09-17-2026, 09:17 AM
I'm in Abu Dhabi and trying to sort out a kitchen and bathroom update on a rental we own in Palo Alto, and I keep getting stuck on the licensing question. A friend told me I should only hire someone who is a licensed general contractor electrician and plumber in Palo Alto all rolled into one, but that sounds almost impossible to find. Is that actually a thing, or do most companies just have a GC who subs out the electrical and plumbing to separate licensed pros? I looked at kitchen bath palo alto and they seem to cover all of it, but I can't tell if that means one person holds every license or if they just coordinate different trades. From overseas it's hard to verify who's actually pulling permits and who's liable if something goes wrong. If you've hired someone in Palo Alto, did you check licenses individually or just trust the company? And did anyone run into trouble because the electrician or plumber wasn't properly licensed? I'd rather ask now than find out the hard way
