With around 40,000 concrete contracting services operating in the country, choosing the right one comes down to how much due diligence you’re willing to do.
If you’ve got a concrete project coming up, whether it’s a new driveway or the steps up to your home, you need a good contractor to help. Although it’s one of the most prominent materials used in construction, not many lay people know how to use concrete.
That puts you at the mercy of local concrete contracting services. In today’s post, we’re going to help you choose the best one by giving you 7 tips to separate the “great” from the “just okay.” Laying concrete is a big job, so keep reading and find a contractor you can trust.
1. Look at Ratings and Reviews
The first thing you need to do when hiring a concrete contractor – or any type of contractor, for that matter – is look at ratings and reviews. There’s no better way to get a clear picture of which companies are the best than by looking at a company’s average rating and number of reviews on Google.
Sites like Google and Yelp let you quickly narrow down your selection to the top options in the area. From there, it’s important to read through the reviews to get a better sense of what each company is like.
Former clients won’t hold back in their comments, whether it’s praise or condemnation. If there are any red flags about a concrete contractor, you’re sure to find out in the reviews. Pick three to five of the top options and get ready to start doing more intensive research.
2. Know What You Need
Before you can really start evaluating all of the concrete contracting services you’ve found, you need to understand what your needs are. If you don’t know what you’re asking the contractor to do, then it’s hard to get an accurate sense of how they tackle a project.
It’s not just about knowing what the job entails. You need to prioritize things like cost, quality of work, and the overall timeline. If you need your job completed in a couple of weeks, it’s going to narrow down the pool of contractors, for instance.
3. Credentials and Experience
As you begin to research your top options, you want to get a sense of each contractor’s level of experience and professionalism. You can do this by looking at or asking to see credentials.
Every professional contractor in Tennessee is required to obtain a contractor’s license. There’s nothing special they need in terms of working with concrete, which is why it’s important to look at experience as well.
The more experienced your contractor, the more trust you can put into their abilities without seeing them in action. At Safety Quip, our experience with concrete contracting goes back 60 years.
4. Services on Offer
Having taken stock of what your needs are for your concrete work, you need to ensure the contractor you’re speaking to can actually do it. Again, experience goes a long way in dealing with concrete jobs of all varieties, but it never hurts to ensure they’ll be able to do what you need them to.
For example, we’re a residential concrete service, best suited for smaller concrete projects. We provide concrete for things like walkways, driveways, outdoor steps, and garden edging, among other things.
We also specialize in measuring and mixing the ingredients, delivering the concrete in a concrete mixing truck, pouring the concrete on-site, and providing advice for your projects. If you want someone to smooth the concrete for you, it’s best to hire a separate professional to help.
5. Confirm Scheduling
You may find the perfect concrete contractor to help your project come to fruition, but they need to be available when you need them. It can be beneficial to confirm scheduling early on in the process so you don’t get too attached to one contractor.
It’s important to be flexible with your scheduling and accept the fact that a busy contractor is usually one worth waiting for. That said, if you can’t make your schedules match, you’ll have to move on to a different option.
Another thing to consider is the nature of pouring concrete. Think about when you want to have your project completed and account for the fact you shouldn’t touch freshly poured concrete for about a week.
6. Get Multiple Quotes
Price matters. If you don’t obtain quotes from a few different concrete contractors, you’ll be in the dark about how much your project is going to cost. When it comes to concrete pouring quotes, you’ll be paying for the concrete itself, plus the labor that goes into mixing, delivering, and pouring it.
You never want to overpay for your concrete services. Getting multiple quotes will give you a better idea of what you should be paying.
Don’t necessarily pick the cheapest option, because it might not yield the best mixing or pouring quality. Instead, take everything into account. If the best concrete contractor is also the one who charges the least, that’s a bonus.
7. Get a Written Agreement
Last, but not least, any deal you make with a concrete contractor should be written in an agreement. This will hold both parties accountable: you for paying them for their work and them for doing the work you agreed upon at the arranged price.
In the event that there’s a discrepancy with the quote you received or an issue with the work, you can refer to the contract.
Find the Concrete Contracting Company for Your Needs in Memphis
Follow these tips and you’ll find the best local concrete contracting service for your next project. It’s all about using different tactics to separate the great contractors from the rest, so do everything we’ve discussed and your decision will be clear.
At Safety Quip, we’ve been helping Memphis residents obtain concrete for their projects for 60 years. We specialize in concrete mixing, delivery, and pouring for small-to-medium-sized residential projects. Contact us today to get a quote and schedule your concrete delivery.
