The Original AG 76 said:
Try and find a guy who does remodel as his living
We had a bath remodel (4-5 years ago) go from 2-3 week estimate to 8 weeks with a contractor that does remodeling for a living. Project started off good with demo, then no one ever showed up afterwards. I ended up going to the supplier to complain since the contractor wouldn't show or call back and was able to get things done/scheduled from there. The day I was going to fire him, he showed up and completed the work.
We did have another contractor that did quick and efficient exterior work (8 years ago) but he advertised that he took all major credit cards so we didn't even think about asking about payment. When the work was completed, we gave him a credit card and he said he didn't take credit cards. Pulling $2000 out of your arse isn't always easy.
As Forrest Gump said, life is like a box of chocolates, You never know what you are going to get. Same applies here.