Williamson County's building boom brought a wave of contractors — some excellent, some who learned roofing last Tuesday. Storm season brings the door-knockers on top of that. Here's the vetting process locals wish they'd used the first time.

Before you call anyone

  • Check the license. Tennessee requires a state contractor's license for most projects at $25,000 and up, and home-improvement work in many counties has its own licensing tier. Verify any license claim through the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance's online license search — it takes two minutes and is free.
  • Ask for proof of insurance. General liability and workers' comp, as current certificates — not a verbal "oh yeah, we're covered." If an uninsured worker is hurt on your property, that can become your problem.
  • Search the name. The company name and the owner's name — reviews, complaint records with consumer-protection agencies, and how they respond to bad reviews, which tells you more than the good ones.

The questions that separate pros from problems

  • "Who actually does the work — your crew or subs?" (Subs are normal; not knowing who they are isn't.)
  • "What does the payment schedule look like?" A pro ties payments to completed milestones. A large up-front deposit — anything approaching half — is a red flag for all but custom-order work.
  • "Will you pull the permit?" For work that needs one, the contractor pulling it in their own name is standard. A contractor who wants you to pull an owner's permit for their work is often dodging licensing scrutiny.
  • "Can I see something you did three years ago?" Anyone can show last month's job. Work that's held up for years — and a customer still willing to vouch — is the real portfolio.

Red flags, ranked

  1. Door-to-door solicitation right after a storm, especially with "we're doing your neighbor's roof" pressure.
  2. Cash-only, today-only pricing.
  3. No physical address or a truck with no company name.
  4. "We don't need a permit for this" on clearly permit-worthy work.
  5. Refusing a written contract with scope, timeline, and payment schedule.

The local advantage

The best hiring signal in a town like Franklin is still a neighbor's recommendation for work you can go look at. We're building a vetted list of local pros based on exactly that — real recommendations from real neighbors, no paid placement. Had a great experience with a local pro? Tell us.