One local resident recently took to the internet searching for a contractor to handle a bathroom remodel, specifically requesting only women-owned or women-operated businesses. The sentiment is understandable: you want someone in your home you feel comfortable with, and you want quality work without the runaround.

Here's where we'll gently push back, though — the best contractor for your bathroom remodel is the one who shows up on time, stays on budget, and does excellent work. Full stop. San Francisco already has a notoriously shallow pool of licensed, available contractors thanks to our labyrinthine permitting process and sky-high cost of doing business. Narrowing your search based on anything other than competence and reliability is a luxury most homeowners can't afford — literally.

And that permitting process? Let's talk about that for a second. The city's Department of Building Inspection has been a bureaucratic nightmare for years. A simple bathroom remodel can require weeks of permit review, multiple inspections, and enough paperwork to wallpaper the bathroom you're trying to renovate. This drives up costs, pushes good contractors out of the market, and leaves homeowners at the mercy of whoever's still willing to navigate the maze.

If San Francisco actually streamlined its permitting and inspection process, more small contractors — of every background — could compete for your business. More competition means better prices, better service, and fewer horror stories.

So yes, find a contractor you trust. Check references. Read reviews. Get multiple bids. But maybe direct some of that frustration where it really belongs: at a city bureaucracy that makes home improvement harder and more expensive than it needs to be.