You’ve been working hard to pull together the budget for your upcoming concrete project. Whether you saved your money one dollar at a time, leveraged your home’s equity to secure a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit), or you’ve taken out a personal loan for this concrete project – you’re probably wondering how you can get the most out of your concrete investment. 

FIND A TRUSTED LOCAL CONCRETE CONTRACTOR

The first, and most important, step in starting any home renovation project: a quality contractor. Concrete is a relatively expensive building material, and it doesn’t tend to get any cheaper when you add skilled labor and project management to the mix. Homeowners should take their time to do their due diligence in selecting a concrete contractor that is licensed, insured, bonded, and recognized for their quality construction and customer service.

While it can feel like concrete is pretty simple, mistakes can be difficult and costly to fix. Even so, there’s a wide range of ways that issues with your concrete construction can actually pan out. 

Best case scenario – your concrete contractor takes the quality of their work seriously and will work with you to find the best solution. 

Worst case scenario – your concrete contractor cares more about profit than the customer. Contractors with this mindset may brush off concerns from homeowners, procrastinate repairs, or become unresponsive to any conversation about damages because fixing them would “cut into profits”.

What to look for in a Trusted Concrete Contractor

 

Price Transparency

While they may not hand out their price book, a quality contractor will have some basic knowledge and examples of concrete project prices. Ask for a pricing portfolio, guide, or some other points of reference regarding price.

Check out our 2024 Concrete Price Guide here.

Consistent High-Quality Reviews

Online reviews can be tricky, but a consistent flow of highly-rated, detailed reviews about a contractor’s quality and service are usually a good sign. Some “red flags” to watch out for are strange usernames, and an abundance of reviews with little or no commentary – these usually point to shady tactics such as soliciting, or fabricating, reviews. While this may not be a “red flag” you’ll definitely want to watch out for how contractors respond to any negative reviews! The contractor’s response to negative reviews and feedback, if present, may offer some insight as to how they might handle things in the event there are any conflicts.

Social Media Mentions & Recommendations

Where customer’s neglect to leave a review, you can often find them commenting and sharing their experiences on social media! Get an idea of who your contractor really is by exploring their social media profiles and pages, or by asking for recommendations in community groups! Some of our favorite community groups for Upstate, SC include:

• Community Talk – Greenville Residents
• Mauldin City Residents
• Fountain Inn & Simpsonville Residents
• Pickens SC Residents
• Simpsonville Residents
• Easley  and Powdersville Community
• Easley Residents

Ask for Personal References

Most contractors have at least one or two customers that don’t mind the occasional drive-by inquiry. If all else fails then, ask your concrete contractor for some references that don’t mind being contacted personally for you to look over their work.

MAXIMIZE EVERY TRUCKLOAD

As the price of concrete goes up along with the price of other building materials, you’ll definitely want to be considerate of how much concrete you plan to use, especially on smaller projects. Concrete suppliers often charge a minimum per-truckload of concrete, plus their per-yard rate over the minimum along with any upcharges for upgrades and additives. 

Therefore, if you’re a homeowners looking to get the most bang-for-your-buck with your concrete project then you should balance the size of your project(s) with the capacity of the concrete truck(s), when/if it makes sense for your home and budget. 

To put this concept into perspective – a standard 5-yard concrete project (including grade, prep, form, pour, and finish) might run about $4,000 while a standard 10-yard concrete project may only run about $6,000. Therefore, a 10-yard concrete project would result in a significantly lower unit cost than a 5-yard project. Let’s break it down and see how the math, math’s : 

A 5-yard full-scope concrete installation project costing around $4,000 equates to about $800 per yard. 

Similarly, a 10-yard full-scope concrete installation project costing around $6,000 equates to about $600 per yard – resulting in savings of $200 per yard of concrete for the homeowner.

Learn More about Concrete Pricing here.

As great as that sounds – unit cost savings still might be a bit out-of-budget for some homeowners… so what else can you do to save on the price of your concrete slab?

ASK AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD

If you’re looking to reap the benefits of unit cost savings on your concrete project, but your budget is still falling a bit short, consider asking around the neighborhood to see if any close neighbors are interested in combining concrete projects.

When neighbors combine projects, and schedule them for same-day production, they can often save by splitting project costs and responsibilities such as…

• • Heavy Duty Equipment (concrete pump, concrete buggy, etc.)

• • Material Costs per Unit 

• • Missed work for Meetings, Appointments, and Submitting Payments

A FEW MORE WAYS TO SAVE

Finally, homeowners can save on the cost of their concrete project by cutting down on miscellaneous labor and services related to your concrete construction such as…

Opening Up Access Points

Temporarily remove or relocate lawn decor, fence panels, or other obstacles between the road and the desired location of your concrete project

In most cases, your contractor will happily handle these tasks for you, but they will come at an additional cost. If you’re looking to save a few bucks, then you may want to think about taking care of these “to-dos” so that you can make more room in your budget for specialized concrete labor.

Onsite Dumping

Let your contractor dump excess dirt, gravel, etc. onsite

If you have a space on your property where your contractor can dump dirt, rock, and other materials then you’ll save them – and yourself – time and money in hauling/dumping services and fees.

Keep Your Design Simple

Simple, straightforward designs usually result in simple and straightforward pricing.

The cheapest route is always a rectangle with trowel or broom finish. Any custom colors or finish applications will dramatically increase the price of your project.

For more aesthetic designs on a budget, consider utilizing accent borders and accent sections versus a full-custom design. For example, you might limit custom designs and materials to the outer border, or entryway, of the project and use a standard broom finish on the rest of the structure.

Ready to Plan Your Concrete Slab?