Home Remodel: Do, Don'ts, Advice

[::: :::]

No design pro requires upfront payment... not a single one (i sub design pros as part of my day job).

generally we work then bill, but we do ask for a decent retainer to start cuz we've gotten stiffed too

[climberevan]

NV has a similar law WRT the max we can ask for up front. Many "contractors" ignore it and ask for more. If they have to buy a ton of materials immediately I can sort of see it, but you can bill for them the instant they hit the job site, so it's NBD. Anyone willing to take on that work should have enough reserves to float the cost for 2 weeks or more. CA has much laxer requirements for financial stability than NV, though.

In any case, we can always lien your ass if you don't pay, so eventually we'll get what we're owed. Thus asking for a big deposit is just bad form.

[californiagrown]

generally we work then bill, but we do ask for a decent retainer to start cuz we've gotten stiffed too

IME that has only happened when the client has a history of not paying on time, and the consultant is re-starting work on a project for them. Never seen it done first thing, upfront, on a new project/new client.