What to Ask a Concrete Contractor Before You Hire Them

Summary:

Cesar approaches this question from his own side of the table rather than by reciting a checklist. What he emphasizes is that a homeowner should expect any contractor to come out and look at the job in person before committing to a number, and should notice whether that contractor is genuinely trying to understand the property. His own standard is that he walks a job as though it belonged to him. Beyond that, the practical things he points homeowners toward are the questions about work that gets buried: what preparation is happening under the slab, whether reinforcement like rebar or fiber is included, and whether the contractor is proposing a real fix or a surface patch. He also suggests asking to see completed work.

Answer:

Ask them if they're going to come out and look at it in person before they give you a number. If somebody wants to price your driveway over the phone without seeing the ground, that already tells you something. Ask them what they're doing underneath. What are they doing for the base? Are they preparing the whole area, or are they just pouring on top of whatever is already sitting there? Ask if they're putting rebar or fiber in it. Ask them what happens if it cracks, and what they'll do about it. And ask to see work they've done before, not just pictures from a catalog. When somebody calls me, I go and I see what they're looking for, and I try to see it like it's my house. I think a homeowner should be looking for exactly that. Is this person actually looking at my property and thinking about my situation, or are they trying to sell me something and get to the next one?