Kitchen with concrete countertops, a copper sink, brass faucet and Edison-bulb pendants hung from a reclaimed beam

Remodeling contractor · Sumner County, Franklin & BrentwoodChoosing a Remodeling Contractor and what working with JACCO is like

What to check before you hire anyone to remodel your home, from the license and insurance to the written scope, change orders and communication, followed by a plain account of how JACCO runs its projects.

Schedule a Consultation or call (615) 674-8642

BBB Accredited A+ rating · zero complaints
Licensed & Insured TN Contractor License #79477
25+ Years in the Trades Led by owner Jonathon Wilkinson
5.0 Client Rating 16 verified reviews on HomeAdvisor
Locally Owned Cottontown · Sumner County, TN

Navy kitchen island with a concrete top and upholstered stools, seen through an arched opening

Before you sign

Hire the contractor first and the finishes will follow

Tile, fixtures and paint colors can be reconsidered as a project develops. The company running your remodel cannot be replaced halfway through without real cost and stress. Remodels that go badly tend to share the same gaps: a vague estimate, no written scope, unclear payment terms, changes agreed on a handshake, and calls that stop being returned once work has started. Every one of those can be checked before you sign anything.

Start with credentials. Ask for the contractor’s license number and the legal name it is issued under, and confirm it is active. Ask for a current certificate of insurance rather than a verbal assurance. Read reviews on more than one platform, and notice how the company responds when something goes wrong. For the record, JACCO’s Tennessee contractor license number is 79477, the company is insured and holds an A+ rating as a BBB Accredited Business, and its client reviews are gathered on one page.

Then read the estimate closely. A useful bid describes the work room by room and names the materials, instead of one number beside the words “bathroom remodel.” It should say what is excluded, how any allowances work, when payments are due and how changes get approved. When two bids are far apart, the gap is usually in what each one includes, and only a written scope lets you see it. Our bid and scheduling stages are built around that idea.

A checklist for any consultation

Questions to ask a remodeling contractor

Bring these to every consultation, including ours. A contractor who answers them clearly, and puts the answers in writing, is one you can plan a project with.

What is your license number and legal name?
Can I see a current certificate of insurance?
Will the scope be itemized in writing?
How are changes priced and approved?
Who runs the site day to day?
Who pulls permits and meets inspectors?
Will I get a schedule before work starts?
How are payments tied to progress?
How will you protect and clean my home?
What happens at the punch list?

How we work

What you can hold JACCO to

A written bid you can rely on

After the site visit you receive a written bid that describes the work and names the materials. It is built to be dependable: the price reflects the scope and selections you agreed to, and the work stays inside that scope.

Changes agreed before they happen

If you want to add something, or we find a problem behind a wall, we stop and talk it through. You see the scope and cost of the change before the work proceeds, so nothing appears on an invoice that you did not approve.

A schedule, a clean site, a finished list

Before work starts you get a detailed schedule that lays out each stage of the job. The work area is cleaned before we leave each day, the project closes once we have walked it with you and finished the punch list, and Jonathon returns personally if a touch-up is needed afterward.

“Each project from initial bid to completion has been precisely within the scope of work I was given.”

In their words Patrick R. Four projects: plumbing, tile, flooring and painting Published on JACCO’s earlier website · 2022

How a JACCO project runs

Bid, schedule, build, punch list, close.

See the full process

Stage 1Bid
Site visit, measurements and a written bid tied to a clear scope of work.
Stages 2 and 3Schedule · Build
Selections settled, materials lined up, a detailed schedule, and a protected, clean home while we build.
Stages 4 and 5Punch list · Close
We walk the finished work with you and close the project when every item on the list is done.

How many remodeling estimates should we get?

Two or three is usually plenty, as long as each one is priced from the same scope. Comparing an itemized bid with a one-line number tells you very little, so give every contractor the same priorities, measurements and selections, and ask each of them to break the price down. The lowest figure is not always the least expensive outcome if it leaves out work the others included.

What is a change order?

A change order is a written amendment to your contract that describes added or altered work, its price and any effect on the schedule. Changes happen for good reasons: a new idea once you see the room taking shape, or a hidden condition found behind a wall. The safeguard is simple: each change is agreed in writing before anyone builds it, so the last bill only reflects choices you signed off on.

Who should pull the permit for a remodel?

In most cases, the contractor. The permit holder is generally the party responsible for the work and for meeting inspections, so it makes sense for that to be the licensed professional doing the job. Ask questions if a contractor suggests you pull a permit yourself as the homeowner. JACCO handles permit applications and inspections on its projects and tells you during the bid which permits yours needs.

How do payments work during a JACCO project?

Your agreement spells out the payment schedule before construction starts, including what each installment covers and when it falls due. As a general rule, payments on any remodel should track the progress of the work rather than run far ahead of it. For paying, JACCO takes major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover) as well as checks, cash, bank transfers, Venmo, Cash App and Apple Pay.

What belongs in a remodeling contract?

At minimum: the scope of work, the materials or allowances, the price, the payment schedule, the expected start and timeline, how changes are handled, who is responsible for permits and cleanup, and how the project is closed out. If something you discussed is not written down, ask for it to be added. A clear contract protects both sides and makes the final walk-through easy to agree on. You are welcome to bring these questions to a consultation with JACCO.