Protect yourself - are they a "licensed" contractor?

I was reminded the other day (again) about how something as simple and straightforward (at least to me) is often overlooked by many people and the results are usually never good. Hiring a LICENSED contractor - seems simple yet often overlooked.

I hear so many horror stories that could have been prevented if people just knew some basics about what they should look for when hiring a contractor. I has become such an issue, especially in these tough times where everyone is trying to get the most out of every dollar they spend. First, do yourself a huge favor and CHECK OUT any contractor you are considering hiring.

Spend the 5 minutes online at the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries and you can find out in advance if someone in licensed to do the work they are saying they know how to do. It's just a simple and easy way to protect yourself from spending a lot of money and not getting the quality of work you expected for your dollar.

Last, but certainly not least, you should insist that the contractor obtains a permit for your project and it gets inspected by the local authority that has jurisdiction in your area. Without this final step, you may have to have the work completely redone, at your expense, because it can't get approved by the local government authority - not a great place to end up when we are all trying to get the most from the least.