Homeowners have certainly all heard their share of Horrorstories regarding the use of general contractors for various homeimprovement projects, but the simple fact of the matter is that itis virtually impossible for most individuals to adequately managetheir renovation without professional assistance. As is true inmany other fields, a few bad apples have successfully given generalcontractors as a whole a bad reputation. Plenty of reputableprofessionals do exist, but consumers need to understand how toweed out the undesirables.Almost every state has some type of licensing exam that generalcontractors must pass, and homeowners should not be afraid to askfor proof of a valid license. In addition to a GC license,reputable professionals must also carry the appropriate businesslicenses. An indiv