A good contractor knows that well-informed consumers turn into satisfied customers, so ask questions. A good contractor will listen to your ideas and plans, and advise you on how to best accomplish them. Your contractor should provide intelligent ideas, creative thinking and good advice. His knowledge and experience may tell him that there is a better, more cost-effective way to complete the project, which can ultimately provide more jobs for the buck. This strange person that you hire will be working in and around your home, your family and your most private possessions.
Good contractors are never pushy, arrogant, or hard to talk to.
Get three to five estimates on a major project, two to three for the smaller jobs. Fewer estimates won't properly compare products and prices, and any more than that is unfair to the contractors that take the time to bid. Selecting a contractor based on lowest price can lead to a catastrophe. If one bid is seriously lower than any other, ask that contractor why. It could have been a mistake.