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The questions are cheap while they are still standing in the room.

Each question here costs you one sentence during the site visit. It costs far more once the walls are open. Print this list and take it with you. Write down what you were told. 3 months from now, that note will beat your memory of the talk.

Walkthrough question list

20 questions to ask during the site visit, with room to write down what you were told.

How this works, and what it does not tell you

How this works

The questions and their note boxes are printed on this page. Fill the boxes in here, and the page turns them into one plain-text record. Or print the blank list and write on it by hand. It runs in your browser. Your answers stay on this device only. Nothing goes to Coastal SD Pros or to any contractor.

What it does not tell you

It does not tell you what a good answer sounds like. It does not mark an answer right or wrong. It makes no score, no rating, and no verdict on the person you are talking to. Where an answer hangs on a rule, this page sends you to CSLB. Rules change, and a page that restates one goes stale.

Before anyone comes out, open the public record. The license number, its status, and the name it is registered to are all public. Reading them takes a couple of minutes. How to read a CSLB record walks through what the record shows and what it does not.

JavaScript is off, so this page cannot build the record for you. You lose nothing. Every question is printed below, and in print the page becomes a paper form with boxes you can write in. Press Ctrl+P, or Cmd+P on a Mac. Take it with you.

This visit

Fill this in first. Then the notes below belong to one company and one date, not to a blur of 3 site visits.

Company name

Exactly as the company writes it, so it matches the bid and the public record.

Who came out

The name of the person standing in your house, and their role if they gave it.

Date of the visit

The date this talk happened.

The job being looked at

One line is enough.

Who you are dealing with

Ask these early. They are quick, and they are not rude. You can check the answers later against a record neither of you controls.

What is your license number, exactly as registered, and what name is it under?

A complete answer gives you a number you can type into the state's own lookup. The business name should match the van, the card, and the bid. Check it yourself afterward. Do not just take their word for it.

Does your license cover this kind of work, and is it active today?

A complete answer names the license class the work falls under. And they will not mind if you check the status on CSLB's site while they stand there.

Will your insurer email me a current certificate of insurance directly?

A complete answer covers general liability and workers' comp as two things. The insurance agency itself sends it. A forwarded attachment is not the same thing. Workers' comp is not general liability insurance, so ask for both by name.

How many jobs exactly like this one have you finished in the last 12 months?

A complete answer counts jobs like this one: same trade, same kind of house, same kind of problem. Years in business is not the same thing.

Can I have phone numbers for 3 of those clients?

A complete answer is numbers for recent jobs like yours, given without a pause. When you call, ask about the whole job, not just the end. Ask if the crew showed up on time. Ask if they kept the house livable. Ask if they made it right when something went wrong.

The work itself

This is the part you are actually buying. Ask it while you are both standing in front of the thing.

What do you think is wrong here, and how do you know?

A complete answer splits what they saw from what they are guessing. It says which parts still need to be opened or tested before anyone can be sure.

Walk me through what you would do, in the order you would do it.

A complete answer lists the steps in order, so you can spot each one as it happens. Watch out if the whole answer is one sentence that ends in a price.

What could you find once this is open, and what happens to the price if you do?

A complete answer names the likely surprises for a house this age and build. It says how each one would be priced and approved before the work changes.

Which brands, models and grades do you plan to use, and why those?

A complete answer gives names and model numbers you can look up. It gives a reason for each pick over the other option. A vague line about quality is not a reason.

Is there a cheaper way to do this, and what would I be giving up?

A complete answer names the trade-off in plain terms: what breaks sooner, what is harder to fix, what gets redone later. It does not dodge the question, and it does not just say yes.

Who will be in the house, and what it will be like

If you are living in the house through the work, this section is the one you will remember.

Who exactly will be working in my house — your own crew, or subcontractors, and which companies?

A complete answer names each company instead of saying "our crew." It also says each one carries its own license and insurance.

Will you pull the permits and be the contractor of record on them, or are you asking me to?

A complete answer is a clear yes or no. It says who applies, who pays the fee, and whose name goes on the permit. If they ask you to pull it yourself, ask why. Check what that means on CSLB's own pages before you agree.

How will you protect the rest of the house, and who cleans up each day?

A complete answer covers floor cover, dust control, where the debris goes, and who owns the daily tidy-up and the final clean.

What are the working hours, where does the crew park, and where do materials get stored?

A complete answer is so clear you could tell a neighbor what to expect.

Will anything be shut off, and for how long?

A complete answer says what goes off, on which days, and whether you can still live in the house.

Who is my single point of contact once work starts, and how often will I hear from you?

A complete answer is a named person and a set rhythm, like a daily text or a weekly walk-through. "Call any time" usually means nobody.

Money, changes and finishing

Ask what the deal is. This page does not tell you what any deal should be. It is not the place to learn what a rule requires. CSLB publishes that. Read it before you sign anything.

How do payments work on this job — what is each one tied to?

A complete answer says what each payment is tied to and when it is due, in writing, in the bid. Ask if payments follow finished work or the calendar. Check the current rules on CSLB's own pages before you agree to a schedule.

If we hit a surprise, or I change my mind, what are the steps?

A complete answer is a written change-order process. Nothing extra starts, and nothing extra is owed, until you both sign a paper. The paper says what it costs and what it does to the schedule.

What is the warranty on your labor, and what is the maker's warranty on the materials?

A complete answer treats them as two promises from two parties. It says how long each runs, what voids it, and who to call when something goes wrong.

How does this job end — the final walkthrough, the inspection, and the paperwork I keep?

A complete answer covers the walkthrough where you agree on the last fixes. It says who signs the work off. It says which papers you hold when everyone goes home.

Anything else that struck you, either way

Your own note, written the same day. It ages far better than a memory does.

Private by design. This form never leaves your browser. Your notes save on this device so you can come back to them. Nothing is sent to Coastal SD Pros or to anyone else. "Clear this form" wipes what this device holds. If you are seeing 3 companies, build and save one record per visit. Then clear the form for the next.

Nothing built yet. Print the blank list to take with you, or fill it in here and press Build my walkthrough record.

The record you keep One per visit

Your walkthrough record, ready to copy

Keep one of these per company. When the written bid arrives, read it against what you were told. The two do not always match.

One question worth more than the other 20

Before they leave, ask: "Which of the things you have just told me will be in the written bid?" Everything on this page happened out loud. Talk is not a document. The gap between the two is where most of the trouble on a home job lives.

After the visit

Open the public license record yourself, with the number you were given. How to read a CSLB record covers what the record shows and what it leaves out.
Send the same scope brief to everyone you ask. Then the bids that come back priced the same work.
When the bids arrive, line them up on the bid comparison sheet. Read the rows before the totals.
Once work starts, keep the project log. It is the cheapest habit on this list.

Important. Coastal SD Pros is a Roscoe Equity LLC publication and homeowner information service. Editorial decisions are independent of advertising and Roscoe Site Pro client status. It is not a contractor, regulator, insurer, law firm or emergency service. This page is general information, not legal advice. It is not a contract or any part of one. Rules and public records change. Use CSLB's own pages for the current rules.

Nothing you type on this page is received, stored, or transmitted by Coastal SD Pros. It stays in this browser until you clear it.