Applies to us and to anyone else you're getting a quote from. The questions that expose the things an estimate alone won't tell you.
Most of the trouble homeowners run into with a remodel or flooring job traces back to a question nobody asked up front. Here's what's worth asking any contractor — us included — before you sign anything.
Ask directly: is the crew that shows up employed by the company you're signing with, or subcontracted out? Neither answer is automatically wrong, but you want to know it going in — a subcontracted crew means the company you hired isn't necessarily the company standing behind the install.
A phone quote or an online calculator is a rough guess, not a real number — nobody can accurately price a room they haven't measured or seen the condition of. A free in-home estimate should be standard, not an upsell.
Get this in writing: what's covered, for how long, and is the number you call the installer or a sales office that has to track someone else down. A warranty is only as good as how easy it is to use.
Subfloor damage, old asbestos tile, wiring that's not to code — these show up more often than anyone expects once old material comes out. Ask how change orders work before it happens, not after: how you'll be told, how it's priced, and whether work stops until you approve it.
A company that keeps material in stock can show you actual samples under your own lighting. A company that orders everything to spec is showing you a catalog photo and asking you to trust it'll match.
Not just an install date — a real start-to-finish window that accounts for material lead time, not just labor days. Verbal timelines are the easiest promise to walk back later.