15 Questions to Ask a Concrete Contractor Before You Sign

Concrete is a purchase most people make once or twice in a lifetime, under time pressure, with no way to inspect the most important parts after they are buried. These questions are the substitute for expertise you do not have.

About the specification

1. How thick will the slab be?

Four inches is the residential standard. Five to six where an RV, boat, work truck or anything heavy will park. If the answer is "standard," ask for the number in inches, in writing.

2. What reinforcement, and how will it be positioned?

The second half of that question is the important one. Rebar on chairs or mesh lifted into the middle third of the slab does structural work; mesh laid on the subgrade and walked flat during the pour does almost nothing. A contractor who talks about chairs and positioning unprompted is telling you something.

3. What are you doing to the subgrade?

The single most revealing question on this list. Good answers mention compaction, moisture conditioning of the clay, and possibly cutting out poor material and replacing it with aggregate base. A shrug means you are buying a finish, not a slab.

4. Where will the control joints go, and when will they be cut?

Spacing at roughly 24–30 times the thickness, cut within hours of the pour. If joints are an afterthought in the conversation, they will be an afterthought on site.

5. What is the mix design and will water be added on site?

Every gallon of water added at the truck to make placement easier reduces final strength. The right answer is that the mix is ordered to spec and workability is managed with admixtures, not a hose.

About the scope

6. Is removal and haul-off included, and itemized separately?

On replacement work this is one of the biggest line items and the most commonly buried. Ask for it as its own number.

7. Who pulls the permit?

Depends on your city and the work. Anything in the public right-of-way, a new approach onto a street, or work changing drainage generally needs one. Several Oklahoma contractors handle permitting in-house — worth real money in saved hassle.

8. Which way does the water go?

Especially for patios. A slab pitched back toward the house sends every rainfall against the foundation, and in Oklahoma clay that creates a problem far more expensive than the patio. Slope away, about a quarter inch per foot.

9. Is there an expansion joint where the slab meets the house?

There should be. Slab and structure move independently through Oklahoma's seasons, and a rigid connection transmits that movement straight into the wall.

10. What is the finish, and is it slip-resistant where it needs to be?

Broom finish across the direction of travel on any slope. For stamped work near pools or steps, ask specifically about grit additive in the sealer. Raise it before the pour, not after the first fall.

About the company

11. Are you insured, and can I see the certificate from your carrier?

General liability and workers' compensation. Request it from the insurer directly, not as a PDF from the salesperson. Oklahoma does not license concrete contractors at state level, which makes insurance one of your few hard verification tools.

12. Is your crew doing the pour, or a subcontractor?

Not automatically a problem. Not knowing is.

13. Can I see three jobs you did two or more years ago?

Fresh concrete always looks good. Concrete that has been through two Oklahoma summers and a winter tells you whether the base was done right. Ask for the older references specifically — a good contractor will be pleased you did.

14. What is your deposit, and what is the payment schedule?

A reasonable deposit covering materials is normal. Half the project value before anyone arrives is not. Final payment should follow your inspection, not the crew's departure.

15. What warranty do you offer, and what voids it?

Read the exclusions. Almost every concrete warranty excludes ordinary shrinkage cracking — reasonably, since all concrete cracks. What you want covered is structural failure, spalling, and settlement traceable to base preparation.

Answers that should end the conversation

• "This price is only good today." Concrete is not a timeshare.
• "We've got leftover material from another job." The classic door-knock pitch. Concrete is batched to order; there is no meaningful leftover, and this framing exists to manufacture urgency.
• "We can start tomorrow" in April or October. Good Oklahoma crews are booked in peak season.
• Cash only, no written contract. No.
• A quote given without walking the site. Square footage from a satellite image misses grade, access and what has to come out first.

The short version

Get three bids that each specify thickness, reinforcement and placement, subgrade work, joint layout, finish, and who handles removal and permits. Verify insurance with the carrier. Ask for two-year-old references. Then decide — and it will not always be the cheapest bid, but it will be an informed one.

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