When it comes to building a home, there are many things to consider. For starters, you need to find a great Boise general contractor.

The first thing you should do is ask for referrals from friends, family and coworkers who have recently done a home remodel or project. This will give you a good idea of which contractors have a good reputation in your community and are willing to work hard for you.

Using sites like Angie’s List, Yelp and the Better Business Bureau to look for reviews will also help you narrow down your options. These reviews are written by real people, so you can get a sense of whether the contractor’s work ethic is reasonable.

Once you’ve narrowed down your list to a handful of potential contractors, it’s time to begin your selection process. You want to start with a few home improvement stores in your area, such as Lowe’s, Home Depot and Ace Hardware, where you can see what other homeowners have to say about their experience with a particular contractor.

Next, visit the local city and county offices to verify that a contractor has all of the necessary licenses, certifications and insurance to perform a home construction project. This will ensure that they are legally allowed to do the work and won’t be liable for any fines or legal issues should something go wrong during the construction process.

In addition to getting a contractor’s license and insurance, it’s also important that you ask for references from other homeowners who have hired the contractor. This will allow you to see how well the contractor is able to provide a high level of customer service while completing projects.

After you have all of this information, it’s time to compare each of the contractors’ bids and proposals. This will be the best way to determine which home builder company will deliver the highest quality at the lowest price.

Make sure the bids include an itemized breakdown of each aspect of the project and a breakdown of the cost of materials, including the costs of any specialty items that you’ll need for your project. If the bids don’t include this information, you should question why.

A contractor who doesn’t include this information can be a warning sign that they aren’t serious about their business. They might just be looking to make a quick buck.

You should be able to find some of these reference letters from contractors on websites such as Angie’s List, Yelp, Thumbtack and Houzz. These sites are usually free to use and are a great way to check if someone has had good experiences with a contractor before.

When you’re comparing the bids, be sure to ask each contractor if they will need a down payment before starting work on your home. This will help keep your project on track, according to Angi, and it can also ensure that you don’t have any surprises down the road once the work starts.