One Licensed Installer or Separate Specialists? Planning a Renovation With Several Installations

A kitchen remodel, a laundry room upgrade or a living room refresh rarely involves just one kind of work. There may be a water line to connect, appliances to install and a TV or smart devices to set up. You can hire one team for the parts it is licensed and equipped to do, a separate specialist for each part, or a mix of both. Each approach can work. The right one depends on the work involved.

What one team can simplify

When the same team handles several related installations, such as a dishwasher, a faucet and a disposal on the same sink wall, there are fewer appointments to line up and fewer handoffs between visits. The team can sequence the work so one job does not hold up the next, and it knows what was done at each step if a question comes up later.

That benefit only applies to work the team is licensed and equipped to do. Ask which parts of your project it will do itself.

When a separate specialist is the right call

No single license or company covers everything in a home. Electrical work such as new circuits, structural changes such as cutting into a load-bearing wall, and other specialized work need a contractor licensed for that trade. A specialist who focuses on one kind of work can also bring experience a broader installer may not have.

If your project includes work like that, plan for the right trade from the start rather than expecting one company to cover it.

Coordinating several contractors

Using more than one contractor is common and works well with a little planning:

• Agree on the order of work, for example plumbing connections before appliances, and share each contractor's dates with the others.
• Get the scope of each job in writing, so it is clear who is responsible for each connection.
• Give each contractor the equipment models, measurements and photos they need before their visit.

Check the license for each kind of work

In California, the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) licenses contractors by classification. Plumbing contractors hold the C-36 classification; other trades have their own. Ask for the license number of anyone doing licensed work in your home, and check that it covers that work with the CSLB license lookup.

Installation Pros holds a CSLB C-36 plumbing license and installs kitchen and laundry appliances, water heaters, reverse osmosis systems, faucets, sinks, disposals and toilets.

Home theater and smart home requests

Installation Pros now takes requests for home theater and smart home installation. These are new services: our team reviews each request and follows up with a quote and the scope it can confirm for your room. If your project combines plumbing or appliance work with a TV or smart devices, describe the whole project in one request so our team can tell you which parts it can take on.

Questions to ask before you book

Before booking anyone for a project with several installations, ask:

1. Licensing: does the company hold a current CSLB license for the work it will do, such as a C-36 for plumbing?
2. Scope: which parts of the project will this company do itself, and which will need another trade? Electrical circuit work, for example, is a separate trade.
3. Order of work: how will the jobs be sequenced, and what happens if a problem is found on site?

For a kitchen, ask specifically about the range hood, the dishwasher connection and a reverse osmosis line. For a living room, ask about the TV mount and any smart devices, and who handles each.

Plan the project in one request

Starting with one request that lists everything you are planning lets our team tell you which parts it can cover, which need another trade and what to arrange separately.

Request a quote or call (909) 768-3650 to talk through the scope of your project.

Frequently asked questions