How the referral works, and how to choose a remodeling contractor in Utah

How the free referral works, start to finish

Southern Utah Kitchen Remodel takes your kitchen or bathroom request and hands it to one independent remodeler covering your town, after confirming that remodeler's Utah contractor license is active. From there the remodeler does everything: the visit, the design, the written estimate, the contract and the work.

1. Send the short form, or call (385) 450-4329. We ask what you're remodeling, when you'd like to start, a budget range and how to reach you.
2. We look the remodeler up on the state's DOPL license lookup and make sure the contractor license is listed as active¹.
3. Only that one remodeler receives your request. It isn't blasted out to a group of companies.
4. The remodeler gets in touch and books a free consultation at your home.
5. You receive a written estimate. Hire the remodeler or don't; either way you owe nothing.

The remodeler, and the one thing we verify

Think of the remodeler as its own independent business; it doesn't work for us. Before we pass a request, we confirm that its Utah contractor license reads active on the state's free Licensee Lookup and Verification System, run by DOPL¹.

Utah groups contractor licenses into classes. The general ones are R100, for residential and small commercial work, and B100, the general contractor class². R101 covers nonstructural remodeling and repair, and a company holding it can't hold any other class at the same time³. DOPL also asks license applicants to show liability coverage of $1,000,000 or more for each incident and $2,000,000 or more overall⁴.

Here's what the license check can and can't tell you:

• It can show the license is active on the day we look.
• It can't rate workmanship, prices or how quickly a remodeler returns calls.
• It doesn't replace your own look at the license, the contract and the permit.

What we don't do

We stay out of the project itself. Southern Utah Kitchen Remodel never designs, bids, signs contracts, pulls permits, collects payments or does remodeling work of any kind.

• No home visits and no quotes from us. The cost ranges on this site are planning figures, not prices.
• No deposits. Money moves only between you and the remodeler.
• No promises about the finished job. Any warranty comes from the remodeler, under your written contract.
• No sending your details to several companies at once.

If a problem comes up on a job, it's between you and the remodeler under the contract you both signed. That's one more reason to read every page of it first.

How remodelers pay us

A remodeler may pay us when we send them a request. Homeowners never pay Southern Utah Kitchen Remodel anything: not for the form, not for the call and not for the estimate.

The remodeler sets its own prices. We don't see, set or sign off on your estimate, so ask the remodeler anything you like about how the price was put together.

Your privacy

Your request goes to us and to one remodeler, so that remodeler can reach you about the project. Apart from that remodeler and the service providers named in our privacy policy, we don't sell or share your request.

We text you only if you tick the text box on the form, and you can reply STOP whenever you like. Your text message consent is never sold or shared.

How to check a contractor license in Utah

Anyone can check a Utah contractor license for free on DOPL's Licensee Lookup and Verification System¹. Do it for any remodeler you're thinking about hiring, including the one we send:

1. Open the Utah Division of Professional Licensing's license lookup.
2. Search for the company or person named on your bid.
3. Open the record and make sure the status says active.
4. Check that the license class fits the job, such as a general contractor class for a full remodel, or a plumbing or electrical contractor for that part of the work.
5. Match the license number to the one on your bid and contract. Utah law requires the number on contracts, bids and permit applications⁵.

How to choose a remodeling contractor in Utah

Comparing kitchen remodeling companies or bathroom remodel companies? Start with three things: an active Utah license, a written contract, and permits in the remodeler's name. Then use this checklist:

• A written contract. It should spell out the scope, materials, price, schedule and the contractor's license number⁵. DOPL also posts a free, optional Residential Construction Agreement, with exhibits for change orders and proof of license, that's handy for comparison⁷.
• Lien protection in writing. Utah law requires the contractor to list, in the written contract, the steps you must take to stay protected⁸. If the home is owner occupied, you hired a licensed contractor under a written contract and you paid in full, an unpaid subcontractor or supplier generally can't keep a lien on it⁹¹⁰.
• Second homes and condos. Utah's definition covers a primary or secondary residence that the owner or the owner's tenant occupies within 180 days after the work is done¹¹. DOPL says condo units typically aren't eligible¹².
• Permits in the remodeler's name. Ask who pulls the permit. Cedar City, for one, won't issue a permit without DOPL licensed contractor information unless the owner files a notarized owner builder form¹³. When you hire a remodeler, the permit should carry the remodeler's name, not yours.
• Lead safe work in older homes. In homes built before 1978, firms that disturb paint must be certified¹⁴ and must hand you EPA's Renovate Right pamphlet before the work begins¹⁵.
• Matching bids. If you collect more than one bid, line up the same scope in each: cabinet grade, countertop material, who buys the fixtures, cleanup and how change orders get priced.

Don't plan around the state's Residence Lien Recovery Fund. DOPL says the money available is extremely limited or may be unavailable¹². A licensed contractor and a signed, written contract are the protections that matter most.