Free homeowner checklist
Before You Pour: 10 Questions to Ask a Concrete Contractor
A new driveway, patio, or slab is a five-figure decision you live with for decades — and most bad pours trace back to a shortcut you could have caught with one question. Print this, bring it to every estimate, and check off the answers. The crew that answers these confidently is the one worth hiring.
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Why it matters: Residential driveways need roughly 4,000 PSI concrete and 4 inches minimum — 5 to 6 inches where vehicles turn or heavy loads park. An under-spec mix on a too-thin slab is the number-one reason concrete that looked perfect cracks in year two.
A good answer: Specific numbers, unprompted: “4,000 PSI, 5 inches for a driveway, air-entrained for freeze-thaw.”
Red flag: “Standard mix, don’t worry about it” — or they can’t name a PSI at all.
Why it matters: Around 90% of failed concrete is a failed base, not bad concrete. You want 4 to 6 inches of compacted gravel over properly graded, compacted soil, with drainage in mind.
A good answer: They talk about gravel depth, mechanical compaction, and grading for drainage before they ever mention finishes.
Red flag: “We’ll pour right on the dirt,” or no mention of a base at all.
Why it matters: Concrete will crack — joints decide where. Proper spacing (roughly 2 to 3 times the slab thickness, in feet) and quarter-depth cuts keep cracks hidden in the joints instead of running across your driveway.
A good answer: They explain joint spacing and that they’ll saw-cut within about 24 hours or tool the joints in during the pour.
Red flag: “We don’t really need joints on something this size.”
Why it matters: If an uninsured worker is hurt on your property, or the crew damages your home, you can be the one left liable. Licensing requirements vary by state and city.
A good answer: They hand over a license number and a current certificate of insurance without hesitation.
Red flag: Excuses, “my buddy handles that,” or “insurance just drives the price up.”
Why it matters: Reinforcement — a rebar grid or engineered fiber — holds a cracked slab together and stops sections from heaving apart. Its absence is invisible until the day it fails.
A good answer: Rebar on a grid (or engineered fiber) with chairs to keep the steel centered in the slab, not lying on the base.
Red flag: Wire mesh laid flat on the ground (it sinks and does nothing), or no reinforcement at all.
Why it matters: Concrete gains strength by staying moist for days — it doesn’t just “dry.” Rushed curing leaves a weak, dusty, crack-prone surface.
A good answer: A curing compound or wet-curing for about seven days, and they won’t let you drive on it until the mix is ready.
Red flag: “It’s good to drive on tomorrow.”
Why it matters: Work that touches the public right-of-way — aprons, curb cuts — usually needs a permit. If the contractor skips it, the liability and any tear-out land on you.
A good answer: “We pull any required permit, and it’s itemized in the quote.”
Red flag: “You don’t need a permit for this” when your city says otherwise, or pushing the permit onto you.
Why it matters: Vague lump sums hide substitutions and change-order traps. Itemization is the only way to compare bids on equal footing.
A good answer: A written scope: square footage, thickness, PSI, base prep, reinforcement, finish, joints, cleanup, and a start-to-finish window.
Red flag: A number scrawled on a business card, or “we’ll figure out the details as we go.”
Why it matters: A crew that stands behind its work warranties against defects (not normal hairline cracking) for a stated period — a signal they expect to still be in business to honor it.
A good answer: A written warranty, commonly one to two years or more on workmanship, that spells out what is and isn’t covered.
Red flag: “Concrete cracks, nothing we can do” as a blanket dodge, or no warranty in writing.
Why it matters: Photos are easy to fake; references and addresses you can drive past are not. Local jobs also prove the crew knows your climate and soil.
A good answer: Two or three recent addresses in your area and homeowners willing to talk about the work.
Red flag: Only out-of-area work, or evasiveness when you ask for references.
The single best protection against a bad pour
Comparing two or three written quotes — and asking every contractor these ten questions — is what keeps you from overpaying or ending up with a cracked slab. We'll match your project with up to three vetted local concrete pros, free, no account needed.
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