A homeowner once asked me why our website says 135+ completed projects instead of a bigger, rounder number like 500 or 1,000. I told her the honest answer: because 135 is the actual number of projects my team has personally built, and I would rather she trust a real figure than be impressed by one that sounds better but means less. Project counts get thrown around in this industry like they settle the question of who to hire. Most of the time, they raise more questions than they answer.
I am Daniil Akulov, founder and master carpenter at ProBrothers. I have been doing hands-on carpentry for over 20 years and running this company since 2009, based in Media, Pennsylvania and serving Delaware County and the Main Line. We are not a franchise with rotating crews, which matters more to this conversation than it might sound. Here is what a project count can actually tell you, and where it stops being useful.
"We've completed 500 projects" sounds like a credential. On its own, it is closer to a Rorschach test. Five hundred small handyman jobs is not the same claim as 500 full kitchen remodels. Five hundred projects across a franchise with dozens of independently operated locations and rotating subcontracted crews is not the same claim as 500 projects built by one consistent in-house team. The number by itself does not tell you which of those you are looking at, and homeowners rarely ask the follow-up questions that would.
Whenever I talk to a homeowner who is comparing us against another contractor's advertised project count, I walk them through three layers, because the number alone is the least useful part of the claim.
Scope Match. What kind of projects make up that count. A remodeling contractor with an impressive total that is mostly small repair calls or unrelated commercial work is not necessarily bringing relevant experience to your kitchen remodel or home addition. The right question is not "how many projects have you done," it is "how many projects like mine have you done," since that is the number that actually predicts whether they will handle the specific challenges of your project well.
Team Consistency. Who actually built those projects. A single company where the same core team has completed 135 projects over 15 years is a fundamentally different claim than a franchise brand where the number represents work spread across many independently run locations with rotating crews. The first tells you something about one team's accumulated judgment. The second tells you almost nothing about the specific people who would show up at your house.
Verifiable Proof. Can the count be traced back to real, checkable work. A number is a claim until you can attach names, addresses, or documented references to it. Ask to see actual completed projects similar to what you are planning, and ask for references you can call, not just a testimonial page. A contractor confident in their number should have no hesitation connecting you to real homeowners who can describe what it was actually like to work with them.
A project count that holds up under all three layers is a genuinely useful signal. A project count that falls apart under the first question you ask is a marketing number wearing a credential's clothing.
This is a hypothetical comparison built to show how the check plays out, not a review of any specific real company. Picture two contractors, both advertising a similar completed-projects figure, being considered for the same kitchen remodel in Delaware County.
Contractor A is a regional franchise location claiming several hundred completed projects across its brand network, drawing on marketing materials produced at the corporate level, with crews assigned by whichever subcontractors are available for that job. Contractor B is a smaller, locally based company with a lower total project count, built entirely by one consistent in-house team over more than a decade, with a handful of documented local references available for kitchens specifically.
Running both through the Three-Layer Check changes the comparison significantly. Scope match: Contractor A's total may include a wide mix of project types across the brand, diluting how much of that number is actually relevant kitchen experience, while Contractor B's smaller total is concentrated in exactly the kind of work being considered. Team consistency: Contractor A's number represents many different crews across many locations, while Contractor B's number represents the judgment of the same team, repeated. Verifiable proof: if Contractor B can produce specific, checkable references for kitchen projects and Contractor A can only point to brand-level marketing copy, the smaller number is carrying more real evidence than the larger one.
The larger number is not automatically wrong to consider. It just needs to survive the same three questions the smaller one does, and often it does not hold up nearly as well once you ask.
Myth 1: a bigger project count always means more relevant experience. Only if the count is made up of projects similar to yours. A large total padded with unrelated work types tells you less about your specific project than a smaller, more concentrated number.
Myth 2: project count alone proves quality. A number is not evidence of workmanship on its own. It becomes evidence once it is attached to documented references you can actually check, which is a step many homeowners skip because the number itself feels reassuring.
Myth 3: a franchise's total project count reflects one consistent team. It usually reflects many teams across many locations. If the number matters to you because you are trying to gauge one group's accumulated skill and judgment, a franchise-wide total is measuring something different than what you think it is.
Myth 4: a newer or smaller company with a modest project count is automatically the riskier choice. Not if that smaller number is concentrated in your exact project type, built by one consistent team, and backed by real references you can call. A focused, verifiable track record can tell you more than a large, unfocused one.
| What It Can Tell You | What It Doesn't Tell You |
|---|---|
| That the company has been operating for some period of time | Whether those projects match your specific project type |
| A rough sense of scale | Whether the same team built all of them |
| A starting point for further questions | Whether the work was completed well or on schedule |
| Whether they have enough volume to be a going concern | Whether you can actually reach and verify real past clients |
If someone asks me why I do not inflate our number, the honest answer is that a real, verifiable figure is more useful to a homeowner than an impressive one they cannot check. 135 projects over more than a decade, built by the same in-house team, means something specific: it is the accumulated experience of the actual people who would show up at your house, not a brand-wide statistic drawn from work we never touched. I would rather a homeowner ask me for three references on a kitchen like theirs and call all three than take our number, or anyone else's, at face value. A project count is the beginning of a conversation about a contractor, not the end of one.
1. How many projects has ProBrothers actually completed?
We have completed 135+ projects over more than 15 years in business, built by our own in-house team rather than a rotating group of subcontractors.
2. Is ProBrothers a franchise?
No. We are not a franchise with rotating crews. Our team has built our project history directly, which is part of why we can speak specifically to the work behind our number.
3. What questions should I ask a contractor about their project count?
Ask how many of those projects match your specific project type, whether the same team built them, and whether they can connect you with real, checkable references, not just testimonials on a website.
4. Does a higher project count mean a contractor is more trustworthy?
Not by itself. A high number attached to relevant, verifiable projects built by a consistent team is meaningful. A high number without those details is closer to a marketing claim than a credential.
5. How can I verify a contractor's licensing along with their project history?
In Pennsylvania, contractors performing $5,000 or more in residential home improvement work per year must register under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, enforced by the Attorney General's Office rather than a licensing board. Ask for their registration number and verify it directly.
6. Does ProBrothers provide references for projects similar to mine?
Yes. We can point you to documented, real client examples for the type of project you are considering, rather than asking you to take a number on faith.
If you are comparing contractors and want a project history you can actually verify, ask us directly for references on work similar to yours. We would rather earn that comparison than win it on a bigger number. Call us or request a free quote through our site.