How to Vet a Bathroom Remodel Contractor in Roanoke

The Roanoke Valley has dozens of contractors offering bathroom remodel services. Many are excellent. Some are marginal. A few are actively dangerous, unlicensed, uninsured, or working outside their competence. The homeowner’s job before signing a contract is to figure out which category the contractor falls into. This guide provides the specific verifications and questions to run.

Verification 1: Class A Virginia contractor license

Virginia contractor licensing has three tiers:

• Class A: Required for any project over $120,000, or any combination building permit (which is essentially all bathroom remodels). Highest tier.
• Class B: Projects up to $120,000 per project, $750,000 annual limit.
• Class C: Projects up to $10,000 per project, $150,000 annual limit.

Any real bathroom remodel contractor should hold at least a Class B license, and Class A is standard for anyone pulling combination building permits.

How to verify:

1. Ask the contractor for their license number (should be in the format “270X-XXXXXX” for Class A/B or similar)
2. Verify at the Virginia DPOR license lookup
3. Confirm the license is active, unexpired, and matches the business name on the contract

Red flag: contractor cannot provide a license number, or the license shows as inactive/expired/on-a-different-business-name.

Verification 2: General liability insurance

Any contractor working on your property should carry general liability insurance. Standard minimum is $1M per occurrence. Better contractors carry $2M-$5M and specify “construction endorsement” or “residential remodel endorsement” on the policy.

How to verify:

1. Ask for a Certificate of Insurance (COI) naming you as an additional insured, or at minimum a general COI showing the policy
2. Verify the policy is active (call the insurance broker on the certificate)
3. Confirm the coverage limits match what the contractor claims

Red flag: contractor “will get you the COI later” (should be immediately available), or the policy is expired, or the coverage limits are lower than represented.

Verification 3: Workers compensation insurance

If the contractor has employees, they should carry workers compensation. If someone is injured on your property and workers comp is not in place, the injured worker can sue the homeowner. Workers comp protects both the contractor and you.

How to verify:

1. Ask for a WC certificate
2. Verify with the insurance broker on the certificate

Exception: sole-proprietor contractors with no employees may not carry WC (Virginia does not require it). This is acceptable if the contractor genuinely works alone; problematic if you see multiple workers on-site.

Verification 4: Written fixed-price contract

The contract structure matters as much as the license and insurance. Watch for:

Green flags:

• Written scope of work, itemized
• Fixed total price
• Itemized allowances for tile, fixtures, cabinets, counters
• Defined timeline with start date and completion window
• Payment schedule with progress milestones
• Written change order process
• Two-year workmanship warranty specified
• COI attached

Red flags:

• Verbal estimate only
• “Time and materials” or “cost plus” pricing
• Vague scope language (“bathroom remodel, TBD”)
• Large upfront deposit (over 25 percent)
• No warranty language
• No permit language (“we do not pull permits” or “you can pull the permit yourself”)

Cost-plus contracts allow the contractor to charge whatever the project actually costs plus a markup. This eliminates any incentive to control costs and produces the highest-frequency dispute in the remodeling industry. Never sign a cost-plus contract for a residential bathroom remodel.

Verification 5: Permit process

The contractor should pull the permit under their license. Ask directly:

• “Who pulls the permit for this project?”
• “What is the permit fee estimate?”
• “When does the rough-in inspection happen?”
• “When does the final inspection happen?”

The correct answer to the first question is that the contractor pulls the permit under their own license. If the contractor suggests you pull the permit as the homeowner, they are trying to shift liability to you. Homeowners can technically pull permits in Virginia but should not for professional contracted work, it means the homeowner is legally the contractor of record.

Red flag: “we do not pull permits on residential jobs, saves you money.” This means the work will be unpermitted, which creates future problems when you sell.

Verification 6: Waterproofing method

Ask specifically:

• “What waterproofing system will you use in the shower?”
• “Will you do a water test before tiling?”
• “Do I get photos of the water test?”

The correct answer specifies a system (Schluter Kerdi, RedGard applied at 60 mils in two coats, Kerdi-Board, or a similar named system) and includes a documented water test. Vague answers (“we waterproof it” or “we seal it”) mean shortcuts.

Verification 7: References and reviews

Google Reviews with specifics are more meaningful than five-star ratings without narrative. Look for reviews that mention:

• Communication throughout the project
• How change orders were handled
• What the final walkthrough was like
• Whether the timeline was met
• Whether the price was met

Also ask for 2-3 references you can call, recent completed projects, ideally in the same neighborhood or a similar type of home. Actually call the references. Ask about the process, not just the outcome.

Verification 8: Local Roanoke presence

A contractor with a Roanoke office, a Roanoke phone number, and a physical address you can drive to is more accountable than one with only a cell phone and a P.O. box. Real Roanoke businesses show up on Google Business Profile, have a physical presence, and have local reputation to protect.

Red flag: contractor from outside the Roanoke Valley bidding on your project. Not always a dealbreaker (some travel for legitimate reasons) but adds friction on warranty callbacks and future work.

Verification 9: Business tenure

Businesses under 2 years old have not yet been through enough project cycles to develop consistent process. Businesses over 15 years old sometimes have entrenched inefficient practices. The sweet spot is often 3-10 years, enough experience to be reliable, recent enough to still be current on materials and methods.

That said, brand-new contractors can be excellent (many are experienced tradespeople who recently started their own business). Check the individual’s background, not just the business age.

Verification 10: Design capability

Bathroom remodels involve real design decisions. A contractor who cannot help you make those decisions is a build-only shop that will execute whatever you specify but will not tell you when your specification is wrong. Good bathroom contractors bring design consultation as part of the standard process, at no separate design fee.

Ask:

• “Do you help with design and material selection?”
• “Do you accompany me to tile and fixture suppliers?”
• “If I bring a Pinterest board, will you tell me what will not work?”

Sample contract questions

When reviewing the contract, ask specifically:

• What happens if you find rot under the tub?
• What happens if plumbing needs to be replaced?
• What is the change order process?
• How are material allowances handled if I go over?
• What is the payment schedule?
• What is covered under warranty and for how long?
• What happens if the timeline slips?

Vague answers on any of these predict disputes later. Get the answers in writing.

Book a consultation

These checks take a few minutes and cover the majority of what goes wrong in remodel disputes. An established contractor will not flinch at any of them, because the answers are part of how they already work.

Call (540) 384-4486 or use the quote form.