Home renovation checklist: before, during and after

Each section below is a stage of the project. The early ones are about decisions you make alone or with your household; the middle ones involve the contractor and the building department; the last ones protect you once the work looks finished. Skipping ahead is the usual cause of trouble, such as signing a contract before the scope is settled, or making the last payment before the paperwork is in.

The legal points here come from California's Contractors State License Board (CSLB). If your home is in Dallas–Fort Worth, the practical steps still apply, but check the city's own permit and registration rules.

Planning: decide what you want first

• Write down why you are renovating: more space, a worn-out room, better flow, getting a house ready to sell. The reason decides where money goes.
• List the must-haves separately from the nice-to-haves. When the budget gets tight, the second list is where you cut.
• Measure the rooms and photograph them from every corner, including the ceiling and the floor.
• Collect pictures of finishes and layouts you like, and a few you do not; both help a contractor understand you.
• Note the age of the house. A home built before 1978 may have lead paint, which changes how walls and trim get opened up.
• Decide whether you can stay in the home during the work, or need somewhere else for part of it.
• Think about timing: holidays, school terms, guests, and the weather if the work is outside or opens the roof.

For room-specific planning, our pages on kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling and home additions go deeper.

Budget: build in a buffer

Hidden conditions show up in almost every renovation once walls, floors or ceilings come open. A budget that only covers the bid has nowhere to absorb them.

• Decide the most you are willing to spend in total, then plan the project to a figure clearly below it. The gap is your contingency.
• Keep the contingency in a separate line or account so it is not quietly spent on upgrades.
• Older homes, and work that opens plumbing, wiring or framing, deserve a larger buffer than cosmetic work.
• Count costs outside the contract: permit fees if they are not included, design or engineering, appliances and fixtures you buy yourself, storage, eating out, a short-term rental if you move out.
• Price your finishes before you sign. An allowance in a bid for tile or lighting is a placeholder, and choosing above it raises the total.
• Agree with your household which items you would drop first if the contingency runs low.

Choosing and checking the contractor

• Get at least three written bids based on the same scope, as CSLB recommends on its page on finding the right contractor.
• Look up each license on CSLB's site, and confirm the classification fits the work; our license lookup guide shows how.
• Call at least three local references, and go see work the contractor finished, as CSLB's homeowner checklist suggests.
• Ask for a certificate of insurance, and check workers' compensation status on the license record.
• Ask which parts subcontractors will do, and get their names and license numbers.
• Bring the same list of questions to every meeting; our list of questions to ask a contractor is a ready starting point.
• Compare what each bid includes, not only the bottom line.

The contract

California sets firm rules for home improvement contracts, from the written contract over $500 to the down payment cap and the right to cancel. Our guide to what a California home improvement contract must include covers them clause by clause. As a checklist:

• Every promise made in person is also written in the contract.
• The scope names products, models and colors, or states allowances clearly.
• The payment schedule ties each payment to a stage you can see.
• The contract says who gets the permits and whether fees are included.
• Start and finish dates are written in.
• Cleanup and debris removal are included.
• No blank spaces are left when you sign; CSLB's contracts page warns against signing one that has them.
• You know how many days you have to cancel, and how to do it in writing.

Permits

• Ask your local building department what your project needs. CSLB's permit page notes that requirements vary between cities and counties.
• Confirm the permit is issued before demolition starts, and keep a copy of it.
• Know where the permit card is posted on site, so inspectors can sign it.
• In Fort Worth, whoever pulls a building, mechanical, plumbing or electrical permit must be registered with the city, per its contractor registration page; the exemption is for owners working on the single-family home they own and live in.
• In Dallas, residential permits for construction, renovation or major repairs go through the city's DallasNow portal, as its residential permits page explains.
• Be wary of any suggestion that you pull the permit yourself as the owner when a contractor is doing the work.

Living through the work

• Clear the work area and the path to it, and pack away fragile things in nearby rooms; vibration travels.
• Agree on work hours, where the crew parks, which bathroom they use and how they get in.
• Set up a temporary kitchen or bathroom if those rooms are out of service.
• Keep children and pets out of the work zone, and away from tools and open floors.
• Ask how dust will be contained, and change heating and air filters more often while work is going on.
• For a pre-1978 home, confirm the firm follows lead-safe practices. EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting program requires anyone paid to disturb paint in homes built before 1978 to be trained in lead-safe work practices.
• Pick one way to make decisions together, such as a weekly walk-through, and confirm each decision in writing.
• Put every change in a signed change order before the work is done.
• Take photos of the work each day, especially inside walls before drywall goes up.

Inspections along the way

• Ask for the list of inspections the permit calls for and roughly when each falls.
• Ask the contractor to tell you when an inspection is booked, and the result.
• Hold the payment tied to a stage until that stage's inspection has passed.
• Photograph plumbing, wiring and framing before walls close; those pictures help with future repairs.
• If an inspection fails, ask what was flagged and get the correction date in writing.

Final walkthrough and punch list

• Walk every room with the contractor in daylight, with the lights on as well.
• Open and close every door, drawer, window and cabinet; run every faucet and shower; flush every toilet; test every switch, outlet and appliance.
• Look along walls and ceilings at an angle for patch marks, and check paint lines at trim.
• Check that caulk and grout are complete, and that hardware is tight.
• Write each item down in a single punch list, with the room and a photo, and give both of you a copy.
• Agree on a date for the punch list to be finished, and walk it again when it is.
• Confirm the final inspection has passed and the permit is closed.

Final payment and lien releases

In California, a subcontractor, supplier or worker who was not paid can record a mechanics lien against your home, even after you paid the main contractor. CSLB's homeowner's guide to preventing mechanics liens explains that a lien on your title can get in the way of borrowing against, refinancing or selling the house. Before the last check:

• Gather every preliminary notice you received during the job. Together they list who could claim a lien.
• Get a signed conditional release from each of them before you pay.
• After paying, get unconditional releases, and make sure each one is signed by the actual claimant, not by someone else on their behalf.
• Remember that by law you may hold the next payment until you have the unconditional releases for the last one, and that the main contractor must give you releases on request.
• Consider recording a Notice of Completion with the county recorder within 15 days of completion; CSLB's guide says it shortens the time others have to file a lien claim.
• Pay by check or a traceable transfer, and keep the record.

Records to keep

• The signed contract, every change order and the final punch list.
• The permit, the inspection records and the final sign-off.
• Every preliminary notice, lien release and the Notice of Completion if you recorded one.
• Receipts and proof of each payment.
• Product manuals, warranty papers, paint colors and tile or flooring names, with spare material labeled.
• The photos of open walls and floors.
• The contractor's license number and insurance certificate, and the names of subcontractors.

Keep one paper folder and one digital copy. When you sell, refinance or repair later, this is the file people ask for.

Where we come in

If you are at the start of this list and not sure which kind of contractor fits, send us a free request about the project. We call or email you back to talk it through. Contractor Near Me is not a licensed contractor and does not do renovation work, prepare contracts or manage jobs; the checking and the signing are yours.

Sources: CSLB, How Do I Find the Right Licensed Contractor?; CSLB, Homeowner Checklists; CSLB, Contracts and Binding Agreements; CSLB, Do I Need a Building Permit?; CSLB, A Homeowner's Guide to Preventing Mechanics Liens; EPA, Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program; City of Fort Worth, Contractor Registration; City of Dallas, Residential Permits.