Work with a professional designer or architect who can come up with a comprehensive plan to show your contractor to know what you plan for your location. This is the most important thing before you contact a contractor. Walking through his space without a detailed plan in hand would allow his contractor to change his pricing, as he goes, as the nuances were never discussed from the onset of the nuances.
Please keep in mind that permit pictures do not have full plans and include limited information about the final design of your location. They provide information about normal layouts and structure, but have limited or no information, which are not related to finish, internal architecture, custom millwork, light and electrical facilities. This is the information that your contractor will need to make accurate pricing before starting construction.
