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When you're handing so much money over to one person, you want to be able to confirm even small details about your job, the contractor's business practices and the company's previous job performance. Here are three ways to make sure your contractor is legit:

• Get the lowdown from former clients. "Ask for a list of references from recent clients, and be sure to contact a few of them to get an idea of your contractor's strengths and weaknesses," says Ryan Pugh, owner of Handyman Matters of the Triad in High Point, N.C. Pugh says quizzing your potential contractors on things like their insurance certificate and whether they've done work similar to your project's scope before is a good call.
• Ask to tour current projects. "Web sites can be misleading and photographs can hide a lot of imperfections," says Jamie C. Hsu, business development director at Lakeville Homes, a custom home builder in Bellevue, Wash. "There is no comparison to being up close to see the quality of work the contractor provides." Make sure the contractor provides up-to-date legal documents and has specific information on previous jobs, as well. Vague answers to any of these requests is a red flag.
• Get a detailed estimate. Finally, make sure your contractor is comfortable giving a detailed estimate, looking at all the intricacies of your job and factoring those into your quote, says Dean Bennett, president of Dean Bennett Design and Construction in Castle Rock, Co. "Beware of broad estimates," he says. "Make sure the contractor will write down all the steps in the job, with figures, and can provide you with a full written schedule and timeline. Not being able to present this information in written form is a warning sign."

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