's work.

Most failed construction projects do not happen quickly, but deteriorate over a period of years. New project references should carry minimal weight in the decision making process vs. long term project references.

A professional contractor will gladly provide references and want you to speak with his past customers.

Automatically reject any contractors who can not provide a reference list of customers.

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