FAQ
Questions worth asking any contractor.
Including the ones where the honest answer is “we can't tell you until we've seen it”. If a contractor gives you a firm price for a remodel over the phone, that price is going to move.
01
Before you hire
- Are you licensed and insured?
- Yes. First Choice Contractors LLC holds Maryland Home Improvement Commission licence #115553, and we carry insurance. The MHIC keeps a public register — look the number up before you let any contractor into your house, including us.
- Why does the licence matter?
- In Maryland, home improvement work over $500 has to be done by an MHIC-licensed contractor. The licence also gives you access to the Guaranty Fund, which is a real protection you lose entirely if you hire someone unlicensed to save a few hundred dollars.
- Do you charge for an estimate?
- Call 240-388-4610 or send the form and we'll come and look at the work. We'll tell you what the visit involves when you book it — we'd rather be straight about that on the phone than print a promise here.
- Can I see work you've done?
- Every photograph on this site is our own — no stock images of other people's jobs on the work pages. Nearly half are mid-build, so you can see the framing and the waterproofing rather than just the finished tile.
02
The work
- What kind of jobs do you take?
- We cover 12 trades in-house — kitchens, bathrooms, basements, additions, drywall, painting, carpentry, flooring, hardwood, doors, plumbing repair and decks. That ranges from a single door that won't latch to a full basement build-out.
- Do you use subcontractors?
- The point of covering twelve trades ourselves is that most jobs don't need a chain of subs. When a bathroom turns into a plumbing repair and a floor, it stays one crew, one schedule and one number to call.
- We're living in the house. Is that a problem?
- No — most of our work is in occupied homes. It changes how the job is run rather than whether we take it: dust control, where materials get stacked, and which rooms are out of use on which days get agreed before we start.
- What happens if you open something up and it's worse than it looked?
- Soft joists, old plumbing behind tile, a subfloor that has been wet — it happens on older houses. We show you before we carry on, not after, so you decide what the extra work is worth.
- How long will my job take?
- It depends entirely on scope, and anyone who quotes you a timeline before seeing the room is guessing. You'll get a realistic schedule with your written price.
03
Area, cost and paperwork
- Where do you work?
- Montgomery County, Maryland is home — Gaithersburg, Rockville, Germantown, Damascus, Olney, Silver Spring, Bethesda, Montgomery Village, Clarksburg and Potomac — and the greater Washington DC metro area.
- What will it cost?
- There is no honest answer to that before someone has seen the job. Two kitchens the same size can differ by a factor of three depending on cabinets, counters and what's behind the walls. You get a written price for what was actually agreed, not a range.
- Do you handle permits?
- Montgomery County requires permits for a lot of structural, electrical and plumbing work. We'll tell you what your specific job needs when we look at it — it's part of the conversation before any price is agreed.
- How do I get started?
- Call 240-388-4610, or send the estimate form with a description of the job and the town the property is in. We read the form ourselves, so a reply comes from a person.
Get started
Tell us what needs doing.
Describe the job and we'll come and look at it. Kitchen, bath, basement, deck, or the door that hasn't shut properly since the spring.
- Phone
- 240-388-4610
- Licence
- MHIC #115553 · Licensed & insured
- Area
- Montgomery County, Maryland