What am I paying for?

I was chatting with a good friend of mine over the weekend. I was lamenting some of my past experiences of hiring a contractor and taking him at his word that he was skilled and qualified and licensed; only to discover later he was none of these things. Later I tried to get him to honor his work and repair the dozens of mistakes only to find he also had no self respect or integrity. This is a common theme in many of my posts. I also find it is a common experience that a lot of homeowners have when they are trying to get a project done. Forgive me for harping on this issue but if you will allow me to go on again I want to share the little bit of wisdom my good friend espoused. He said, "It is always better to pay for a licensed contractor. Because I am paying for someone I can bitch at if things go wrong." What my friend was saying was simply that often a licensed contractor cost a little more than a hack. In my experience a licensed contractor costs 20 to 30% more on the front end. I say front end intentionally, because in my experience licensed specialists make less mistakes, work faster and produce a better product than some hack carpenter. But, a licensed reputable operator gives you piece of mind and has a legal obligation to you, the client. I recently bid on a job for a person who was in the midst of a large kitchen remodel. It was unclear initially why I was there, the job was half done by a "carpenter" who was a friend of a friend of the homeowner. The homeowner took me through the site and explained that the "carpenter" didn't know how to do several things to get the job finished. The tasks were rudimentary, a little framing, a few doors and a window. A true carpenter with the correct experience would be able to do this work without hesitation and quickly too. I explained to the homeowner that I was uncomfortable working to complete a project that someone else had partially done and that I could not vouch for the integrity of the adjacent work that would impact my work. The homeowner insisted that it was OK and that I could proceed. However, my conscience will not allow me to do so. I need to know what is behind that drywall and I need to know if that framing is sound. A carpenter who doesn't know the basics may not have adhered to the principles of framing as I know them. Now the homeowner has a conundrum. Keep searching to find someone who will do the work regardless of the unknowns. Or hire me to remove a section of the project and then reinstall the work once I am satisfied the framing is adequate. Pay on the front end or live with the unknown and possibly pay on the backend. For piece of mind, safety and savings hiring a professional is always the best route.