09/17/2026
🚨 STOP before giving your contractor a huge deposit.
In California, a contractor generally cannot demand 30%, 50%, or thousands of dollars upfront for a home-improvement project. 😳
For most California home-improvement contracts, the down payment is capped at:
💰 $1,000 OR 10% of the contract price — whichever is LESS.
So on a $60,000 remodel?
❌ $18,000 upfront
❌ $10,000 upfront
❌ $6,000 upfront
✅ Generally, $1,000 maximum
Before I recommend a contractor, I also check their:
🔎 CSLB license
🛡️ Bond status
🚩 Complaint history
📍 Business information
🏠 Previous work
Your remodel is already expensive enough. Don’t make it more expensive by hiring the wrong contractor. 😅
SAVE this before your next remodel — and SEND it to someone getting contractor bids right now. 👇