Use this checklist on the contractor we refer you to as well. We introduce you. You do the hiring, and you should check anyone you hire.
1. Check the license
Michigan generally requires a state license for residential concrete jobs of $600 or more. The contractor should hold either a Residential Builder license or a Maintenance and Alteration Contractor license that lists concrete as a trade.
Ask for the license number and look it up on the website of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). The search shows whether the license is active and whose name it is in. The name should match the name on your contract.
2. Ask for proof of insurance
A contractor should carry general liability insurance, and workers' compensation if they have employees. Ask for a certificate sent to you by their insurance agent. Any legitimate contractor gets this request all the time.
3. Go and look at their old work
Fresh concrete always looks good. Ask for the addresses of two or three driveways they poured three or more winters ago, and drive past. You are looking for a surface that is still intact with no flaking, cracks that follow the joints, and no puddles.
4. Get the specification in writing
A quote that says "new driveway, $7,500" tells you nothing. A proper one states:
- The area being poured, with dimensions
- Slab thickness
- Concrete strength, and that the mix is air-entrained
- Depth of compacted gravel base
- Reinforcement
- Control joint spacing
- Whether tear-out, haul-away, permits and yard repair are included
- Curing and sealing
- The payment schedule and a rough start date
- What the warranty covers, and for how long
With that in hand you can compare two quotes line by line. Our driveway cost guide shows what typical prices look like.
5. Keep the payments sensible
A deposit to hold your place in the schedule is normal. Paying most of the job before any concrete arrives is not. A common arrangement is a modest deposit at signing, with the balance due when the work is finished. Pay by check or card, not cash, and get a receipt. With the final payment, ask for a signed waiver of lien, which confirms the contractor and their suppliers have been paid and have no claim against your property.
6. Ask how they handle weather and the first winter
Good answers sound like this: "We will not pour if heavy rain is forecast." "We put curing compound on the same day." "Keep salt off it this winter." A contractor who brushes these questions aside is telling you how they work.
Red flags
- They knocked on your door with material "left over from a job down the road".
- Cash only, or a discount for paying everything up front.
- No license number, or a license in someone else's name.
- Nothing in writing, or a one-line quote.
- The price is far below everyone else's. The savings come from somewhere, usually the base or the thickness.
- Pressure to sign today.
How many quotes?
Two or three is enough to see what the going rate is. Beyond that you are mostly collecting phone calls. A clear specification and a contractor who shows up when they said they would tell you more than a fourth price does.
Free estimate
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Tell us the town and what you need done. We pass it to one local concrete contractor, who contacts you with a free estimate.