Estimate Decoder
Understand one concrete estimate
A concrete proposal is not a price list — it is a description of work, and the description is where two quotes actually differ. This walks you through one proposal, records what it says against twenty-seven scope items, and produces the questions your answers imply.
What this tool does not do
- ConcreteOwner has not inspected your property and has not seen any proposal. Everything here reflects what you record.
- We do not tell you what work ought to cost. There is no price guidance here and there will not be, because we have no way to know.
- We do not name a preferred contractor and we do not rank proposals. A scope comparison is not a comparison of the people doing the work.
- Similar totals do not prove equivalent work, and different totals do not prove that either contractor is wrong.
- A proposal can leave something out because it is covered elsewhere in a full contract, or because it does not apply to your project.
- Cracking, settlement, movement, moisture and drainage symptoms each have several possible causes. Nothing here separates them.
- Safety, structural adequacy, engineering needs and local code or permit questions cannot be settled by this tool. Where a condition may involve structural movement, significant settlement, a retaining structure, a foundation, or an immediate risk to anybody, an appropriately qualified local professional is the right call.