Taking advantage of the medium

It's tough to pick a contractor sometimes - especially if you have never done it before, and you don't know anyone who is in the business. My two brothers-in-law are both long-time construction guys, and one of them has his own general contractor's license here in AZ. So, all we ever have to do is call them and they either do the work, or suggest someone they trust who can.

Do you know anyone in the construction business? Any family have work done recently? Maybe you can ask them for suggestions?

I think Hank's suggestions are awesome, though. That is the way I would go about it if I were picking one blind. Talking to a few of their former recent customers informally would probably yield the best results. You know, "Hey, my name is Rick. Nicetameetcha! I'm having some work done on my house, and while getting my permits I noticed that you used Honest Sam's Contracting to put in your patio. How were they?" You'll probably get one or two folks who will hang up on you, but I'll bet that most will be willing to dish the dirt on their contractor.

Good luck, man! And congrats on the impending heir to the Ulrey empire! :)

I used to work as a carpenter, for more than one contractor. One of them was a flake and a con man. My memory is that the industry is plagued by those types.

It's likely that wherever you live, contractors are required to be licensed and to get permits for upcoming projects. The city or county will have those permits on file, and they should be public record. Just go in an ask for information on recent permits, and then call or visit people who have had work done. Someone at the gov't office might also be willing to tell you off the record if any of the local contractors are especially flaky. You could probably also find out how long each firm has been licensed.

Things I'd want to find out: Do they show up? Do they get the job done on time? Do they REALLY clean up afterwards? Is my stuff safe with their crew in the house? And then there's all that bonding and insurance stuff, which is probably required these days, but couldn't hurt to be sure about.

If there was a local Habitat for Humanity, I might ask someone there for advice. Contractors volunteer on those jobs, and someone there might have some good ideas about who to hire. One place I wouldn't ask would be the local chamber of commerce or BBB.

Since this IS UTI, here's a memory from decades ago when I lived in a little ski resort town. There was one contractor in town, Kingdom Builders, the owner of which was highly religious. His logo was even a cross. He was also dishonest, and slow to pay his bills -- both hardware stores and the local lumber yard had him on their "no credit" lists.

Finally, considering the broader situation, I'd put in a hidden room for your guns and emergency food, and maybe even add a zombie-proof bunker for when things go all Mad Max.