Is Groundcheck overkill for small contractor jobs?

Verification depth should scale with project value. Spending an hour on free public records for a $300 fence repair is overkill; relying on a 30-second license check for a $200,000 whole-home remodel is reckless.

Tiered verification recommendation:

Under $1,000 (small repairs, handyman work):

- Free Groundcheck. Catches license-status issues, Secretary of State match, and headline red flags in under 90 seconds. - Skip insurance verification only if the work is genuinely low-risk (no electrical, plumbing, structural, or hazardous material). - Skip extensive reference checks; rely on online reviews or neighborhood referrals. - Pay by credit card if possible. - Total diligence time: 5 minutes.

$1,000-$5,000 (small remodel projects, single-room work):

- Free Groundcheck. Read the verdict carefully. - Verify insurance directly with the carrier — call to confirm policy in force. - One or two reference checks on similar work. - Written contract with milestone payments (no 50% up front). - Total diligence time: 30 minutes.

$5,000-$50,000 (kitchen remodel, bathroom remodel, roof replacement):

- Groundcheck Deep Dive ($19). Adds detailed court citations, phoenix-pattern detection, and 12-month monitoring. - Direct insurer call for COI verification. - 3 reference checks on similar work. - Permit history check (BuildZoom or local building department). - Written contract with milestone payments tied to permit inspections. - Lien releases at every payment. - Total diligence time: 90 minutes. - $19 cost is 0.04%-0.4% of project value. The first phoenix detection or active license suspension catch pays for it many times over.

$50,000-$250,000 (whole-home remodel, large additions, custom builds):

- Groundcheck Deep Dive or Pro tier. Deep Dive sufficient for one project; Pro better if multiple contractors involved (GC + several subs). - Multiple Deep Dives — one per major contractor and subcontractor. - Direct insurer call. Verify GL and WC for each. - 4-5 reference checks on similar work, specifically on the trade types involved. - BuildZoom or building department permit history review. - Written contract reviewed by attorney ($1,000-$3,000 legal review cost is rational at this project scale). - Milestone payments tied to permit inspections. - Lien releases at every payment, including subs. - Joint checks for major sub payments. - Owner's representative (independent project manager) optional but recommended. - Total diligence time: 4-8 hours. - Pro tier at $99.99/month is $50 well spent on a $200,000 project.

Above $250,000 (high-end custom homes, commercial projects):

- Groundcheck Pro tier for 10 Deep Dive reports per month plus unlimited free verifications and continuous monitoring. - All of the above, plus: - Audited or reviewed financial statements from the GC. - Bonding capacity verification with the surety. - Possible owner-controlled insurance program (OCIP) or wrap-up. - Owner's representative or construction manager. - Construction attorney engaged throughout. - Quality-control inspector on retainer. - Total diligence stack: tens of hours, multiple thousands of dollars in fees.

Edge cases:

- Emergency repairs (water leak, electrical failure, storm damage). You don't have 90 minutes. Free Groundcheck takes 90 seconds — do at least that. Use credit card payment for fraud protection. Document the urgency in writing in case of later dispute.

- Trade specialty with limited local options (specialty mason, historical restoration). You may be choosing among 1-3 contractors regardless of verification results. Use Groundcheck to identify the least-risky among them, then layer protections aggressively.

- Repeat contractor you've worked with before. Re-verify before each new project. Twelve months between projects is enough time for situations to change. Enable monitoring.

The principle: verification time should be a small fraction of project total time. For a 90-day kitchen remodel, 90 minutes of diligence is 0.1% of the project timeline and could save 100% of the project budget. The math is rarely close.

Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) is designed to be a 90-second baseline for any project size and a 5-10 minute Deep Dive for any project above $5,000. Pro tier is for high-volume users — homeowners running multiple projects per year, real estate investors, procurement teams, and lenders.