How to Find and Hire a Concrete Contractor
For big home projects, you’re likely to need to know how to hire the services of a concrete contractor. Concrete is the most used material for home projects like a concrete patio, retaining walls or decorative concrete, and it serves as the foundation of your home. It’s critical that whomever you choose is up to the task.
You need to know how to properly evaluate and pick the right concrete contractor for your project whether commercial or residential. Otherwise, your project can be more expensive and take longer.
Are you ready to find out what you need to look for and ask before you sign a residential concrete contract?
Keep reading to find out.
Research Contractors
Hiring a contractor starts with high-quality research. You’ll want to do some research to find a few contractors to contact. Ask your neighbors, friends, and colleagues to start with.
You can also check out your local chamber of commerce or look online at the Better Business Bureau, too.
Once you have a few names, take a look at the websites of each potential contractor. The first thing you want to check is the years of experience. A quality concrete contractor will have many years of experience and a great reputation in your city and surrounding areas.
Take a look at the types of projects they’ve worked on before. You want to know that they have the experience to match your needs, whether that for a concrete foundation or a concrete driveway.
For a home-related project that can boost your curb appeal, you want to work with a residential project. For commercial projects like parking lots or a large concrete construction project, a commercial contractor would be used. Some contractors are able to do both.
Concrete contractors should have a portfolio of good work. You want to make sure they do quality work and have high levels of customer satisfaction.
Check for Licenses
A local concrete contractor needs to be licensed and insured by their state(if applicable) contracting board in order to work on a job as a contractor. These contractors have to go through strict licensing requirements and if they don’t do a good job, you have some recourse.
You can file a complaint with the contracting board. Concrete contractors know this and want to avoid any negative marks on their license. They have expertise in their field, and they’ll do a better job.
Most will have their license information listed on their websites. You can then do an online search with the contractor’s board to verify that it’s active and in good standing.
You can also check to see if they are members of any industry or community associations.
If you are in a state like Texas or contractors serving the greater Houston area General Contractor Licenses are not required or even available. So in the example of using concrete contractors in Houston, you will have to rely on services like the BBB and google reviews, yelp reviews and even contacting the directories they are listed in.
The key is finding a good contractor with a good reputation that cares about their good reputation for service. Reliable Contractors with good visibility have skin in the game to keep a good online reputation and do not want negative reviews out there. For example, Houston tx recently had a record high cases of home remodeling rip-off after Harvey flooding.
What you are looking for is contractors that value 3rd party endorsements or associations that will hold their members accountable to you. Many associations or even directories have ethical guidelines and will boot contractors after unresolved complaints.
Evaluate Their Presentations
You want to get at least three proposals from different concrete contractors. Most concrete contractors offer a free estimate, but you want to verify this before you schedule the appointment.
The contractors you invite to make a proposal are going to leave an impression.
You want to evaluate the entire interaction and the proposal. It’s like the saying goes, “how you do anything is how you do everything.”
- Are the company representatives professionally dressed? Did they act in a professional manner? Were they clear about the pricing of the concrete project? Did they mention similar projects that they worked on?
If a presentation came across as indifferent, you can bet that the customer service will be too.
You’ll also want to look through the proposals and compare the scope of work, pricing and payment schedule. You want to make sure that everything is covered (material and labor costs) in the proposal before you move forward to sign a contract.
Ready to Hire a Concrete Contractor?
Just about every project starts with concrete. It’s used to build concrete driveways, sidewalks, foundations, walls, and counters.
No matter what your project is, you need to hire a concrete contractor that will pour with precision to ensure the best results. Otherwise, your project will be vulnerable to more damage.
When you hire a concrete contractor, do your research, ensure they’re licensed or have a good reputation and references if not applicable in your state, and get several quotes to compare.
Are you ready to hire a concrete contractor for your next project? It’s a good idea to search our directory to find one near you. Make sure you vet them good. Also, read 10 tips for hiring a contractor and learn what should be included in a proposal.