Homeowner standard
Homeowner Concrete Estimate Checklist
This is the working companion to the Contractor Vetting Standard. The standard is about whether a contractor and their proposal hold up. This is about making two or three proposals comparable so the totals mean something.
Take it to each estimate, or fill it in from the written quotes afterwards. The point is to get every bidder answering the same questions, because the item they all leave out is usually the item that explains the price difference.
As with the vetting standard, this is not a certification and confers nothing on anybody. ConcreteOwner does not inspect, certify or approve contractors, and does not review or score the estimates you collect. This is a worksheet for you.
This is not a certification. ConcreteOwner does not inspect, approve, certify or accredit contractors. Nothing on this page says anything about any particular contractor, and no contractor can hold, display or claim anything from it. It is a checklist for you.
1. Are they quoting the same area?
Measured square footage, and which specific panels or sections are included. The most common cause of a cheaper quote is a smaller scope.
- Record the stated area from each quote.
- Record which panels or sections each one names.
- If they differ, the totals are not comparable until you resolve it.
2. Are they proposing the same method?
Lifting, partial replacement, full replacement, resurfacing. Different methods answering the same problem are a legitimate comparison, but they are not a price comparison.
- Record the method each contractor proposes.
- Record the reason each gives for choosing it.
- Where methods differ, compare expected life as well as price.
3. What is the base specification?
For any pour: excavation depth, base material, compacted depth. This is where large price gaps most often live.
- Record excavation depth from each.
- Record base material and compacted depth from each.
- A quote with no answer here is not a complete quote.
4. What is the slab specification?
Thickness, mix, reinforcement type and placement, joint spacing and depth.
- Record thickness and reinforcement from each.
- Record joint spacing and depth from each.
- Note any quote where these are absent.
5. Is demolition and disposal included?
Breaking out and hauling away an existing slab is a real cost line, and it is a frequent exclusion.
- Record included or excluded for each.
- Where excluded, ask what it would add.
6. Is any drainage or grading work included?
Where water caused the problem, a quote that addresses it is worth more than a cheaper one that does not.
- Record whether each quote includes any water-related work.
- Record which way each contractor says the finished surface will drain.
7. What is the schedule and return to service?
Start date, duration, and separate figures for foot traffic and vehicles.
- Record the stated duration from each.
- Record foot-traffic and vehicle return times from each.
8. What does each warranty actually cover?
Scope first, length second. Note the exclusions specifically.
- Record what is covered and what is excluded for each.
- Note specifically whether settlement and cracking are excluded.
9. What are the payment and change-order terms?
Deposit amount, milestone payments, retention, and how extra work is priced.
- Record the deposit and payment schedule from each.
- Record change-order terms from each.
10. Now explain the gap
With the rows filled in, look at the two quotes furthest apart and find the differences. If the specifications match and the totals do not, that is a real price difference. If they do not match, you are looking at two different jobs.
- List every row where the quotes differ.
- Ask each contractor to price the missing items so the comparison is like for like.
- Only then compare totals.
What to do with a quote that will not fill this in
Ask once, in writing, for the missing items. Plenty of good contractors write short quotes and will happily expand them.
A refusal to specify base preparation, thickness or warranty scope in writing is a different matter, and it is reasonable to weigh it.
Keep the completed sheet
Whatever you end up agreeing to, the filled-in version of this is the clearest record of what was promised. If a disagreement arises later, a written specification is what resolves it.
Common questions
How many quotes should I compare?
Three is a common norm for substantial work, and it is more useful when the bidders are not all from the same discipline. Two lifting quotes and one replacement quote tell you more than three of either.
Does ConcreteOwner review or score quotes for homeowners?
No. This is a worksheet you use yourself. We do not review estimates, and we do not assess contractors.
Next
Contractor Vetting Standard
A published, versioned standard for evaluating a residential concrete contractor — with a printable interview checklist.
Questions to ask a contractor
The questions that separate a diagnosis from a sales call, organised by what you are buying.
How to compare quotes
Make different-looking quotes comparable before you compare the totals.
Freeze–thaw and soil risk
Why residential concrete fails, and how to tell which mechanism you are looking at.
Project cost planner
Where your project sits relative to other residential concrete work, and what will move your quotes.