The problem I have with "professionals" in Seattle area is that you pay a lot, and then you have to either have them come back every day to fix all the little things, or just give up and fix them yourself. It is emotionally draining that it's so costly and yet still done in a half-assed way. I may have been unlucky with the contractors, but on the other hand, it's not in their incentive to spend more time on something if they can get away with doing the job less meticulously...
I think that would be true if I were to pay them by the hour. Fortunately, I'm not (at least not in the case of the remodel I'm going through now), but it means it's on me to make sure everything is the way it should be. I guess it's still a way for them to gamble - if I find a problem, they'll come back and fix it, but if I don't, that's some saved time for them. I'm ok to play this game, but it's not making me believe in "pros will do it right".
A good, reliable, trustworthy general contractor is is a true treasure. They'll either be able to do it themselves, or refer you to someone they trust, and trust is the most important part of this.
