When they roll out of their vehicle in a plume of smoke, but tell you they will not smoke in the apartment (which was clearly advertised as non-smoking on the entire premises).

You can then tie the draw/payment schedule to disburse pre-determined amounts at certain milestones of the construction process (e.g. completion of rough framing, rough pluming and rough electrical);3.

Have you seen permits for all the work he did, roof, furnace, siding, windows, kitchen, pluming all require permits and inspection.

Did the contractor pull permits for the pluming and electrical work? 

@Joe Splitrock  The foundation is cracked, Some pluming was knocked loose. both the walls it hit where load bearing.

A house looks good from a photo,but what inside the walls,the foundation,pluming,the area and marketability.

The plaster had been replaced by dry wall, the pluming was redone as well as the electrical (minus a few cut cords) the furnace was shot tho.

They deliver property fully renovated: new roof, new pluming, floors, kitchen, bathrooms, paint job- all is done, but basic, of course.

I'd make sure all the pluming is in working order (not galvanized).

Lol ben leybovich, yes i was in construction but only framming and drywall not pluming or electrical.