Should I ask while the job is still going?

Wait for the final sign-off. A client living in dust is tired, and a comment written during drywall week rarely does you justice. After the last punch item they can see the finished result. A second nudge a few weeks later, once they have used the room, often brings a better one.

What if the job ran over budget?

Ask anyway. Nobody believes a renovation ends at the first number. A comment saying the job ran nine days over and the client heard about each one is worth more than a claim of perfection.

What about clients who were hard to work with?

Ask them too, if the job ended well. People who argued about a change often describe most precisely how you settled it. If they say no, let it go, because pressing an unhappy client can turn a comment into a complaint.

Does the project type need to show?

Yes. A remodel client wants to hear from another remodel client. The role line can say "Kitchen and bath remodel" rather than just "Homeowner", so a reader knows at once whether the story is theirs. Add the neighborhood if the client is happy to share it.

general contractors

Testimonials for general contractors

Be the renovation story that went right.

Everyone has heard a renovation horror story. Your job is to be the contractor with a wall of clients saying the opposite happened.

Right below is the text I would send a client, ready to copy.

Start freeNo card needed. Cancel whenever.

A text you can send

The text I would send after a good job

The day the punch list closes, while the client is still walking through the finished rooms.

Hi Paul, it's Rick at Halloran Builds. The last punch item is done and I'm glad the kitchen came out the way you drew it. Could you write a few lines for my website on how the final cost compared with what we first talked about? Here is the link, nothing to register: [your link]

Swap in your own names. The link comes from your dashboard.

General contractor testimonial examples

The kind of thing general contractors collect with Exalted. Each one is invented and labelled as an example.

Example

They found rot behind the shower that nobody could have predicted. Stopped, showed me, priced it, waited for a decision. Finished nine days over on a four-month job.

James W. · Homeowner

Example

Our kitchen estimate was $62,000 and the final bill was $64,300, after we added the pantry door. He sent a change order for every change, so I always knew the next number before any work started.

Rosalind D. · Kitchen remodel

Example

When they opened the bathroom wall there was an old chimney flue running through it. He stopped for a day, got an engineer's letter and gave me two options with prices. It still finished before my in-laws arrived.

Idris F. · Bathroom and hall remodel

Example

I lived next door to the job for five months and never once wanted to complain. He told the street about the dumpster and the loud days in advance, and put a note in my mailbox with his cell number. Now I am his next client.

Margit V. · Neighbor, then client

Renovation dread is mostly about money and mess, so the strongest comments quote a figure or describe a note in a mailbox. They also say who was talking: "Kitchen remodel" tells the next kitchen client whose story this is.

How it works

1
Share one link
You get a single link. Send it by text or email to a client whose work went well.
2
They write it, in a minute
No account and no app to download. They rate you and write a couple of lines.
3
You approve what appears
Nothing is public until you say so. Approve the good ones and they appear on your website automatically.

When to ask

At final sign-off, when the punch list is closed.

The single biggest reason general contractors have no testimonials is that nobody asks while the work is still fresh, not that clients are unwilling.

Questions that get a real answer

“Please leave a review” produces “great service”, which persuades nobody. Ask something specific instead:

How close was the finished job to the original estimate?
How did we handle the things we found once walls were open?
Would you go through a renovation with us again?

Or an email

Two weeks after handover, once the client has lived in the finished space.

Subject: Now that you've lived in it

Hi Idris,

It has been a couple of weeks since we closed out the bathroom and the hall. I hope the new shower is holding up the way you wanted.

I have a favor to ask. People thinking about a renovation want to hear from someone who has been through one. Would you write a few sentences about what surprised you, including anything that went wrong and how we dealt with it?

The link takes a few minutes and needs no account: [your link]

Thanks, Rick

Swap in your own names and the details of the job. The link comes from your dashboard.

Where people check a general contractor first

Houzz
Where people collect kitchen ideas months before they hire anyone. Photos of your finished rooms with a client's words beside them turn an idea board into a phone call.
Google Business Profile
Where a client checks that the address is real and the crew has been busy lately. A gap of a year between comments raises questions.
State contractor license and insurance lookup
Careful clients confirm both before signing a contract that size. It proves you are allowed to build. How you handle a wall that turns out rotten is something only past clients can tell them.
Reddit's r/HomeImprovement
People post their bid and ask strangers whether it sounds reasonable. They also ask what a contractor's reputation looks like, and a named client with a figure in a comment gets quoted back.
Your own website
The place a couple reads together at night, with the change orders and the final bill side by side. Full stories from finished jobs belong there.

Questions general contractors ask

Should I ask while the job is still going?: Wait for the final sign-off. A client living in dust is tired, and a comment written during drywall week rarely does you justice. After the last punch item they can see the finished result. A second nudge a few weeks later, once they have used the room, often brings a better one.
What if the job ran over budget?: Ask anyway. Nobody believes a renovation ends at the first number. A comment saying the job ran nine days over and the client heard about each one is worth more than a claim of perfection.
What about clients who were hard to work with?: Ask them too, if the job ended well. People who argued about a change often describe most precisely how you settled it. If they say no, let it go, because pressing an unhappy client can turn a comment into a complaint.
Does the project type need to show?: Yes. A remodel client wants to hear from another remodel client. The role line can say "Kitchen and bath remodel" rather than just "Homeowner", so a reader knows at once whether the story is theirs. Add the neighborhood if the client is happy to share it.

Every testimonial Exalted publishes is written by a real person and approved by the business owner.

Your reputation, as a ladder

Each approved testimonial moves you up a tier, so you have a reason to keep asking. Visitors see the tier and know how established you are.

Friendly1+ approved

Honored5+ approved

Revered15+ approved

Exalted30+ approved

Pricing

Starter is $9 a month or $85 a year. Pro is $19 a month or $180 a year. Both are free until your fifth testimonial, and neither asks for a card to begin.

See what is in each plan

Worth reading before you ask

More on the blog. If you ask for Google reviews too, the free Google review link generator and the review request templates need no account. If you want a client quote as a picture to post, I made a free testimonial image maker.

Start collecting this week

Set up a link in about five minutes and send it to the last client who thanked you.

Start free