Hiring a general contractor in Beaverton is a decision most homeowners make once or twice in a lifetime, usually under time pressure, usually by comparing three bids they cannot fully read. After 17 years of building in the Portland metro, and after fixing plenty of work that other outfits left behind, we can tell you the good contractors are easy to identify once you know what to check. None of it requires construction knowledge. It requires about an hour of homework, a short list of questions, and the discipline to walk away from a bid that feels wrong. This guide gives you that hour, step by step.
1. Verify the CCB license before anything else
Oregon law is blunt on this point: under ORS chapter 701, anyone working for compensation in construction activity in Oregon must hold an active license with the Construction Contractors Board, and hiring an unlicensed contractor strips you of most of your protections. Go to the CCB's license search at ccb.state.or.us, type in the company name or license number, and read what comes back: license status, endorsement type, bond and insurance on file, and any disciplinary or claims history. It takes five minutes and it filters out the worst offenders instantly. Every legitimate contractor prints the number on everything; ours is CCB #204939 and it is on our contracts, our site, and our trucks.
While you are on the CCB site, check that the endorsement matches your project. Oregon licenses residential and commercial work under separate endorsements, and a contractor licensed only for one category should not be running the other kind of job.
2. Confirm bond, insurance, and workers' compensation
A CCB license requires a surety bond and general liability insurance, and contractors with employees must carry workers' compensation coverage. Do not take the sales rep's word for it. Ask for certificates of insurance naming you as certificate holder for the project, and confirm the coverage is active for the dates your job will run. If a worker is injured on your property and the contractor is uninsured, the dispute can land on your homeowner's policy. This is the single cheapest risk check in the entire process, and the contractors who resist it are telling you something.
3. Read the contract like it will end up in front of a judge
Oregon's CCB requires written contracts for most residential construction work and requires contractors to deliver specific consumer notices, including the Consumer Protection Notice and, where applicable, the Notice of Procedure regarding construction liens. If a contractor wants to run your project on a handshake or a one-page estimate, stop. A real contract names the full scope, the materials by brand and product line, the payment schedule tied to milestones rather than dates, the change-order process in writing, the start window, and who pulls the permits. That last one matters: the permit should be pulled by the contractor, under the contractor's license, not by you as an owner permit. A contractor who asks the homeowner to pull the permit is usually avoiding inspection accountability.
4. Ask who is actually doing the work
Every general contractor uses subcontractors for some trades; that is normal and fine. What you want to know is who supervises them and how often the person whose name is on the contract shows up on your site. Ask directly: who is my point of contact, how often is the site walked, and who checks the work before each inspection? Ask whether the company has in-house design capability or an architect relationship for projects that need drawings. Vague answers here predict vague accountability later. Our own answer, for what it is worth, is on our process page, and it has not changed in 17 years: the owner walks the jobs.
5. Know the warning signs that end the conversation
- A large deposit demanded up front. Modest mobilization payments are normal; front-loading most of the contract price is not.
- Door-to-door solicitation after a storm. The out-of-state storm-chaser cycle is real in the metro. If they found you, rather than the reverse, slow down and read our guide to storm damage and insurance in Oregon before signing anything.
- Pressure to skip the permit. Unpermitted work surfaces at resale, in appraisals, and in insurance claims. It is never a favor to you.
- A bid dramatically below the others. Somebody is going to pay the difference, and it is usually you, mid-project, via change orders.
- No local address, no local references. Ask for recent projects in Beaverton, Hillsboro, or Tigard you can actually drive past.
The one-hour homework checklist
- CCB license search: status, endorsement, bond, claims history.
- Certificates of insurance requested and dates confirmed.
- Three recent local references, at least one from a project like yours.
- Written contract reviewed against the checklist in section 3.
- Permit responsibility confirmed in writing.
- Gut check: did they answer questions directly, or sell past them?
If a remodel, addition, roof, or repair is on your list this year, would it help to have a licensed builder walk the property and put honest numbers to it before you collect bids? We do free inspections with a report back within 24 hours, and there is no obligation attached to it. Compare what we say against every other bid you get; that comparison is the point.
Veteran-owned. CCB #204939. Serving Beaverton and the Portland metro Mon through Sat, 8 AM to 7 PM. Closed Sundays.