Finding a contractor to remodel your home can be expensive, exhausting and even dangerous.

One online company promises to make safe contracting easy and offers a ‘free’ place to start searching for your next contractor, but as always do your homework.

Elizabeth Westermann needed a contractor -- bad. She wanted to remodel her basement so her mother-in-law could move in. She searched the yellow pages, scrolled online, but never found anyone willing to do the work.

"I’d leave a message and they never called me back or they say they come out, but never showed up," Westermann said.

She landed at a ‘free’ online website, Service Magic, which connects consumers to what they call considers reliable contractors. Already more than 10,000 homeowners in western Washington have signed up.

"You certainly increase your odds that you are dealing with a high quality business professional," said Craig Smith, CEO of Service Magic.

Now Service Magic says it's taking on another roll, background checks.

"A service professional may have keys to your home, access to your home and you want to make sure that person doesn't have a criminal record," Smith said.

Service Magic recently launched ‘screen-a-pro’ which provides consumers with a 10-step screening process. The free service checks a builder’s criminal history, work history and whether they are insured.

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries reports that users should beware. L&I says it has received complaints on a number of online referral services, including at least one against Service Magic, which is why the L& I is urging consumers to always do their own checking.

Online there are a number of complaints against Service Magic. Unhappy customers claim they were directed to unqualified contractors and even some builders say they chased bogus leads.

Service Magic will only check licensing on a state level and not the local level -- the company founder says consumers need to do their homework as well.

Which is exactly what Westermann ended up doing. She checked references and verified her builders insurance. She had a good experience and ended up using Service Magic twice.

Like anything else, there are no guarantees using Service Magic.

When looking for a contractor make sure you always check references, get multiple bids and never pay everything in full up front. Always check with your local building department to see if there are any complaints about the contractor you're hiring.