How We Work

Most complaints about contractors are not about craftsmanship. They are about not knowing what is happening, when, or why the number changed. This is exactly how a project with us runs, start to finish, so there are no surprises about the process itself.

1. The call

You call (206) 396-2959 or send the form. We ask what you are trying to do, roughly when, and where the property is. If it is not something we do, or not something we should be doing, we say so on the phone rather than driving out to tell you.

2. The walkthrough

We come look at the actual space. This is free and there is no obligation attached to it. We are looking at more than the room you want changed: the age of the house, the condition of the subfloor, what the electrical panel can support, where the plumbing runs, how we would get materials in and debris out. In an older home this is also where we tell you honestly what we suspect is behind the walls and what we cannot know until it is open.

3. The written estimate

You get a free written estimate. Not a single number on a business card. It separates demolition and prep from materials and finish work, so you can see which part of the cost is which and make real decisions about scope.

Where something cannot be known until demolition — the condition of framing behind a shower, for instance — we state that in writing as a contingency rather than leaving it out and returning with a change order later. That is the single most common way homeowners get burned, and it is avoidable.

4. Selections and long-lead items

Before anything gets demolished, we lock down the things that take weeks to arrive: cabinetry, stone slabs, tile, fixtures. We would rather wait two weeks to start than have your kitchen open for a month waiting on a delivery. If you want help with selections we will help; if you have a designer, we work with them.

5. Permits, where required

If the work needs a permit, we handle it. Moving plumbing, altering circuits and structural changes generally require one in King County; like-for-like cosmetic replacement generally does not. We do not do permitted work without a permit, and we would encourage you to walk away from anyone who offers to.

6. The build

Same crew from start to finish. We protect floors and contain dust properly — not as a courtesy, but because you are going to be living in this house for the next several weeks. Job sites get cleaned at the end of each day. You get a schedule up front and you hear from us when something changes, before it changes, not after.

In wet areas, waterproofing gets flood-tested before tile goes on. Cure times get the days they need. This is where the schedule occasionally costs us a day and saves you a rebuild.

7. Walkthrough and punch list

We walk the finished work with you and write down everything that is not right, including the small things you feel awkward mentioning. Then we fix them. A punch list is a normal part of construction, not an admission of failure, and a contractor who acts wounded by one is telling you something.

8. After

You have our number. If something comes up after we are gone, call it. Ben has worked in this trade in this region since 1998. Reputation is the whole business at that scale.

How we charge

Estimates are free. Work is priced from the written estimate, with a payment schedule agreed before we start. Changes to scope are written down and priced before they happen, not billed afterward. If a change order is ever presented to you verbally, at any company, ask for it in writing before agreeing to it.

Licensing and verification

Builders Enterprise, Inc. is a registered Washington general contractor, license BUILDEI913RS. Washington law requires contractors to be registered, bonded and insured, and to include the registration number in advertising. You can verify ours, or anyone else’s, directly with the Department of Labor & Industries at secure.lni.wa.gov/verify. Checking takes about thirty seconds and we would rather you did. Our guide to choosing a contractor in Washington without getting burned explains what to look for in the results.