[juanbenae]

as mentioned finding good subs is not always easy. maybe your architect will work with you on reviewing the contracts for ya after you chose a sub. would cost ya a little but could be well worth it. a couple things I'd ask for is a hard schedule with durations not necessarily dates prior to entering into a contract. it's also good to find subs that have worked together before.

do your research with the state contractors board, ask for references, check yelp and other online rating services. a buddy of mine entered into a contract with a pool contractor and his experience was the same as the other on yelp in that it was bad. reviews of poor performance were prevalent and almost exactly the issues he had after looking into him. much like zeke mentions he had no architectural plans having drawn up the project on a napkin pretty much and that in combination of a bad contractor doomed him. had to hire a second guy who was not much better.