What to Look for in a Good Concrete Flatwork Contractor

A few years ago, neighbors of ours had their concrete driveway and parking slab replaced. Since they didn’t know whom to ask for a referral, they simply chose a few names at random from the telephone book and awarded the job to the low bidder. Needless to say, within a year, the driveway had cracked in several places, and these days, looks like a crumbling mosaic tile project. To save time, the contractor had watered down the cement so it would pour easier. This short-cut resulted in an inferior product that was highly porous, less durable, and unable to withstand the weight of the vehicles.

Not all concrete flatwork contractors are equal, and when it comes to concrete work, you get what you pay for.

How do you find a reputable concrete contractor?

Like with most service oriented businesses, the best place to find a concrete flatwork contractor is by asking around. Check with friends, relatives, and coworkers to see who has had concrete work done in the last several years. For additional names, try City Hall or the local road improvement district. These government agencies often have a lists of approved subcontractors who meet city or county standards for sidewalk & curbing installation. While these officials can not recommend any one particular company, they will share their listings of their “A-rated” contractors.

Once you have gathered a list of names, it’s time to examine the quality of their work.

How to tell if the concrete work is any good

All legitimate concrete contractors are happy to give you the names and addresses of previous customers. In addition to recent customers, ask for some older projects as well. Even a bad concrete job can look good for a year or so ~ the true test is how it looks in 5 years.

What sorts of things should you look for?

From our own experience with neighborhood sidewalk improvement projects, we knew that inferior concrete often shows up on parking slabs and driveways. Concrete that has been improperly cured, insufficiently mixed or mixed with too much water tends to break down quickly, leaving cracks, depressions, and exposed gravel aggregate.

We also examine the finish of the concrete. Different contractors use different finish approaches from sweeping trowel marks, to combing, brooming, striping, or a smooth surface. Regardless of the technique, the application should be even and consistent. The finish should also be free of footprints, leaves, raindrops, or other imprints. This often indicates the contractor made a poor effort to protect the surface of the cement during the curing process. Likewise, crooked sidewalks and lopsided patio edges are red flags that no one was paying attention when the forms were set in place.

Other details we watch for are joints placement to control cracking. Sidewalks generally have joint between 4 to 5 feet apart; driveways and patios should be less than 10 feet. Without joints, the cement slab will probably crack in random locations. Also worth noting is whether the contractor poured the slabs to allow for proper water damage. Standing water on concrete is not only hazardous, but can eventually damage the slab.

With newer projects, I also examine the condition of the adjacent site. Quality concrete contractors leave the site looking better than before they started. Low budget contractors leave trails of broken concrete, dead grass, and piles of rocks.

Check the references

After examining the work, current references should also be checked. One question that should always be asked is “Would you use this person again?” Other places to check are with the Better Business Bureau, the County Courthouse for records of past legal action, and the contractor’s insurance and bonding company.

Getting the bid

Once you have found a couple of concrete flatwork contractors whose standard of craftsmanship meets with your expectations, it’s time to get some bids.

In order to prepare bids that can be easily compared, each contractor must know precisely what is expected of them. This should include degree of site prep and excavation, hauling off old debris, slab thickness, surface finish, tints, and replacing damaged sod. With this information, the concrete contractors can prepare a complete bid package. As a final measure of security, ask the contractors to provide policy numbers of current liability insurance and workman’s compensation policies, which you can verify.

Shopping around for a concrete flatwork contractor can be a time consuming process, especially for busy homeowners. Unfortunately, there are many low end contractors out there willing to take your money for substandard work in return. Asking for referrals, thoroughly checking references, examining the quality of previous work, and preparing a solid contract is the best way to ensure that your money won’t be lost on a poor quality project.