Reading addition contractor reviews for the details that matter

Which claims in a review or a proposal should you verify?

Licensing and insurance are public: check the state or local contractor board for the license number on the proposal, and ask the insurer to send you a certificate naming you. For structural work, confirm the engineer's registration with the state board. Permits are public; many jurisdictions let you search past permits by contractor, which shows whether they pull them and whether inspections passed. Design-build claims can be checked by asking who stamps the drawings. Badges and awards mean little; a permit history means a lot.

For references, ask for two additions at least three years old, not the last two completed. Call and ask: has the junction stayed dry, has anything settled or cracked, is the new space comfortable in the worst month, did the final price match the contract and what were the change orders, and would you hire them for the next phase. Ask which savings held up, since Zonda finds even a midrange primary suite addition recoups only 32.3% of its cost at resale. A young firm may lack three-year references; weigh that against its concealed-conditions terms.

• License number on the proposal, verified with the state or local board.
• Insurance certificate issued by the carrier naming you, not a photocopy.
• Engineer's registration for any structural work, verified with the state board.
• Permit and inspection history searchable in the jurisdiction's records.
• Two references from additions at least three years old, called by you.

How do reviews differ for room additions, second stories and ADUs?

Room addition reviews should mention the junction, the existing rooms after the work, and whether the new space is comfortable; complaints cluster around leaks at the roof tie-in, cold rooms and kitchens that ended up darker. Second-story reviews should mention weather protection during the roof-off phase, schedule against the promised move-out dates, and upstairs comfort; HomeAdvisor's $100–$300 / sq ft is the stake, and a review describing a tarp failing in a storm is the one to weigh.

ADU reviews should mention the permit process, utility connections and fees, whether the unit was occupied as intended, and whether the separation from the main house worked for the relative or tenant. For all three, look for reviews that mention the design phase: whether the drawings changed after pricing, whether the engineer's findings were explained, and whether the contractor raised feasibility problems early rather than mid-build. NAR's Joy Score of 10 / 10 for a primary suite tells you satisfied owners exist; reviews tell you which firms produce them.

How should you weigh reviews against the written proposal?

The proposal is the primary evidence; reviews are context. A detailed proposal from a firm with modest reviews beats a vague proposal from a firm with glowing ones, because the proposal is what you will enforce. Use reviews to check for patterns a proposal cannot show: schedule slippage, cleanup, how weather and change orders were handled. Delays run both ways, since permit plan review alone typically takes 2–8 weeks per CADTRI, so note who caused them. Then use the calculator to see whether the price fits the scope, and the comparisons to check whether the route proposed fits your lot and structure.

Write down, at the site visit, which feasibility problems the professional raised without being asked: the setback, the footing, the panel, the roof water. Compare that list to what past reviewers said the same firm caught or missed. A contractor whose reviews mention the inspector by name and whose site visit surfaces the same issues the reviews praise is telling a consistent story. Matched professionals are independent businesses; the checking is yours, and it takes an evening. The polls show which checks other homeowners skipped and regretted.