Asking for receipts for materials

[Pinaki M.]

One of the houses that I own needs a fairly large rehab work (remodel bathroom, kitchen, replace floor/subfloor in some parts of the house, bring electrical up to code, new HVAC, etc.). I have never done a rehab before and finding it quite difficult to find a contractor for a reasonable price. One of the contractors gave me a quote that seems OK so far (not the lowest one I received). I am required to pay him for both material and labor. However, when I asked if he could show me receipts for the material he buys (at least the big ones like cabinets, bathroom stuff, etc.), he said he does not do that. The house itself is a low priced house in a lower income area, so I am not expecting expensive or high-end materials. Nevertheless, it doesn't give me a lot of confidence not knowing what materials are being used and where they are being sourced from. Is this something common that a lot of contractors do? Am I being reasonable in asking him for the receipts? 

(Btw, any suggestions on how I can find a good contractor?)

[Brian Pulaski]

Is his bid an all inclusive lump sum type bid, or is it labor and materials? What do you want to do with his "receipts" (I assume you mean his quotes as he would only get a receipt after he does the job) if he does send them to you? If you are concerned he is using a higher priced or higher quality product, then you need to specify what quality you are looking for. If you feel he is overcharging for materials, you can try and have him bid labor only, just remember a lot of contractors won't do it that way, or their labor rate will increase.