When do you need to hire a licensed contractor in Washington?

Any work that impacts the value of real estate in Washington, requires a licensed contractor.

How important is contractor licensing in Washington?

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries requires licensees to maintain a bond and liability insurance for the protection of consumers.

Your liability risk when hiring a licensed contractor in Washington

Licensed contractors in Washington are required to maintain general liability coverage that includes a $50,000 property damage policy and $200,000 public liability policy; or $250,000 combined single limit policy.

Financial recourse when hiring a contractor in Washington

Licensed general contractors in Washington are required to maintain a $12,000 bond and specialty contractors are required to maintain a $6,000 bond. This provides consumers with financial recourse in case they perform defective work or violate license regulations.

How is the BuildZoom score calculated?

The BuildZoom score is based on a number of factors including the contractor's license status, insurance status, verified work history, standing with local consumer interest groups, verified reviews from other BuildZoom users and self-reported feedback from the contractor.

Why you should hire through BuildZoom

When it comes to major construction work or even minor alterations to your home, hiring the wrong contractor could result in incomplete or defective work. You may even find yourself dealing with huge liability claims. BuildZoom does the homework for you and helps you hire the right contractor.

You should get several bids before hiring a contractor

The standard board recommendation is to get at least three written bids before hiring a contractor. Do not automatically accept the lowest bid - an abnormally low bid may indicate the contractor made a mistake and is not including the same work quoted by their competitors. We've made the bid collection process extremely simple (and free). Just click here to get started.

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BuildZoom’s database now contains every licensed contractor across the U.S. - over 2.5 million of them... Categorized contractor profiles are enriched using government data from state licensing boards, Better Business Bureau ratings, and more… BuildZoom jumped into the fray by announcing that it raised $10.6 million in a round led by Formation 8. ...the Y combinator-backed startup said it will be focused on remodeling projects, where the median budget is around $19,000… A new index compiled by BuildZoom — which identifies contractors for projects — found that renovations are running 2.8 percent above their 2005 level…

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