FAQs

Are you licensed?

Yes. We are licensed as a general contractor in the state of Oregon by the Construction Contractors Board (CCB). Our License number is 173966. To search our license history and status visit the Oregon Construction Contractors Board.

Do you do small jobs?

Depending on our schedule we may do small handyman or home repair work. If you are flexible on the timeline it’s more likely that we will be able to handle your small job. Remodel projects cannot always be scheduled back to back, so it’s good to have a few small jobs in the queue to fill out our schedule. Need something done immediately? It never hurts to ask and we will likely have someone to recommend it if does not fit in to our schedule.

Do I need a general contractor for my job?

A good guideline for when a general contractor is required is if there are 3 or more categories of work being performed i.e. carpentry, electrical, drywall etc. This of course varies depending on the particular details of your job. Being that we handle many specialty types of work in-house we sometimes take on jobs that involve only one category of work. This is most common with tile and carpentry work. If you’re unsure feel free to ask. If it seems like it would be in your best interest to hire a specialty contractor directly we would be happy to refer you to the people that we would hire.

Is your work done by subcontractors or employees?

Portland Tradesmen employees do the majority of our work. This gives us more control over the quality and timing of your remodel project. There are some aspects of our work that require specialty licenses such as plumbing and electrical which we sub-contract. Also most of the work that we perform is done on site, Aspects of the work that require a large amount of dedicated shop space and equipment such as building cabinetry and fabricating stone counter-tops are done by our sub-contractors.

Are your employees covered by workers compensation and liability insurance?

Absolutely! The risks associated with avoiding taxes and insurance on employees do not pay off for the contractor or homeowner. If an “off the books” employee were to get hurt on a job there could be serious repercussions for all involved. On a human level, an employee should be guaranteed the care that they deserve. Beyond that the contractor could face significant fines and back taxes and in some cases the homeowner can be held liable. It’s definitely not worth the cost saving to pay an employee “under the table”.

How do you deal with kids and pets?

Kids and pets are usually among our biggest fans, often finding the project to be much more fun and amusing than their parents do. We are happy to indulge their curiosity and develop a plan that will be safe for everyone in the house. This can include sectioning off areas of the project that pose a risk to kids and animals and making sure that potentially dangerous material and tools are never left unattended in their presence. For pets areas of the house are sometimes sectioned off to contain them while the project is being worked on. Arrangements are often made for us to let pets in or out during the day if their owners are gone. Also we never expose pets to fumes, dust or any other situation that we would not expose ourselves or the homeowner to.

Will you let me know what time you plan on showing up and leaving every day?

At the beginning of each job we develop a schedule that works for the homeowner. Throughout most of the project there will be a very regular work schedule. Some variation can be expected due to our sub-contractor and supplier’s schedules. We will make sure that you are aware of changes to the regular schedule if they occur and that they work with your schedule.