Home remodeling? Do you pay after the work is completed?

[Anonymous]

We did milestone based (framing, closed in, passing critical inspection). I did hold back a $20k payment near the end because I didn't feel progress was where I needed it to be as the last payment was like $7k. That seemed like a 'walk away' amount, though my contractor was great and I trusted him. Went with my instincts. He was agreeable and I paid all at the end.