If you want a smoother bathroom remodel in Metro Detroit, start with this: your payment schedule matters as much as your tile choice. It decides who stays in control when timelines stretch, materials get delayed, or a crew misses a step.

In a recent Hire It Done podcast episode, Adam Helfman lays out a homeowner-friendly way to pay for a bathroom renovation using a $20,000 bathroom remodel as the example. The approach is simple and practical: you pay in stages that match real progress, not promises.

This is especially important for homeowners across Southeast Michigan (Metro Detroit, Oakland County, Macomb County, and Wayne County). Remodels here can move fast or get complicated fast. When you tie payments to clear milestones, you protect your budget and your peace of mind.

Why Your Payment Schedule Protects You More Than Any Contract Clause

A contract matters. But your payment schedule is what actually controls the day-to-day leverage.

Here’s why: money drives momentum. If you hand over a big chunk of cash at the start, you lose the ability to nudge the project back on track when something slips. You also create an awkward dynamic where you feel like you’re chasing updates, instead of managing a professional relationship.

Adam’s blunt reminder hits the mark: “Your contractor is not the bank.” That line is not anti-contractor. It’s pro-professionalism. A trusted contractor should run a job with solid planning and steady progress, not by collecting a massive upfront payment and figuring it out later.

When your payments match real milestones, you reward progress, keep the job funded, and keep enough money on your side to make sure the finish line actually happens.

The Golden Rule: Your Contractor Builds the Job With Your Money (Not the Other Way Around)

If you remember one principle from this episode, make it this one.

Adam explains it clearly: “His job is to build your project with your money… The contractor is not the bank.”

That means you should not be funding someone else’s cash flow problems. If a contractor needs half of the project cost upfront “to start,” you’re taking on unnecessary risk. You can still be respectful and firm. You can say, “I’m ready to pay promptly. I just want a milestone-based schedule.”

A good contractor will not get offended by that. In fact, many pros prefer it because it sets clear expectations and reduces misunderstandings.

Step 1: Start With a 10% Deposit, Not a “Big Upfront” Payment

For a $20,000 bathroom remodel, Adam recommends 10% down, or $2,000 at contract signing.

That deposit does what it’s supposed to do. It locks in your place on the calendar and signals commitment. But it does not put you in a position where you’ve paid too much before you’ve seen meaningful work.

Adam also highlights something many homeowners forget in the rush of signing: you typically have three business days to cancel after signing. He frames it as a “three-day cancel window” that protects you if you get a bad feeling or notice something off right after the paperwork is done.

This stage sets the tone. You start the job fairly, you keep your exposure low, and you avoid the common Southeast Michigan headache of paying a giant deposit and then watching the schedule drift.

Step 2: Pay Another 10% When the Permit Is Approved and Posted

Permits are not just paperwork. Permits are proof that the project is moving through the system the right way.

Adam’s milestone is clean: you pay the next 10% when the permit is pulled and posted. On a $20,000 job, that’s another $2,000.

This matters because permits and inspections are part of how you protect your home long-term. If you ever sell, you want that record. If something goes wrong, you want that oversight. And if you’re working with a trusted contractor, they should be comfortable tying payment to that real, verifiable step.

Think of it this way: a permit milestone rewards readiness. The contractor is past talk and into action.

Step 3: Pay When Demo Is Complete, Not When Demo Starts

This is where a lot of homeowners accidentally give away control.

Adam’s guidance is specific: you don’t pay when a crew shows up with a hammer. You pay when the demolition is actually finished and the debris is out.

He even explains the logic like a homeowner “insurance policy.” If you pay at the start of demo, you can end up staring at a gutted bathroom while the contractor moves on to other work. If you pay when demo is complete, you’ve tied the money to a result you can see.

In the $20,000 example, this next payment is another 10%, or $2,000.

This milestone also helps you emotionally. Demo is messy. It disrupts your routine. When you pay at completion, it feels like progress, not chaos.

Step 4: Pay 20% After Rough Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC Pass Inspection

Once demo ends, the “invisible work” begins, and this is where quality matters most.

Adam’s payment schedule ties the next chunk to inspection approvals. You release 20% when rough plumbing, rough electrical, and rough HVAC get approved.

On the $20,000 remodel example, this payment is $4,000.

This milestone protects you because it makes sure the critical systems are right before walls get closed and finishes go in. It also protects the contractor because the job stays funded as major work gets completed.

If you want an easy way to ask for this without sounding confrontational, Adam gives you the homeowner framing: you can request the payment schedule in writing so you can make sure you have the money ready at the right time. That sounds responsible. Because it is.

Step 5: Pay 20% When the Tile Work Is Complete (A Visible, Meaningful Finish Milestone)

At this stage, the project starts looking like a bathroom again. That’s why tile is such a useful milestone. You can see it. You can touch it. You can verify it.

Adam recommends paying the next 20% when tile is complete. In the $20,000 example, that’s another $4,000.

Now you’ve paid $14,000 total, and you still have $6,000 left. That remaining amount is your leverage to make sure final installs, punch-list items, and details get finished properly.

This is where a lot of Metro Detroit homeowners feel the most stress, because it’s also where projects often slow down. Your schedule should anticipate that. A strong payment plan is not about mistrust. It’s about understanding how remodel timelines really work.

Step 6: Make the Final Payment About “Usable Completion,” Not Perfection

“Done” can mean two different things in remodeling.

One version of done means the bathroom is perfect, every tiny detail is flawless, and nothing needs a touch-up. The other version of done means you can actually use the bathroom and the project has hit functional completion.

Adam encourages you to anchor the last payment to usable completion. That means the bathroom works. Water runs. Toilets flush. The shower is usable. The room functions the way it should.

Then, if something minor remains, you handle it logically, not emotionally. Adam gives a practical example about a small item like a knob or a warped door. The point is not to turn a tiny fix into a massive fight.

This is how you stay calm and fair while still protecting yourself:

• You keep a reasonable amount tied to the outstanding item.
• You release it as soon as the contractor completes the fix.

That approach keeps the relationship professional and keeps your project moving.

The Quiet “Bonus Rule” That Makes This Schedule Work: Communication

Even with the best payment plan, real homes create surprises. Hidden damage shows up. Materials backorder. A small design choice changes the scope.

In the companion discussion on change orders, Adam says something that applies to every Southeast Michigan remodel: “The nucleus of all home improvement success is communication.”

So as you use this schedule, keep your communication clean and consistent. Ask questions early. Confirm scope changes in writing. Treat your contractor like a professional partner, not a mind reader.

When you combine milestone-based payments with clear communication, you dramatically reduce the odds of the three things homeowners fear most: overspending, delays, and awkward conflict.

A Simple Way to Explain This Schedule to Any Contractor

You don’t need to over-explain. You can keep it short and confident:

You’re happy to pay quickly when milestones are met. You want the schedule in writing. You want payments tied to permits, demo completion, inspection approvals, tile completion, and usable completion.

That’s not “difficult.” That’s how a homeowner hires smart.

And if a contractor refuses to work with any form of milestone schedule, that tells you something important before you ever swing a hammer.