Overview: Concrete Contractors
Concrete flatwork is the driveway, the walkway, the patio, the garage floor and the front steps. The companies here pour it new, repair it when it fails, and resurface it when the top is worn but the slab under it is still sound. Foundation underpinning and anything built from brick or stone belongs to other trades, and a firm that says so plainly is worth listening to.
Almost everything that goes wrong traces back to what happened before the truck arrived. The base has to be graded and compacted in layers. The slab has to be thick enough for whatever will park on it. Reinforcement belongs in the middle of the pour, not lying on the ground with concrete poured over it. Control joints get cut early and deep enough to work, because the slab will shrink and crack as it cures and the joints are how you choose where.
In a cold climate the mix needs air entrainment, and a slab poured this year should not meet de-icing salt this winter. Salt is what leaves young concrete flaking and pitted.
Use the state and city lists below to reach crews covering your area. Each city page shows who is listed locally, who travels in, and what customers wrote about the finished surface.
Cost of Residential Concrete Work
Compare a finished slab with the same thickness, base, reinforcement and finish. Measure the concrete area, then add separately quoted demolition or difficult site work; small jobs may have a minimum charge.
| Service or scope | Planning range | What this covers |
|---|---|---|
| Broom-finished patio | $5–$15per sq ft of installed slab | Install a plain broom-finished residential patio with the slab thickness, base and reinforcement specified for the site.The quoted total should state any minimum, excavation allowance and concrete-pump charge.Included scope and possible extrasScope used for this estimate: Specified base preparation; Concrete placement and finish; Planned joints Outside this estimate: Demolition; Unsuitable-soil removal; Permit fees unless expressly included |
| Concrete driveway | $5–$18per sq ft of installed driveway | Install an accessible plain concrete driveway with base, thickness and reinforcement specified for the expected loads.Specify vehicle loads, slab thickness and reinforcement. Removal of an old driveway is separate unless included in writing.Included scope and possible extrasScope used for this estimate: Specified base; Placement and finishing; Planned joints Outside this estimate: Old driveway removal; Curb alterations; Unexpected soil work |
| Stamped concrete patio | $8–$25per sq ft of finished patio | Install a stamped concrete patio with the pattern, color process, borders and sealer stated in the quote.Complex borders, multiple colors and difficult layouts can exceed the range.Included scope and possible extrasScope used for this estimate: Slab installation; Stamping and color; Initial sealer Outside this estimate: Complex borders; Demolition; Future resealing |
| Remove and haul away an existing slab | $2–$8per sq. ft. removed, additional to new concrete | Break out and remove an accessible existing residential slab; thickness, reinforcement and equipment access must be stated.Add this only when the installation proposal excludes removal. Ask whether disposal and mobilization are included.Included scope and possible extrasScope used for this estimate: Demolition labor and equipment; Ordinary debris hauling and disposal Outside this estimate: New concrete; Exceptional thickness or reinforcement; Contaminated material; Major grading |
What changes the price
- Slab thickness, reinforcement and base specification
- Demolition, soil condition and truck access
- Finish, borders, joints and sealing scope
Ask before you book
- What thickness, base depth and reinforcement does this price assume?A thinner or less prepared slab is not an equivalent quote.
- Are demolition, haul-off and concrete-pump charges included?Site logistics may be separate from the square-foot rate.
- How are extra excavation or unsuitable soil priced and approved?Sets a clear process for concealed site conditions.
Check the scope
Area prices depend on the slab specification and job size. Ask for one written total that identifies demolition, base preparation, reinforcement, finishing and any minimum charge.
Compare quotes wisely
Ask for plain and decorative finish options on the same engineered scope, and combine adjacent pours when the contractor can reduce mobilization.
How to read these estimates
These ranges combine published U.S. prices and cost guidance for the stated work. They are budgeting estimates, not offers from listed companies or a statistical national average. Confirm the total, included work and additional charges in writing.
U.S. planning estimates. Local quotes vary by location and the scope of work.
Frequently asked questions
Why does new concrete crack?
Concrete shrinks as it cures, and the shrinkage has to go somewhere. Control joints give it a weak line to follow, which is why they are cut within the first day and a good fraction of the way through the slab. Cracks that wander at random usually mean the joints were shallow, spaced too far apart, or the ground under the pour moved.
Resurface or replace a worn slab?
An overlay bonds to what is under it, so it only works over a slab that is sound. Surface wear, light scaling and a tired finish resurface well. A slab that has settled at one end, cracks that open and close with the seasons, or concrete crumbling right through the thickness mean replacement, because a thin new layer copies the failure underneath within a season or two.
Which finish should I ask for outside?
A broom finish is the default outdoors: cheap, grippy and easy to repair. Stamped concrete looks like stone or plank, costs more, and gets slick once it is sealed unless grit goes into the sealer. Exposed aggregate hides wear and holds grip for years. Save the smooth steel-troweled finish for a garage floor, where nobody is walking on it wet.
How long before I can walk and park on it?
Foot traffic is usually fine the next day. A car normally waits about a week, and a loaded truck or a dumpster waits longer than that. Concrete keeps gaining strength for weeks after it looks finished. Cold, damp weather stretches every one of those waits, so ask the crew for their number rather than working off a rule of thumb.
Does concrete need sealing?
Outdoors in a freezing climate, yes. A penetrating sealer keeps water and salt from soaking into the surface, which is what causes flaking, and it needs redoing every few years. Stamped work needs a film-forming sealer to keep its color, and that is the one that goes slippery. In a dry, warm region sealing is mostly about stains rather than damage.
My patio slab has sunk. Can it be lifted?
Often, yes. Slab lifting pumps grout or expanding polyurethane foam through small holes and raises the concrete back to level, which beats breaking out a sound slab. It only holds if the reason the base washed out gets fixed first: a downspout emptying beside the slab, a leaking supply line, or soil that was never compacted.
