How to Choose a Women-Owned Remodeler in Minneapolis
More Minneapolis homeowners are looking for a women-owned contractor for their kitchen or bath. Some want a different experience from the one they’ve had with contractors before. Others want their remodeling budget to support a woman-owned business. Either way, “women-owned” is easy to put on a website, so it’s worth knowing what it means and how to check it.
What “women-owned” means
A women-owned business is at least 51% owned by one or more women, and those women run it. Certification programs check both parts. They read the ownership documents, and they confirm that the woman owner makes the major decisions day to day.
Ownership on paper isn’t enough. Ask who signs the contracts, who sets the price, and who you’ll actually work with once the job starts.
How to check a remodeler
- Look up the license. Every residential remodeler in Minnesota needs a license from the Department of Labor and Industry. Search the company on the DLI license lookup and confirm it’s active.
- Ask about certification. The best-known women-owned certification is WBENC. Local programs exist too, but most of them are built for government contracts. If a contractor is certified, ask which program certified it and when.
- Ask who owns and runs it. A good contractor will tell you plainly who owns the company and what each person does.
- Read reviews from more than one place. Look at Google, Houzz and GuildQuality together, and read the newest reviews first.
Questions to ask before you hire
- Who will I deal with from design through the final walkthrough?
- Is the price fixed, or will it change as the job goes?
- How do you handle surprises behind the walls of an older home?
- Who signs the contract, and who approves changes?
- Can I talk to two recent clients with homes like mine?
Why it matters for older homes
Many Minneapolis homes were built before 1960. Those houses hide galvanized pipe, old wiring and walls that aren’t where the drawings say. The contractor you pick needs to plan for that up front and tell you the truth about it, whoever owns the company.
About Prima Construction
Prima Construction is a women-owned kitchen and bath remodeler in Minneapolis. Kim Studham owns Prima and leads the build. She’s on site, on the tools, and holds two college degrees in architecture. Scott leads much of the design. We work almost entirely in older Minneapolis-area homes, at a fixed price, from the first design meeting to the final walkthrough.
Request a visit to talk about your kitchen or bath.
