How to Choose the Right Concrete Contractors for Your Project

Every concrete project needs to be handled by a professional concrete contractor. There’s a lot of nuance when you work with concrete, and even small mistakes can lead to the entire project falling apart. 

However, it’s not enough to commit to the first contractor you find. You need to choose the right concrete contractor for your project based on qualifications, specialties, and other factors. 

We’re going to highlight everything to make sure you get the results you want on the first try. 

1. Licensing and Regulatory Qualifications

The most basic factor you need to consider is whether the contractor is licensed or not. This is a base-level requirement for professional concrete work. If a concrete contractor doesn’t have the legal qualifications to offer services, you risk major compliance issues with your project, regardless of how good their work is. 

Beyond compliance issues, you also risk low–quality work if you hire an unlicensed person to handle the job. The training and testing required to get a license ensure that the individual knows what they’re doing on a professional level. Consider it a type of preliminary vetting that weeds out people who are most likely to cause you problems. 

Licensing and regulatory requirements vary from municipality to municipality. Some areas might consider a general contractor license enough to do any concrete work, and others might require specific licenses for different types of concrete work. However, if a service boasts that they’re licensed, they are likely compliant in all areas in which they operate in. 

2. Ensure the Contractor is Experienced in the Type of Project You’re Doing

Experience is crucial, but you want to ensure that your contractor is experienced specifically with your type of project. 

Pouring a sidewalk is a lot different than building a strong concrete foundation, so make sure your contractor has experience with the type of project you’re doing. If your contractor has 20 years of experience making amazing sidewalks, that doesn’t mean they’ll do a great job putting down a foundation slab for the tiny house you’re building. 

Luckily, this is really easy to check if you’re looking at reputable contracting services. You can check their online service list to see what projects they advertise services for, or you can simply ask the representative when you call if they have experience with your type of project. 

3. Ask for Recommendations in Your Social Network

To help you find a suitable concrete contractor, one of the first things you should do is ask the people in your social network if they’ve had any concrete work done and who they used. 

A trusted friend or family member is more likely to give you an honest recommendation you can trust. If they had a bad experience or a great experience, they’ll let you know. 

Of course, you should use this as a starting point for your search rather than automatically taking their recommendation, and you might not know anyone who has had concrete work done. So, it’s still important to follow our other tips. 

4. Check for Major Issues or a Great Reputation

Once you’ve found a few potential options, it’s a great idea to look for signs of major issues or to confirm they have a great reputation. 

Reviews can help a lot, especially when they’re left on reputable 3^rd party platforms. 

Issues you need to look for are incomplete projects, poor results that were not fixed, bad customer service, and similar things. While unfortunate, some contractors sometimes leave a job incomplete, or they make mistakes and refuse to stand by their work, etc. It’s especially common when you try to work with unlicensed individuals. 

You don’t just need to hunt for negativity, though. Look for reviews that are realistic but credit the contractor with giving them amazing results. If a contractor can get the job done for hundreds of other people without major issues being common, they’re likely to give you a great experience, too. 

5. Check Their Rates

After you’ve found a couple of great choices, it’s best to compare their rates. 

There are local averages, and you can’t expect services to greatly undercut those averages, or they won’t stay open for business. However, you can often find small rate differences that help you save money, deals that might apply to your project, or various perks that can make one option more attractive over another. 

A service shouldn’t be too far over the local average, either. 

Contractors aren’t like online retail services, though. You’re rarely going to see prices set for different services. Instead, you’ll want to reach out to each company, tell them about the project in as much detail as possible, and get a general quote. They might want to schedule a visit to see the area and get a better idea of the project’s scope, too. 

6. Make Sure You Communicate Well

While you’re reaching out for a quote, the price shouldn’t be the only thing you pay attention to. You want a service that carries itself professionally and with a high level of dedication to customer service, so you can receive all the benefits of hiring concrete contractors. 

If a company takes the way it treats customers seriously, it’s more likely to take the project seriously. Plus, you’ll have a more enjoyable experience. 

7. Check Guarantees

Concrete can be a difficult material to work with, and the environment can cause challenges that aren’t entirely avoidable. Make sure that you look at any guarantees the contractor makes for the project. 

If something happens, whether it’s an honest mistake or it’s an unavoidable circumstance, the contractor will stand by their work and set things right. 

8. Choose Local

As you consider each of these tips, try to limit your search to local contractors. There are three reasons to do this. 

First, you help your community. You’re helping several members of your community earn a paycheck, but those contractors also rely on other local businesses that your project will indirectly benefit. 

Then, there’s the fact that they know the challenges of the local climate. Climate is important for concrete work, and a local can navigate weather-related challenges more effectively. 

Finally, a local understands all the local regulations you need to be compliant with. 

Try Rios Bros Today

When it comes to concrete projects, choosing the right team makes all the difference. Rios Brothers delivers expertise and care for every job. We are residential and commercial concrete contractors in Weatherford, TX, dedicated to quality workmanship, attention to detail, and exceptional results.

Whether it’s a new installation, repair, or custom concrete project, our team handles every step with precision and professionalism.Contact us today to discuss your project and see how Rios Brothers can bring your vision to life!